Spring Cleaning: Your Ultimate Cleaning + Organizing Guide
Spring is a time for rejuvenation and new beginnings, which is probably why so many people begin the season with spring cleaning. This annual tradition gives us a chance to freshen up our homes, reset our lifestyle, and get prepped for a summer full of sunshine and fun without any of the stress and mess.
We have pulled together some of our favorite tips, tricks, and tasks to cover every nook and cranny of your space for spring cleaning. After all, spring cleaning is meant to rejuvenate you, not overwhelm you. If you approach it with the right attitude and strategy, it can be one of the best things for your home.
Photo Credit: Carly Navarrete Photography
Break down cleaning by zones
To do a full spring cleaning throughout your home is too big of a task to just dive into without a plan. Furthermore, going in and moving from room to room doing various tasks can be ineffective on your time and energy. And create a frazzled mindset as you try to keep track of the tasks.
Instead, break your cleaning sessions down by zones. Approaching your cleaning room by room will be the most effective way to make sure every task gets accomplished. Make individual lists for each of the rooms and include exactly what areas need attention and what tasks you’ve let go for quite some time (hello, wiping down walls and baseboards).
As you go from room to room, this is the perfect time to declutter and get yourself organized. Your home should feel like a relaxing oasis, so taking time to really go through everything and get a system in place will feel great. We recommend labeling all the things, using bin clips when possible, and utilizing simple and stylish organizers, such as multi-purpose bins or felt storage bins.
Break zones down by sessions
Take it from a professional organizer, doing multiple zones in one day can be exhausting! In fact, with our client’s larger projects we typically need several sessions to tackle their entire home, so you shouldn’t feel pressured at all to complete your spring cleaning in one day or weekend.
Make a plan over the span of a week or two and schedule out your cleaning sessions. Make the most of your family members too--the more hands that can help, the easier your spring cleaning will be. Encourage your kids to get involved and teach them the importance of a clean and tidy home.
Photo Credit: Kelsey Kurtis
Spring cleaning is the time to tackle those forgotten areas of your home.
You know those chores we try to just ignore throughout most of the year? There was never a better time to tackle them than during spring cleaning. Make sure you add these important tasks to your spring cleaning checklist:
Cleaning the grill and patio furniture
Cleaning the outside of your windows
Storing winter clothing, bedding, decor and other items
Cleaning your shower curtain and liner
Dusting your door frames
Washing out your washing machine
Vacuuming and wiping down the inside of your cabinets and drawers
Washing or dry cleaning your curtains
Steam cleaning your fridge
Replacing batteries in your smoke detectors
Having your chimney cleaned
Changing the filters in your furnace and air conditioner
Photo Credit: Kelsey Kurtis
Make cleaning easier on everyone
How do you make cleaning easier for your household? Create a system that keeps your cleaning supplies easy to access and your tasks easy to manage! Here are some final tips you can use any time of the year to keep your home functional and clean.
Cleaning Supplies
Keep your cleaning supplies somewhere that feels convenient to your home. Some people love a central location, like the laundry room, for all of their cleaning supplies. Others prefer keeping only the supplies they need for that space in that space, such as under the bathroom or kitchen sinks. There is no right or wrong answer, you need to do what works for you.
Weekly Tasks
Create a calendar to break up cleaning tasks throughout the week. Did you grow up in a household that spent hours on a Saturday morning cleaning the whole house? I know many people who have been raised to clean a certain way at a certain time and they have adopted those ways into their own home. Even though those ways may not be the most effective methods.
I’m here to let you know: it is okay to change your routine. Breaking up your cleaning tasks will make your life much easier and keep those vital weekend hours available for fun activities--like running your children around to all their activities.
Make large tasks more manageable
Dishes. Laundry. All the endless piles that we wish would just disappear can be exhausting. Coming up with a daily routine for both can make your life way more manageable and make those tasks seem less daunting. Opt for doing a load of laundry per day and creating a dishes chart where everyone in the household can help on their day. A well-maintained schedule helps keep a stress-free environment in your home.
Photo Credit: Carly Navarrete
What’s on your spring cleaning list?
There are so many forgotten tasks around homes, but spring is the perfect time to make sure you check each one of those not-so-fun chores off the to-do list. Open some windows, let the fresh air in, and get to work. Pace yourself and try and have fun while you accomplish your spring cleaning.
What is at the top of your spring cleaning list every year? We would love to know!
