Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels
Can you feel it? The air getting warmer by the day. The sun shining longer and hotter. Spring is upon us and I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been more excited to greet a season.
It’s been a long winter. Some states saw record-breaking snow totals. Others dealt with below-freezing temperatures. Needless to say, it hasn’t been easy. But the light at the end of the tunnel is coming closer. Spring is at our doorstep.
And that means it’s time for lighter layers, outdoor activities, and spring cleaning.
There seems to be a love/hate relationship with spring cleaning. People love it because it represents a fresh start. People hate it because it can be a tedious, never-ending task trying to clean your entire house.
Luckily, I’ve developed a system that will help make the chore a little less tiresome.
Before you spring clean, spring organize
I tell friends and clients all the time, you can’t properly spring clean your home until you organize it. Why? Because if you don’t, you’re moving items around to clear the dust only to put them back in a spot they don’t belong. What is that accomplishing?
Before you start spring cleaning, follow these steps to get your home more organized. They'll make the cleaning process that much easier.
1. Collect ALL trash.
Grab yourself a box of garbage bags and do a room-by-room sweep. Collect every piece of trash you see. Have a bag for regular garbage, a bag for plastic, and a bag for paper. Check every nook, every cranny. Look under beds and behind furniture. Don’t forget under the sofa cushions!
Trust me, you’re going to find a lot. Discarded fruit snacks, half-empty water bottles, questionable globs. Get it all out of your house before you start cleaning. Will you still find trash while cleaning? Most likely, but doing this first will eliminate it getting in your way later on.
2. Declutter storage.
How many times have you stored something away and forgotten about it? Guilty as charged. We’ve all done it. Storage solutions are great, but when the items we keep in there aren’t used, all it’s doing is taking up usable space.
You're going to find things to store away while you're cleaning. It happens. What you want to make sure of is that you have plenty of storage space for these items. It’s always a good idea to sort through and declutter storage bins every couple of months.
Take a day or a weekend — depending on how much storage you have — to go through everything. Donate what you don’t want. Throw away anything broken.
3. Find a home for everything.
I know you've heard the saying, "A place for everything and everything in its place." Professional organizers talk about this all the time. Everything you own should have a place to call its own. We repeat this because it's true. If every item has a place to go at the end of the day, you'll have less clutter. And it takes no time to put the item away.
As you collect trash, gather any randomly placed items. Put them in a designated drop zone — a box or corner of a room will do — and work on them later. Make sure you work on them BEFORE you start cleaning. The last thing you want to do is deal with this massive pile of random stuff after you’ve done all that cleaning.
4. Put all winter things away.
Decluttering your storage will help with this task. Gather any and all winter-related stuff and put it away. Skis, winter clothing, boots, shovels, etc. Do another room-by-room sweep. You never know who might have something tucked away in their room that doesn’t belong there.
Removing all winter gear will open up a lot of space. Don’t put your spring/summer stuff out just yet! Let’s clean the area first and then we’ll work on that.
5. Repurpose before buying new.
This step goes hand-in-hand with storage decluttering. A common mistake I see many of my clients do is pre-buy storage containers. They buy with the intention to use them, but they're not sure for what yet. It’s easy to say, “I’ll need that and I’m in the store so I should get it now.” But don’t jump to conclusions.
This is why I suggest decluttering your storage first. If you find yourself donating a bunch of stuff you might have an empty container or two ready to go. You don’t want to buy containers only to have them sitting empty, taking up space.
Always try and repurpose things you have. Come across any empty shoeboxes? Hold onto them for a bit. You could use them to store keepsakes or photos. If you find you don’t need it, then throw it away. You’ll be surprised at how many things you already own perfect for storage. This way you don’t spend money on something that’ll do the exact same thing.
Preparing for spring cleaning
Now that you’ve organized, it’s time to start cleaning. Wait, no! Not yet. You have to do two things first.
You need to plan and you need to stock up.
Spring cleaning can be as long or as short as you want. You want your home to be clean but you don’t want it to feel like an endless task either.
That’s why I suggest you make a plan. Sit down and by yourself or with your family come up with a game plan. Here are some questions you should ask:
How many days do you want to clean for? Do you want to get this done in a weekend? A week? Figure out a realistic timeline.
Who’s going to do what? Spring cleaning shouldn’t be a one-person job — unless you live alone. Get your family involved. Create a game out of it. Maybe whoever has the cleanest room gets a prize.
Is there anything that will require special equipment? Have you been longing to shampoo your carpets, but don’t have the right tools? Do you need to rent a carpet cleaner? Write down a day to research that online.
After you’ve come up with a plan, put it somewhere the whole family can see. On the fridge. On your command center. Let everyone know the day you’re going to start. Don’t plan the day before cleaning. Give yourself at least a week to prepare, research, and stock up.
How often do you use your cleaning supplies? No judgment. I know people who use them rigorously, cleaning every week. And I know people who use them twice a year. Whichever group you fall into, it’s important to check your stock before you clean.
If any have expired, toss them. If you’ve been meaning to switch to non-toxic, plant-based brands, splurge and buy them now. Restock on items you’re low on. Gloves, rags, wipes, etc. Whatever you’re missing, take a trip to the local supermarket and stock up.
Again, don’t save this for the day before. Be as prepared as possible at least three days before you start cleaning. This will save you a lot of hassle and headaches.
Now that you have a plan and plenty of cleaning supplies, it’s time to start cleaning. Truly. You got this!
When we do a big clean of our homes, we’re bound to find things to donate. Did you know that I offer contactless donation pickup services? If you find yourself with bags of donations after your spring cleaning, contact me today. I’d be happy to take the items off of your hands. You’ll have the option to donate them to Goodwill, Family Scholar House, or St. Vincent DePaul.