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Spring Cleaning Made Simple
If you are anything like me, you’ll probably find that cleaning isn’t your favorite chore. I’m not sure what exactly bothers me more… touching dirt and grime, having to repeatedly do the same tasks, or having to spend what little time I have extra on more work. I can pretty much guarantee you’ll never find cleaning on my list of favorite things to do.
Alas, cleaning is necessary. Nobody wants to live in a house that looks like an explosion all of the time. I try to go for a ‘tastefully lived in’ style.
Spring cleaning is that time of year where our family tackles those big chores; aka, the chores that we almost never do. Cleaning out fans and vents, dusting the cupboards (it still amazes me how dust can settle in a place where only clean dishes go!). Some tasks are more fun than others.
This year I’ve found that my time and energy are at all time lows with increased work projects… not to mention running a blog… so I decided that the only way to tackle my spring cleaning this year was to make it go as simply as possible.
Spring Cleaning Hacks
Over the last few months, I’ve been doing some research on how I can optimize my spring cleaning routine. Having a steady list of spring cleaning hacks would help with saving time, energy, and even cleaning resources!
By the way, a “Spring Cleaning Hacks” list is an absolute must in your bullet journal. Read here on how to set up for spring cleaning in your bullet journal!
(Feel free to use this very list as a bullet journal spread, too!)
If you’re anything like me, you want to optimize as much as possible. Spring cleaning can get this unfortunate belief that the tasks are challenging and difficult. Yes, some aren’t easy. But if you simplify by using spring cleaning hacks, you’re going to enjoy the process SO much more.
1- Get rid of the crap first.
My husband always calls me out on this because I’m the worst at this. I’ll start cleaning up items on the table, only to feel uncertain about something, and then set it to the side. Yet, I leave it on the table.
What happens is that eventually, I’ll have a clean table… minus this random bunch of junk in these random piles. My husband calls it the ‘shit shuffle’.
If you know you want to keep it, put it in the exact place it’s supposed to go. If you don’t want it, trash it.
2- Keep a ‘maybe’ box.
Ok, so there are likely going to be some things in that pile that you are a bit hesitant to trash immediately. You worry you could toss something valuable, or something that you may need ‘later’. So any particular items you are unsure about trashing immediately about go into a maybe box.
The maybe box may have items you don’t use anymore or even things that you keep around just in case. Rule of thumb is if you haven’t used it in six months, it’s trashed or donated. You’re most likely going to get rid of these items, but it’s worth hanging onto for a little while longer if you aren’t sure.
3- Keep the stuff you want to use or consume regularly visible.
Hide the stuff that isn’t as healthy or good for you.
Optimizing your organizational spaces is key to stay organized year-round. And what’s fun about this particular task is that this isn’t just relevant to big projects, this works for other organizational tasks, too! You can use this to organize your clothes, tools, toys, and food.
Imagine opening up your fridge. There is a piece of pie sitting on a shelf at eye level. You want to grab an apple to be healthy, but that apple is tucked away in a ‘vegetable’ drawer. In a moment of hesitation, you eat the pie, and the apples go bad.
Repeat scenario for the next 6 weeks worth of shopping trips…
I decided that hiding my fruits and vegetables made me less likely to consume them! So I did a switch; I put the unhealthy stuff in places not so easy to access. Now when I open my fridge, I see a wide array of healthy choices I can grab quickly.
You can do this task with your closets, pantry, garage, and virtually any space where you store your belongings.
Also, if you determine you aren’t using things that aren’t as relevant, you could consider donating these items to get rid of even more clutter!
4- Keep a Cleaning Supply Kit
Now that you’ve tackled the ‘stuff’, you’re ready to clean!
But do you have everything you need to clean? If you don’t have your supplies on hand, there’s more reason to procrastinate. So by making sure you have everything you need for spring cleaning ready to go, that’s one less obstacle preventing you from getting your clean on.
This isn’t an excuse to go out and buy a ton of obscure cleaning products. It’s amazing what you can clean with a little water and vinegar! But do you have the supplies that you really need handy to clean all of your rooms from top to bottom?
Do you have an all-purpose cleaner handy? Sponges? You’ll likely want a duster and some microfiber cloths as well.
5- Tackle the Weirdest Chores First
It’s easy to avoid the bizarre chores. First, they aren’t projects we work on regularly. Second, some are complicated. Third, some of them are just plain messy.
But here’s the problem.
Completing the weird tasks are necessary. You don’t want rotting wood on your window sills. You’d probably prefer not to have a disgusting air filter that’s barely filtering your air, thus more problems with allergies and illness.
The longer you put off the ‘weird’ chores, the more likely that something will go wrong later.
Would you rather spend 30 minutes unclogging the bathtub drain? I mean yes, ew, trapped hair (gag). But if that ‘clog’ screwed up your entire plumbing system because you choose to ignore it?
Hello high expenses for repairs and replacing costly equipment.
Make this a habit and just include it as one of your spring cleaning tasks. Just do the weird stuff first, ok?
6- Keep a Consistent Routine
Our bodies like routine. In a way, routine helps us know what to do, and what to expect.
You can establish a routine with spring cleaning and spring cleaning hacks, even if they aren’t tasks you complete often!
For instance, no matter which room you’re in, clean from top to bottom. Not only is this more efficient, but if you knock dirt and gunk from up above to the ground, you’ll be cleaning that last.
Another way to establish routine is to create a specific order of rooms to clean. After practicing, carrying out your routine will just get easier and your body will know what to do next!
7- An Easier Method Likely Exists Online
So one of the coolest parts about the internet is I can pretty much guarantee that for any chore, somebody has written a post or made a video on how to optimize a specific task.
If you’re struggling with a particular chore, you may find somebody on Youtube has you covered. While not necessarily cleaning related, I remember once in exasperation I searched on Google when I was having trouble peeling hardboiled eggs. Through searching, I found that some warm water and a mason jar can peel eggs so easily. I don’t hate making hardboiled eggs anymore! Another fun one was when I had some hiccups, I searched for how to ‘cure’ them. Another Google search soon implemented a new family favorite technique to combat hiccups- putting honey under the tongue!
(What gives, literally one minute after writing that sentence I get hiccups.)
So get on Google, Pinterest, and Youtube. See if anybody has broken down a difficult chore or task and made it easier.
Word of advice- Just make sure to actually do what they recommend and not ‘research’ incessantly… then you’re wasting time and your chores still aren’t complete!
8- Find a Way to Have Some Fun
Did you know you can actually have fun while spring cleaning?
Open up those windows and let the fresh air in. Blast music that motivates you into action.
I personally enjoy listening to podcasts, especially from individuals who exist to help you optimize your life. They often have great suggestions, some of which you can apply to your spring cleaning immediately! Plus, when I hear a person talking about all the hard work they are doing, I feel more inspired to work as well.
My Favorite Podcasts:
Make sure to take small, frequent breaks, and do something enjoyable in between!
How to Grow Your Cleaning Skills
Maybe you LOVE the idea of spring cleaning but you have no idea where to start or aren’t very good at organizing your spaces. Spring cleaning hacks aside, sometimes you just need a little extra assistance to find a cleaning method that works for you.
Don’t worry, cleaning isn’t my forte either. It’s almost funny, I can plan how I clean, but implementing these new cleaning schedules isn’t always the easiest thing.
There are a lot of really helpful cleaning strategies through books, blogs, and websites that will help you navigate the waters when it comes to implementing your spring cleaning hacks.
Here are some of my favorite blog posts, books, and other resources to help you learn to create positive habits, for both cleaning and any other aspect of life!
Blog Posts
- 10 Bullet Journal Layouts for Anyone Trying to Be Clean
- 11 Bullet Journal Cleaning Schedules
- 12 Habits of People Who Always Have a Clean Home
- 7 Simple Cleaning Hacks That Will Save You a Ton of Time
- Decluttering Mental Clutter
Books
Other Ideas for Cleaning
I’d love to learn what your favorite tips and tricks are to make spring cleaning more bearable! Feel free to drop a note in the comments telling me what you specifically do to make your life easier while getting your projects done.
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WOW! Amazing hacks on spring cleaning. Everyone would love your post. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for this spring cleaning hacks. Really helpful and reliable. I’ll save this one. Thanks! ❤❤❤
Thanks for this spring cleaning check-list. Really helpful and reliable. I’ll save this one. Thanks!