It’s spring! Living in Idaho, I tend to get extraordinarily excited about warmer weather. The snow melts. Flowers and trees start to bloom, and I love every second of it. I even love spring cleaning. I pull out my spring cleaning checklist and get to work. Sure, there is a part of me that dreads the time it’ll take to clean my house from top to bottom. But there is also a large part of me that understands why spring cleaning is important for my family.
Besides having a clean house, spring cleaning is good for you. I know. I know! Even I rolled my eyes when I wrote that. But, it is good for you. I promise. When you know why spring cleaning is good for you, you might even be motivated to pull out your broom and get busy cleaning. Let’s talk about it.
Do you know why spring cleaning is important?
There has to be a reason right? For centuries, people have been cleaning their homes every spring. I’m sure it’s not just because mother’s wanted a week or two of more work. In fact, spring cleaning is deeply rooted in cultural history. In the days before the ease of electricity, oil lamps and fireplaces full of coal or wood left soot and dirt throughout homes. Come spring, it was time to clean away the grime.
Spring cleaning today can serve the same kind of purpose. After spending all winter indoors, it’s time to clean things out and clear away the dirt and grime. Spring cleaning also has some pretty impressive benefits, besides just a clean house.
Spring cleaning benefits
- Improve your asthma and/or allergies.
- Increase your productivity.
- Improve your mood.
- Reduce stress.
- Burns calories.
- Helps you sleep better.
- Prevents injury (I’m talking to you Lego-foot!)
- Help you focus.
- Prevents sickness
- Improves heart-health
Those are some pretty big benefits. I don’t know about you, but I would love some help in improving my mood and increasing my productivity.
Spring cleaning tips
Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be the worst week of your year. In fact, it can even be fun. I’m going to share some of my favorite tricks for getting it done.
Don’t do it alone
I know you are tempted to do it alone mama. Because the second you mention spring cleaning, your whole family is going to whine. The excuses will build up until you finally proclaim, “I’ll do it myself!” Because that’s what I tend to do. But, doing it alone is the pits. No one likes spending days on end cleaning by themselves. It’ll take you longer, and you will feel resentful if you do it alone. So force your family into the action. Even little kids can dust a baseboard. If that won’t work, hire some help.
Take it one room at a time
You know the old saying, “How do you eat an elephant?…One bite at a time.” That applies to spring cleaning. Tackle one room at a time. It shouldn’t take long to clean a single room. If you do one room every day for a week your home should be clean (or pretty close).
Always work from top to bottom
It’s never fun to finish mopping, only to realize that the blinds that need cleaning will leave a mess on the floor. No matter what you are cleaning, it’s usually best to work from top to bottom. Dust before you vacuum. Wash the walls before you tackle the baseboards.
De-clutter as you go
There’s no time like the present to start getting rid of stuff you don’t need. As you work your way through your home, trash or donate the things you haven’t used in the past year. Do this once a year and you’ll never pile up too much unnecessary stuff.
Are you ready to clean out your kids toys? Read this: How NOT to donate kids toys
Wash your linens and get ready for warmer weather
How often are you washing your curtains? Couch cushion covers? Quilts and duvets? Spring is a natural time to freshen up your linens and store away warmer items for cooler weather. While you are at it, flip your mattress and vacuum out those couch cushions.
Clean your carpets
Unless you have a good idea of what you are doing, carpet cleaning is usually left to the professionals. But, cleaning your carpets once a year will keep them looking nice. It’ll also help preserve them so they’ll last for years to come.
Let in the Light
In winter we don’t always notice the lack of light. It leaves us slowly, one day at a time. During the cold, dark winter months, we often don’t even notice our windows and lights. Use spring cleaning as an excuse to wash those windows! Wipe down light fixtures to remove dust. Replace light bulbs that have burnt-out.
Clean your Kitchen and pantry
The kitchen has the potential to be the dirtiest room in your home. We gather, eat, cook, and play in our kitchens. Clean out your refrigerator and freezer. Organize your pantry. Wipe the grease from your cabinet doors.
Need to clean out your pantry? Read this: Save money on groceries with one simple change.
Start with a spring cleaning checklist
If you are anything like me, you’ll start your spring cleaning off with a bang. After a few hours (or days), you’ll start avoiding that huge mess you call a bathroom. One way to avoid this is to start with a plan. Write down which area of your home you are going to tackle and use that to guide your cleaning. Having an end goal will help you accomplish what you set out to do.
Save for later!
I’m working on decluttering my house. Not very hard, mind you. Cleaning is so much more enjoyable when there’s less to clean or you don’t have to dejunk just to wipe a surface. Love the tips!
It’s not always fun is it. But decluttering definitely helps!