“Spring is the time of plans and projects.”
Why Spring Clean?
It may not seem like it where you are (it’s still cold and wet here) but spring is definitely on the horizon! And what better way to start this wonderful season than by spring cleaning your home. Here are 10 Top Tips for spring cleaning your home and to help you jump straight in.
Spring is a time of renewal. Bulbs re-emerge after a winter of sleeping and colourful flowers poke through the decaying leaves and brighten the landscape after the blandness of winter. I love using Spring as my incentive to start planning new projects and having a clean and fresh house really motivates me. So here are my 10 top tips to get the spring clean underway..
Tip 1 – Have a plan
Having a plan in place seriously aids your productivity. I have a checklist of things I want to spring clean, which vastly improves my odds of achieving it. Plus, it gives me a sense of accomplishment each time I tick something off! No more getting distracted.
So to start, grab a coffee, a notebook & pen and spend 10 minutes writing out a list of what you want to get clean. Now, not everyone is the same. Some people like to use their spring clean to get into every single nook and cranny, deep cleaning everything. My spring clean is a general spruce up and a little more in depth than a weekly clean.
Tip 2 – Break it down per room
A complete list of everything can be extremely overwhelming. I prefer to break tasks down into rooms. This also aids with planning my spring clean. I aim to complete everything over one week, but the beauty of organising it by room is that you can spread it over how ever long works for you. It also means once you’ve finished that room, it’s done completely.
Tip 3 – Motivate yourself by multi tasking
Ok, I know the latest advice to get things done is not to multi-task but I absolutely love using my time cleaning and listening to something. Whether it’s a great playlist to get me dancing round while I clean, or listening to an audio book that I never quite get the time to sit down and read. Cleaning and listening are the perfect combination.
Tip 4 – Start at the Top
It may sound obvious, but until I listened to some of Flylady’s podcasts I hadn’t really ever thought about the order in which I clean a room. I literally just started with whatever task I fancied doing first. Hoovering, then a spot of dusting, maybe finish off with any cobwebs on the ceiling – please insert facepalm here! Now I’ve learnt that actually you need to clean smart not hard!
Start at the top so that anything that falls on to the floor (dust, cob webs etc) can be swept or hoovered up at the end. It saves you from having to do things twice.
Tip 5 – Clean those Windows
One instant way to let the light flood back into rooms and let spring in is to clean those windows! Normally this is one of those things that we just don’t notice until they are REALLY bad, but sparkling windows can dramatically change a room in a few minutes. So grab that newspaper and vinegar (or window cleaner) and get polishing
Tip 6 – Let Spring in
You’ve cleaned them and let the light back in and now its time to open them as wide as the weather allows. Opening the windows while you work not only allows you to keep cool while you work up a sweat cleaning but also has some great benefits. Opening windows helps to reduce indoor CO2 levels and indoor pollutants, makes the room smell fresh and can help improve your mood. Win, win.
Tip 7 – Don’t forget the appliances
Until you take a close look, it is so easy to miss your appliances when you clean. The kettle with the limescale, the inside of the microwave with the splatters or the toaster full of crumbs. Use your spring clean to revive your appliances too, it truly is amazing what lemon juice will do! Don’t forget the washing machine and the dishwasher while you’re at it – I am always guilty of this!
Tip 8 – Clean those Cleaning Tools
When was the last time you cleaned your vacuum filter, or washed your brushes and cleaning rags? Spring is the ideal time to factor in both of these chores and re-stock your cleaning supplies while you are at it.
Tip 9 – Declutter
‘You can’t organise clutter’
I know you’ve probably heard this hundreds of times before, but it’s true! If you want to make your spring clean (and normal cleaning) easier then having less clutter will help immensely. Not only that, but it also helps with bringing peace and calm to your home. Less stuff = less stress!
There are so many great books and websites to help you with this and, to quote flylady again – just 15 minutes a day will truly make a massive difference.
Tip 10 – You’ve brought Spring in now enjoy spring outside
My final tip. Now that you’ve done your house spring clean have a quick look at your outdoor space. Would it benefit from a quick wipe down or a jet wash. Get this done and you will be ready to enjoy those spring days both inside and out.
