The following is a guest post from regular contributor, Emily at So Damn Domestic.
Tomorrow is the first day of Spring!
Whether you’re still buried in snow or already wearing tank tops, it’s That Time of Year.
What time?
Spring Cleaning time, of course!
What Spring Cleaning Isn’t:
Decluttering
A lot of people think Spring Cleaning means a massive declutter… pulling everything out of the garage and going through it, taking things to Goodwill and having yard sales. Personally though, I think decluttering should be done as soon as possible, as quickly as possible, regardless of the time of year, and that decluttering has nothing to do with Spring Cleaning.
Normal Cleaning Tasks
Catching up on your laundry isn’t a Spring Cleaning task. Washing the dishes in your sink isn’t either. Vacuuming your floors shouldn’t be so out of the ordinary that it is a Spring Cleaning ask, and
What Spring Cleaning Is:
Spring Cleaning means actual cleaning. It’s the time of year when you can open all of your windows, let out the stagnant winter air, let in the sunshine, and freshen everything up!
If you are a Hardcore Homemaking member over at So Damn Domestic, you have your Spring Cleaning calendar already, with tasks for every day this month, to make sure you remember everything. In case you’re not though, here are 5 super-important Spring Cleaning tasks you really won’t want to forget.
5 Spring Cleaning Tasks You Don’t Want to Forget:
1. Let in the light.
Clean the windows really well, inside and outside. Clean lightbulbs and lamp shades if you don’t regularly do that. When the sources of light in your home are all sparkling and clear, you’ll find that your home feels brighter and more cheerful!
2. Wash seldom-cleaned linens.
Curtains (or blinds), shower curtains, and fancy (maybe even dry-clean only) duvets all need to be washed. Depending on your fabrics, this may also involve some ironing afterward. Pop in a movie while you steam away if you want to, but trust me, it’s worth it.
3. Pay attention to nooks and crannies.
Ceiling fan blades, cobwebs in your ceiling corners, and dusty baseboards can often be ignored in the course of regular cleaning. Play the part of a detective as you scour your home for hidden dust-bunny nests.
Kids are great helpers with the lower areas, too. Give each kid a white cleaning cloth and see who can get theirs the dustiest in 15 minutes of swiping baseboards!
4. Perform longer-term maintenance.
If you have leather couches, spend some time conditioning them. If your home is carpeted, give the carpets a good steam-cleaning. You can also steam-clean rugs and upholstery, wash or dry-clean throw pillows that are often ignored, and oil wooden furniture that needs some extra attention.
5. Fill your home with love.
Make your home smell delicious by diffusing essential oils or cooking something wonderful. Invite friends over for brunch, or host a playdate. Share your clean, airy, bright home, and make some new memories!
Are you ready for some spring cleaning fun?
Go buy yourself a new spray bottle for homemade cleaners (grab my favorite recipes here), a new set of microfiber cloths, or a pretty apron to mark the celebration, and enjoy yourself as you prepare your home for the spring.
Emily Chapelle is an expert homemaker, who’s setting up her 8th home in just as many years. She offers motivating guidance to busy women who are ready to make the kinds of changes that last. Why? So they can spend more time on the things and people that really matter. She shares home organizing tips, decluttering your life, time-management for homemakers, and other homemaking topics at So Damn Domestic. Her ebook, Finding the Awesome – 3 Steps to Doing More & Stressing Less, has been downloaded over 2,896 times, and you can get it for free.
Sabrina | Frugal Italian Family says
I am ready! I will start beginning of April. Thank you for your post as it has increased my desire to start!
Emily Chapelle says
So glad to hear it, Sabrina! 🙂 Your home is going to feel so refreshed!
Sinea Pies says
It is the nooks and crannies that get you every time! I thought my family room was clean and, lo and behold, in the sunlight I found COB WEBS! I hate them!
Emily Chapelle says
Oh, isn’t it awful? I found some really terrible ones on a high-up window I hadn’t cleaned yet (we’ve lived here for a couple of months now.) So grossssss.
Stroller Savvy says
Great tips! I have to get through the decluttering first and then am on it!!!