It’s Spring cleaning time! I usually get the itch to tidy right after the Christmas decorations get put away, so I’ve been picking away at getting my house in order, including the spots that don’t normally get cleaned. (Baseboards, I’m talking to you.)
Here are a few tips from one practical-mom to another:
1) Make a List: Take a little time to write out a grand list of all the big to small things you need to do. Things on our list this year included different spots that needed organization and deep cleaning, and some big things like replacing our doorknobs so the doors finally close, as well as going through all of Brad’s boxes filled with his childhood that need scrapbooking.
2) Invite People Over: We all know that if you have guests coming over, then you’re more likely to clean, and clean quickly. But if you know in even more advance that someone special will be paying a visit, then you’ll also have time to chip away at those deep cleaning/organization tasks. We did this recently! My folks stayed with us to watch our kids so Brad and I could go on a get-away. That gave us some great incentive to crossing off the bigger items on our list (like those doorknobs!). But I’m also having a girls night + fundraiser at my home soon (you can see more about that here!), and it’s giving me a concrete deadline to finish some bigger items on my list (such as finishing reupholstering my settee and touching up the paint on my crown molding).
3) Eat An Elephant: I’m sure you’ve heard that story before about eating an elephant, right? One bite at a time. Your grand list is sure to be long and overwhelming. I like to realllllly break things up, and make smaller goals of things I want to do each week. Spring cleaning might take months, and that’s OK! Sometimes that means seen just one goal for the week. For example, in January, I wanted to reorganize my kids’ toys (and give away half of them), their closet, and, well, the rest of the house, actually. So one week, I worked on going through the toys; the next, the closet; after that, the credenza, etc. It’s almost March, and I’ve reorganized and deep cleaned all the cupboards and closets in our home.
Oh, and in case that depresses you–our home is 1,200 square feet. I can promise you that if we had a larger home, I’m sure I’d illicit some house cleaners to help with the deep cleaning tasks once or twice a year.
What tips do you have for spring cleaning?
Other moms are sharing some tips, which you can see below. If you’d like to participate in Mommy Style Mondays, you can sign up on Kiana and Madeline’s blogs.
Those are good tips! Our little town home is 1,000 sq ft and I considered hiring someone to just deep clean. Then I could keep it clean from there. Haha. It hasn't happened yet though.
Haha the baseboards!! I need to make a list for sure of all the little things I don't clean often that still need to be cleaned! Inviting people over has been a secret of mine for a long time ha ha… House needs to be cleaned?? Time for a game night!