It’s Time for Spring Cleaning!

Mar 02, 2014 on Home improvement

It’s that time of year again to think about spring cleaning. Whether you like it or whether you hate it, spring cleaning is a necessary part of keeping your house and property in shape. Why do we feel the need to clean in the spring? Well, from what I understand, this tradition goes back as far as the Middle Ages when houses got filthy with their dirt floors and hay beds and needed to be stripped and cleaned from top to bottom at least once a year. In the spring, when the weather started warming up, was the perfect time to do this. Hey, if it was good enough back then, it’s good enough now! Are you ready?

Spring Cleaning                                                            Storebukkebruse, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr

Some people love to clean, so spring cleaning is an exciting time of year. For those of us who need a push in the housekeeping department, we may need a little encouragement. Still, with spring and warm weather coming, it is a refreshing thought to think about a fresh start—with a fresh and clean house. Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Just start with the big things and get more specific as you organize each area. To complete your spring cleaning project, you will then move to the outside areas of your property. Let’s go!  

 

Cleaning the Inside of the Home

 

Start inside the house with general tasks throughout the house. Chances are that chores such as cleaning windows and baseboards just don’t get done throughout the year. Spring cleaning is a time to do all those once-a-year tasks. Clean all the windows inside and out. You may need an extender tool to reach any high windows. Take a broom and sweep those ceilings to knock down dust and cobwebs. Clean baseboards and spot-clean walls. Make sure you wipe down light switches. Sweep off ceiling fan blades with a broom or tool especially made for this purpose. Empty light fixtures of any bugs and wipe them clean. Dust everything in the house, from furniture to figurines. Wipe down mirrors and picture frames. Make sure you clean anything that has been neglected throughout the year. Deep clean all the carpets and area rugs. Remove old wax from floors or add new as needed. With all these chores done, your home should be sparkly clean and fresh. For any of the housecleaning tools mentioned, check out Kohls or Target for these supplies ( and dont' for get to use Kohls coupons and Target coupons to save on the supplies) .  

 

Organizing the Home

Once you’ve cleaned the house from top to bottom, you’re not really finished with spring cleaning until you’ve organized everything. What goes through my mind is my mom’s saying: “A place for everything, and everything in its place.” Depending on your level of neatness throughout the year, this project could take a day or a month—or more. Start with one room, preferably the easiest, and go through the items in all drawers and closets. Throw out or donate what you don’t need. Organize what you keep.

Spring Cleaning Tips                                     Organize a closet using different types of containers, baskets, and shelving.

                                                     Image Credit: Peyri, CC BY-ND 2.0, via Flickr

Move from room to room doing this—and don’t forget the garage! You may have to take a room a day, or a room a week, depending on how much time you have. Purchasing organizers for drawers and closets can be a big help—and very motivating—in organizing your stuff where you can easily find it. Target and Wayfair have some neat organizers, from canisters to storage benches to tool organizers—virtually for any room in the house.  

 

Spring Cleaning Outside

Once you’ve finished spring cleaning inside, move outside. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate! Cleaning outside in the spring makes sense, as the yard usually needs to be rid of excess leaves and limbs that have fallen. Before you start that, though, take a look at the house. Does the siding need power washed? Does the porch need repaired? Take care of those things first. Then, tackle the yard work. Pick up limbs, rake leaves, clean out flower beds. If you garden, pull weeds and till your soil to get ready for sowing seeds. Spray wayward weeds and straighten up rock pathways. Clean off outdoor furniture with a cloth or the garden hose. Doing all this will have you prepared for your first mowing or weed-eating of the season.For all of your outdoor tools and machinery, check out these Home Depot coupons and Lowe’s deals.   Make your spring cleaning schedule and stick to it. Now let’s get busy!