It’s the perfect time of year. The days are longer, the weather is warmer, and it’s spring cleaning season! Tackling detailed home improvement projects can be overwhelming, which is why we’ve compiled advice from pros including Houzz.com, as well as our Friends of Pfister community experts.
Whether you want to spring ahead with a light dusting or a deep clean, these savvy home help tips are sure to help you get a head start on your spring cleaning!
1. Get Organized From the Beginning
One of the easiest ways to lose focus on any task is distractions. How many times have we all gone to begin one task only to venture off in a completely different direction? Gather all of the materials and cleaning supplies you need before you start and keep them together. Find a fun bucket or rolling cart and bring it with you into every room.
Clean Mama
2. Quick and Easy Update
Cleaning windows tops the list when it comes to spring cleaning. It’s not the most fun task, but it’s the least expensive thing you can do to update your home. Clean windows make your home appear brighter and will be noticed both inside and out. It adds to the curb appeal of your home as well.
Chic Modern Vintage
3. Freshen Up
One of the biggest impacts you can make with minimal effort is to switch out your decor accessories. Whether you move the art from the living room to the bedroom, or exchange existing items, a small makeover can give your home a fresh, clean new look. Don’t forget to dust off anything that’s been (or will be) sitting in storage!
– Easy Closets
4. Think Outside the (Clean) Box
Every spring, focus on the areas of the home that don’t normally get a weekly cleaning, yet are in dire need of a good wash down. One of those areas is the window treatments.
– Bella Savvy
5. Clean the Kitchen
Top priority when spring cleaning is the kitchen. We spend so much time as a family in the kitchen, that we want it deep cleaned at least once a year. On the list is cleaning behind the fridge and oven. Both these areas are major fire hazards if not cleaned regularly. Consider it similar to replacing the batteries in smoke detectors – another great thing to do during spring cleaning.
– Home Maid Simple
6. DeClutter
Too many ‘things’ mean more of a mess. Unless you REALLY need those old magazines, never worn clothes or forgotten kids toys, follow the true theme of spring cleaning and get rid of it! Donate gently used items and toss old items that you’ve already mentally discarded. Remember, the more you pare down now, the less you have to clean later in the year!
The Glitter Guide has a great cleaning checklist for spring cleaners on a time crunch.
– The Glitter Guide
7. Don’t Forget to Touch Up
Once you’ve cleaned your windows, your carpets, and wiped down your walls, consider taking a few minutes to touch up your paint, especially on trim work. Over time, paint can wear down and go unnoticed. A little touch up can go a long way towards brightening your home and giving it a fresh, clean feel.
– The Creek Line House
8. Find a Cleaning Style that Fits You
According an article by Houzz contributor Alison Hodgson, “There are filers and there are pilers. Too often pilers try to turn themselves into filers, and they shouldn’t.” Identify a system that works for you – and then make it work for you.
– Alison Hodgson, Houzz
9. Take It From the Top
Start from the top – of the room and of the house – and work your way down. You don’t want to set yourself back because you mopped before you took on the task of dusting.
– Everything Mom
10. Recruit A Helper
While most of our friends barely want to deep clean their own homes, they are great advice givers. If the same can be said of your circle, consider inviting them over for a home fashion show. Display the items you’re on the fence about and ask if you should keep, donate, or toss it. Sometimes a neutral perspective can help!
– I Dream of Clean
11. Put The Kids to Work – But Make It Fun
Cleaning doesn’t have to be work, work, work. Make a game out of it! Have your kids put on their cleaning ‘uniforms’, blast music, and make a ‘science lab’ for creating your own organic cleaning supplies. After that hard day of ‘play’ is done, reward your children for helping out around the house. Whether it’s a delicious treat or a fun activity after, even the most menial of tasks can be rewards for kids, too – when you put the right spin on it.
– Playful Learning
12. Clean Those Closets
Separate your wardrobe by season and give the current season’s clothing a priority spot in your closet. Always rotate your clothes on a seasonal basis. Not only will it free up space, it will making getting ready in the morning (and future closet cleaning endeavors) a snap!
–Marianna 68
13. Pin It!
Cleaning doesn’t have to be fun for kids only. Make it an adventure for you, too! Check Pinterest ahead of time for creative organizing ideas and eco-friendly DIY cleaning recipes that will keep you entertained as well.
What spring cleaning tips do you swear by? Share yours with us in the comments below!
