I’m sure we’ve all heard the term “spring cleaning.” However, if you haven’t it briefly means the deep cleaning that happens when the weather changes. For me, spring cleaning is the perfect kick off to my favorite season and my favorite form of self care. So, here are some of my go to cleaning tips in light of spring being right around the corner.
Make a list
This might just be my A.D.D., but I often find myself starting one task and completely forgetting the other 15 I need to do. I find the best way to avoid that happening is to make a list of every little thing you need to get done. Even if it’s as little as straightening the picture frames, or as big as building a new pool deck.
Prioritize and ORganize
When including everything on a list, some of the important things can get lost in the chaos. I try to find some sort of method to show which tasks are top priority. I will often draw stars next to or in front of the things that NEED to be done. Once I have done that, I like to color coordinate the list by the amount of time each should take. Then I create separate sheets of paper to categorize what part of the house the tasks are in. So, a sheet with all kitchen tasks, a sheet with bedroom tasks, another with living room tasks, and so on. I end up with multiple sheets of paper with each task highlighted by time length and some tasks with stars since those are more important.
Accept The Mess
Now that you’ve got a list, it’s time to start the actual cleaning. I have found the most important rule of cleaning is: “It has to get worse before it can get better.” Thus, in order to reach the end goal of a spotless room, that room will get messier before you can reach that goal. Seeing a room get messier when you’re cleaning it doesn’t mean you’ve failed at cleaning; it actually means you’re making a lot of progress. It is important to remember to push through, finish the process and not let the mess stay long. It is also important to know that in depth spring cleaning will take more than a day to complete.
Relax and Celebrate
When I say relax, I mean spring cleaning should be something you look forward to. In other words, don’t let spring cleaning be a stressful start to an otherwise pretty season. I like to use spring cleaning as well deserved time to destress. I also make sure to celebrate every little accomplishment. Make a big deal out of every complete task. Put a huge check mark next to the task or cross it out a billion times. Do whatever you have to do to give you that gratifying sense of accomplishment.