Although groundhog day has just passed, it’s never too early to start thinking about spring and, most importantly, spring cleaning. The yearly ritual of getting ready for the warmest time of the year is one that can really help you feel more productive and put together, but it can also be overwhelming. Instead of becoming overwhelmed after trying to do all of your spring cleanings in one weekend, here are some tips to help you start gradually get your spring cleaning done.
1. Clean the Windows
The key to not getting overwhelmed by spring cleaning is to stagger your tasks, and that’s why it’s great to start with something small like cleaning your windows. Make sure to get a glass cleaner that’s meant to not leave streaks behind to make sure that your windows really let the light in. You can use paper towels or a rag to clean the windows, and if you only want to do one room at a time, that’s perfectly doable and can make the task less overwhelming.
2. Deep Clean the Fridge
When is the last time that you went through everything in your fridge, removed expired foods, and thoroughly wiped down the shelves? Well, now is the time. This task will likely take an hour or two to finish, so make sure you budget the appropriate amount of town. For foods like sauces or dressings that have a tendency to sit in your fridge for months or years at a time, make sure to check all of the expiration dates and remove expired things.
3. Go Through the Pantry
Similar to your fridge, your pantry can accumulate expired foods and get pretty gross over time. Start cleaning out your pantry by taking all of the food out of it, getting rid of expired foods, and sort the foods by category. That way when you put things back in your pantry they are much more organized and it will be easier to find exactly what you’re looking for.
4. Go Through the Junk Drawer
Every house has one: the dreaded junk drawer. It’s where you stick the random coupons you might use, that half-empty chapstick, and whatever other things you don’t have another spot for. Spring cleaning is a great time to go through this drawer and actually figure out what you need from it. If there are things in there that you haven’t thought about since you shoved them in the back, it’s probably safe to get rid of them. On the other hand, you never know what gems you’ll find that you’ve been looking for for the past two months.
5. Replace or Wash Shower Curtains
If your shower curtains are too old, they can begin to grow mold or mildew on them. If you have a disposable shower curtain, this is a good time to replace it with a new one, and if you have a reusable one you can throw it in your washer to get it clean and ready for many more showers to come.
6. Reorganize Your Accessories
If you have a lot of jewelry, purses, or other accessories, now is a good time to go through all of them. For example, you could sort out the different metals of your jewelry and get a new necklace or bracelet holder that can hold them in separate areas. Silver has been used as a jewelry material for over six thousand years, and if you have any antique jewelry, you can set it aside to display it, especially if you don’t wear it very often because of its sentimental or monetary value.
While you’re organizing your jewelry and purses, you can also consider going through all of your purses to see what is inside of them. If there are receipts, change, or other odds and ends that tend to collect in purses. This can make it easier to grab them and go once you want to in the future without wondering about what is rolling around the bottom of your bag.
7. Vacuum Under Furniture
Vacuuming is a natural part of spring cleaning, but what you may not think of is moving your furniture to make sure that you’re really getting every inch of flooring vacuumed that you can. If you’ve ever moved out of a home or apartment and seen what it looks like under a couch that you haven’t moved in years, you’ll know why this is important. Moving your furniture also gives you the chance to try out new configurations of your furniture to try different layouts.
8. Dust
If you generally skip dusting in your usual cleaning routine, things may be getting pretty bad in some parts of your home. Make sure that you’re dusting all of the easiest to miss, like on top of your ceiling fan blades and cabinets, the top of any cabinets or shelving, and behind your TV. all of these spots can easily accumulate dust since they aren’t regularly being wiped down or otherwise cleaned.
9. Get Your Gutters Cleaned
After a long winter, your gutters may be very dirty with debris that build up over the season. You should normally get your roof checked twice a year, so when you hire your roofing company you should make sure that you look for a company that also cleans gutters. That way you can kill two birds with one stone and really step up your spring cleaning.
10. Don’t Be Afraid to Hire Help
If you’re part of the 70% of people who say they don’t have any time to clean their homes, you’ve got options. There are different cleaning services that you can choose from to help you get your spring cleaning done, and even if they only do a part of it, like vacuuming or dusting, it can free up some time for you to do tasks they can’t help with, like going through all of your clothes to figure out which one to donate.
Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Whether you hire professional help or just do it a little bit at a time, it’s a great way to refresh your home and get ready to welcome in the warmer months.
When do you start spring cleaning? What are your favorite things to tidy up for spring cleaning? Let us know in the comments!
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