Spring is well under way, which begs the question-have you started your spring cleaning yet? If not, no need to fret, summer doesn’t start until June 21st so you have some time! Whether you’re looking for a kick start of motivation or just some tips to make the whole process of spring cleaning go a little smoother, we’ve got you covered.
- Compartmentalize
Before you begin your spring cleaning, take the time to visit each room in your house, including bathrooms, garages and closets, and think of each space as a “compartment”. Compartmentalizing each room and looking at each compartment one at a time keeps you from feeling overwhelmed, and let’s you take a deeper look at each individual space. As you visit each compartment, make brief mental notes of specific things you’d like to organize, clean or remove from each space. Make sure to consider the dark corners and hard-to-reach areas as well as places that are typically “out of sight, out of mind” like baskets, drawers and shelves.
- Make a List
Once you’ve had a chance to do a walk-through of your home, it’s time to get specific. To-do lists are a great way to help you remember everything you want to do within each compartment of your home, and as you complete each task and cross it off the list, you can see how much further you have to go for your whole house, and each compartment. Lists can also help you from feeling overwhelmed by everything you want to do by breaking it down into smaller chunks. Knowing you only have to worry about one list within each compartment at a time seems much easier to tackle than one long list including everything that needs cleaned in the whole house.
- Gather Your Supplies
The night before you want to do you spring cleaning, make sure you have any cleaning supplies you may need on-hand, and in one central location. Having everything prepped and ready to go as soon as you wake up saves you time valuable cleaning time and prevents additional stress if you can’t find something you need. Some supplies you may need includes:
- Multi-purpose cleaner
- Disinfectant
- Glass cleaner
- Rubber Gloves
- Microfiber towels
- Mop
- Broom & Dust Pan
- Get in the Mood
If you’re having trouble getting in the mood for cleaning, try to set yourself up for success by changing the environment. Open the windows to let a fresh breeze in, turn on some upbeat music and light a candle with an energizing scent. Try to do your spring cleaning on a day where you have no other responsibilities or distractions and focus on getting what you need to get done finished so you can enjoy the rest of your free day. If you start cleaning right after you get up, you’ll have less time to dread the task and lessens the risk of trying to talk yourself out of starting (Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us!).
- Time it Out
If you need extra motivation to get your spring cleaning done, turn cleaning into a beat-the-clock game. Give each compartment on your list a realistic time limit, for example, an hour for your bedroom, set the timer and go! Not only will this help you stay on top of all the tasks you want to finish, but you’ll complete everything faster while having a little bit of fun.
Thank you for reading our real estate and homeowners’ blog. We are Weichert Realtors – Barton Harris & Co. and we’re happy to have helped you with spring cleaning tips for your home.
