Spring Cleaning - Up Your Game in 3 Steps

Winter is all wrapped up and the days are getting warmer. Thoughts are turning to the spring days that lie ahead. In the Midwest, this is a signal to start spring cleaning! Spring cleaning can be a ritual that lets us shake off winter days and get a head start on summer, which for many of us is a busy season lived primarily outside of our homes.  

With the right approach, spring cleaning can tackle big areas that many of us want to up our game in: organization and cleaning! It is the perfect time to revamp your approach and put a system in place that saves your time and your sanity year-round. The Spruce has 6 Tips for Successful Spring Cleaning to get the ideas flowing. Read on for more!

1. Clear the Clutter

First things first. You will do yourself no favors if you tackle big jobs but do not address the clutter that keeps rearing its ugly head. Many of us even carry it from room to room, keeping it sort of hidden but always on our mind. Start with a very honest assessment of where your clutter lies. It is a different chore for different people. Be specific! 

Go through your house area by area and room by room. Look for clothes you no longer wear, appliances gathering dust, books you do not read, and décor that never comes out of hiding. Decide if you are selling it, donating it, or disposing of it and then follow through. Homes & Gardens offers more ideas with Decluttering tips-30 ways to tidy and organize your home.   

     2. Up the Organization

Once you declutter, you are ready to re-organize. Bonus: You should have more space! You may even get a decorating refresh out of your efforts. Most of us find hidden gems when we go through everything we were “storing” for a later date. You have taken the time to trim down and do not want to get yourself back to square one by losing track of items and bringing in more than you took out because you cannot find anything.

Make a game plan. First, decide on a system that works for you. Categorize items by use. It will not make sense to put something you use daily on an upper shelf. Think about whether you will need to bring in storage containers or add shelving to maintain things long term. A great place to start is with your storage spaces.  Rather than making them part of the room, break them out into their own task. For example, consider your pantry a standalone project rather than including it with your overall kitchen cleaning.  The Spruce makes things easier by telling you Where to Start When Organizing Your Home. 

   3. Room by Room

You are now in great shape and ready to tackle cleaning! Apply the same methods that you did when clearing your clutter and organizing. Walk through your house, going room by room and make a cleaning list for each one. Decide how frequently each task will need to be done to maintain the room. Once you have completed your list for each room, group tasks together for efficiency. If you have three rooms that need to be vacuumed, doing them at the same time only makes sense! 

 Identify daily cleaning tasks and make sure you have anything you need to accomplish them within easy reach.  It is much more likely to get done if you do not have to go looking for supplies. Molly Maid has an easy Daily Cleaning Checklist  with daily cleaning hacks to help you save time, keep your home clean and your stress levels low. 

Taking these three steps will keep your home “open house ready” and you’ll never have to worry about what an unexpected guest will see when they pay you a visit!  {When you are ready to look for a new space to organize, I am ready to help you find it! Contact me at 402.312.5420 and let’s get started! }