5 Tips for Spring Cleaning
Love it or hate it, it’s spring cleaning time again, a chance to declutter all the stuff in the house that mysteriously got messier and messier over the winter. Instead of looking at it like a chore, or a mountain you’ll never climb, think of it as an opportunity to create a positive impact on the health and well-being of you and your loved ones.
Here are five spring cleaning tips to get down, get scrubbing and make your experience more efficient and effective:
1. Create a Plan of Attack
“So many rooms. So much to clean. It’s too difficult to know where to start. I’ll just do it some other time.”
It’s easy to make excuses to put off spring cleaning because it feels overwhelming or like too much to handle. So, before you begin, take the time to create a schedule. This spring cleaning checklist will help you stay organized and focused as you work through your cleaning tasks.
Start by making a list of the areas in your home that need the most attention, such as the kitchen, bathrooms and bedrooms. Then, break each area down into smaller tasks — cleaning the oven, scrubbing the shower and dusting the furniture. Tackling one room at a time, one task at a time, will help you feel like you’re making progress.
2. Gather Your Supplies
Once you have a plan in place, gather all the spring cleaning supplies you’ll need to complete your tasks. Check the supplies you have at home, and make sure you have everything before you begin so you don’t have to stop and run to the store in the middle of your cleaning. These might include:
- All-purpose cleaner for surfaces such as countertops, appliances and tiles
- Glass cleaner for cleaning windows and mirrors
- Furniture polish for cleaning and protecting wood furniture
- Carpet cleaner for removing stains and freshening up carpets
- Trash bags for collecting and disposing of any clutter or debris
- Microfiber towels for dusting and cleaning without leaving lint or streaks
- Scrubber and sponge for tackling tough stains and grime
- Vacuum cleaner for removing dust and debris from floors and upholstery
- A ladder for cleaning high places
- A duster for cleaning ceiling fans and other hard-to-reach areas
3. Start With High-Traffic Areas
When you begin your spring cleaning, start with the areas of your home that see the most traffic because these areas tend to get the dirtiest and are most in need of cleaning.
High-traffic areas — living rooms, hallways and entryways — tend to accumulate more dirt, dust and debris than other areas of the home. Here, you’ll be able to clean up the most visible dirt and grime first, making the overall cleaning process more effective and efficient. Then, move on to areas like the kitchen and bathroom(s).
Take some pride in this sense of accomplishment early on as motivation to keep going with the rest of your cleaning tasks. Best of all, you can make sure these areas are clean and presentable in case of unexpected guests.
4. Don’t Forget the Small Details
It’s important to focus on the big areas of your home, but focusing on the small details can help you reach a state of complete clean nirvana. This can also help to improve the overall appearance of your home, and make it feel more comfortable and inviting.
Dusting baseboards, crown moldings and window sills, or cleaning light fixtures and ceiling fans, can make a big difference in the appearance of a room. Cleaning out the inside of drawers and cabinets — and reorganizing them — can help to declutter and make it easier to find what you need. (So that’s where that missing AirPod went …)
5. Keep It Up
Spring cleaning isn’t a one-time, set-it-and-forget-it solution. Dust, dirt and debris will keep coming back, so make sure to keep up with regular cleaning and maintenance tasks throughout the year to keep it looking and feeling its best. You’ve done it once … you can do it again!
Regular maintenance means you won’t have to do as much deep cleaning when spring rolls around again. Consider setting aside time each week to do some light cleaning, such as vacuuming, dusting and wiping down surfaces.
Come to think of it, spring cleaning might actually cease to exist. Think of cleaning as a journey … not a destination. A cleaning journey that exists all year long.
Spring Cleaning, The Simple Scrub Way
The Original. The Shorty. Microfiber cloth. Eraser pads. Simple Spray. We have all the essentials you need to get going on your spring cleaning journey at The Simple Scrub.
Try our other products and check out our blog for more cleaning inspiration.