Springtime is the season of rebirth and renewal, so along with the fresh blooms and sunshine comes everyone’s least favorite activity: spring cleaning! While it can be a daunting task to completely revamp your living space, it can be finished fairly quickly and may even be (dare I say) fun, when broken down into step by step increments.
Room by Room
Depending on the size of your home, there could be a lot of square footage to handle, so the best way to start is to break down the space section by section or room by room. By taking it one piece at a time, cleaning will be less of an overwhelming endeavor. You can even just finish a room per day if you are balancing this with a busy schedule
You can write out the order of rooms and take breaks after each is finished. Once you start making your way down the list, it’s exciting to see all the progress you’ve made. If you’re having trouble picking which room to start with, there’s no shame in using eeny, meeny, miney, moe.
Pro Tip: It may be easier to tackle the larger areas first, like the living room or kitchen, because it will be tough finding the energy to start on those when you’re already exhausted from organizing the rest of the place.
Trash or Treasure?
One of the best parts of spring cleaning is the opportunity to declutter your home. A crowded space can feel stressful and chaotic, so cleaning out the items that no longer serve you will both open up the area and give you some peace of mind.
Go through all of the miscellaneous items in your room and pick which ones still have a functional use or at least spark joy, and donate or toss the rest. You want to be purposeful with the items in your home so that nothing feels like it’s wasting valuable space.
Another One Bites the Dust
Spring fever isn’t just about the excitement of the coming season, but it also describes the sniffling, coughing, sneezing, and scratching that comes along with budding plant life. Pesky pollen and the dust built up over winter can be a recipe for an allergy disaster.
Making sure to give the space a full vacuum and thorough dusting will save you a lot of sleepless nights. You’ll want to work from top to bottom because of all the dust and grime that could fall from the ceiling onto your floors and furniture.
Pro Tip: Invest in a quality vacuum to get into all the nooks and crannies of your home, and try to avoid the age-old trick of hiding the excess dirt under your area rug.
Wax Off Wax Off
Okay, you don’t have to go so far as to wax your countertops and other surfaces, but a quick wipedown will do wonders for your space and give it the shine it needs. This step can go hand-in-hand with the dusting because it picks up any leftover debris while also removing any distracting stains in hard-to-reach places.
You can use any standard cleaning fluid, but if you have a sensitivity to chemicals, try using natural materials like water, baking soda, and white distilled vinegar for a non-toxic and affordable alternative.
Order in the Court
Once everything is looking spick and span, it’s time to organize all of the items that were moved for cleaning. You take the opportunity to rearrange some furniture to give the space a new look or just get everything looking as it did before but nice and tidy.
Display the items you use regularly but arrange them in a decorative way to both elevate the look of the space while making the pieces easily accessible. For example, if you use dish soap, surface cleaner, and sponge daily, transfer the fluids into some decorative dispensers and place the sponge in a matching container.
In With the New
Now the fun part! Since you’ve finished clearing out all the garbage you no longer need, you can fill up the space with items that suit your current taste and lifestyle. This does not mean crowding your home with new clutter to replace the old clutter.
Be intentional with your purchases and make sure they are pieces that fill you with joy or have functional value. Decorate your home and give it a facelift for the new season so you can feel the joy of spring inside and out!
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