Spring Cleaning Tips and Tricks

Spring is marked by a lot of different things: budding trees; sprouting flowers; warm sunshine; robins and in many houses, spring cleaning.

Whether you love it or hate it, spring cleaning is a way to rid your home of accumulated dirt and grime and start the new season with a fresh new look and feel to your home.

Of course, giving your house a good scrubbing isn’t always easy – or fun.

That’s why it is important to figure out simple ways to get the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Looking for a few ways to get through this springtime passage with ease? Try these top ten spring cleaning tips. They are designed to help save you time and energy:

Make a List

Listing all of your spring cleaning chores can look overwhelming at first, so be sure to list only those seasonal essentials like packing away winter clothes; scrubbing door jams and moldings; wiping down walls and washing curtains and drapes.

Sure, there may be other things to accomplish, but if you list all of your normal cleaning chores, you will likely become so overwhelm by the task at hand you will never get started.

Besides, spring cleaning is more about getting to those often neglected jobs anyway, so be sure to include them on your list to tackle first.

Enlist the Whole Family to Help

Think about the spring cleaning days of your youth. The odds are it wasn’t a one woman job – the whole family got involved.

The fastest and easiest way to get through these seasonal chores is to get everyone in the household helping in some way – no matter what their age or skill level.

Clear out the Clutter

Clutter can take over a household (especially during the winter months), making it look much dirtier than it really is.

Before you begin scrubbing everything down, clear out the clutter.

When you get rid of all the stuff you don’t want or need, the weight of spring cleaning your home is suddenly lifted.

After all, controlling clutter leaves a lot less to actually clean.

Check Your Appliances

One of the most important seasonal jobs in a house is often the most overlooked – checking tour appliances for trouble.

To thwart expensive repair bills later on, be sure to give your furnace, water heater, ducts, refrigerator, stove, etc., a close go over.

Change filters, clean out dust and debris from hoses and crevices and more.

Having clean closets may be important; but making sure that the major systems and appliances in your home are in good working order are essential.

Gather Your Supplies

Don’t waste time and energy searching for the right tools. Gather all of your cleaning supplies before you begin.

Have everything ready (gloves, sweeper bags, extra batteries, your favorite cleansers, sponges, rags, etc).

Nothing can thwart your momentum more than having to stop to look for a tool or supply you need.

Begin with Your Least Favorite Room

Some jobs are harder than others; and some we just dislike. Choose the one room or job you like the least and begin there.

Getting that nasty job out of the way first and moving onto more enjoyable cleaning jobs will help propel your efforts toward completion.

Otherwise you may find yourself slowing your work as your anticipate the dreaded job ahead.

Use Shortcuts Where You Can

Don’t waste time while spring cleaning your home. Be sure to find more efficient ways to get the job done wherever you can.

This includes incorporating some of these quick cleaning tips into your methodology:

• Dust cloth lampshades with a lint roller – it’s much quicker
• Loosen baked on debris in the microwave by boiling a cup of water in it first (the steam works great)
• Use vinegar to clean your windows

Get Yourself Motivated

Getting yourself motivated is one of the best tips to getting that spring cleaning done!

Put on your favorite music, try a new cleaning product, read a magazine article or book for inspiration and set a deadline for a job well done.

Multitask

It may seem difficult to multitask while cleaning, but it really isn’t.

Spray down your bathroom tile and toilets, and while the cleaning solutions are soaking in, take down the curtains and drapes in the bedroom.

Keep the laundry moving while you clean the closets. Look for places where you can begin a job while finishing another.

Multitasking is a great way to accomplish more in less time.

Don’t Give Up

Spring cleaning your entire house may seem overwhelming (and it sometimes can be), but if you tackle one chore at a time and one room at a time, before you know it you will have made it through the entire house.

Don’t give up. Remember, slow and steady gets the cleaning chores done.