Clearing Out the Winter Blahs: Spring Cleaning and Organizing

Spring is right around the corner, and already, people (including me) are talking about that much anticipated – and somewhat dreaded – Spring Cleaning.

There is nothing like being able to throw open the windows and clear out all of the stale winter air, dust, and other gunk that have plagued our homes since the November and December holidays have passed. Not only do our homes become refreshed, the act of cleaning and organizing gives our minds and souls a renewed sense of liveliness, as well as a bit of hope for a good year.

I will be the first to admit, however, that I rather suck at Spring Cleaning. Don’t get me wrong, things get cleaned and tidied, but it seems to take me FOR-EV-ER! Then again, I have zero patience when it comes to housework; I like getting things done once and not having to worry about them again, and housework is a never-ending hell of doing the same things over and over again until you die (sorry, that got really dark, really quickly). Despite my overwhelming dislike for repetitive work, I have learned a few tricks to make cleaning go a bit easier  — at least once I get past the whining-about-it stage.

So here it goes:

1. Make a Master List. I take a master inventory of all of the projects I need to accomplish to thoroughly clean and mend my house. By this I mean a COMPLETE inventory. Does the bathtub need to be re-caulked? If yes, it goes on the master list. Would I like to change out the cabinet hardware to update the look of my kitchen? Yes? On the list it goes. The key is to write down everything you can think of that you would like to see happen in your home on a room-by-room basis. Does this mean that everything on that master list will be completed? Probably not, but it will give you an idea of the things you want, and where your mind is prior to jumping into cleaning and reorganizing. And you can work on your list at any time, even during the commercial breaks of your favorite late night shows!

•  Take Spring Cleaning One-Step-At-A-Time, it’s Not All-Or-Nothing. Once you have your master list, break everything down into its most elemental tasks. For example, your master list may include the project of cleaning and reorganizing your kitchen. Instead of pulling everything out of every cabinet, the pantry, the fridge/freezer, etc., and dumping it all in your living room before you scrub down walls, cabinets, and floors, take a breath and ask yourself what is most critical. If the fridge is incubating a new life form but your glassware is in its place, tackle the fridge first. Critical deep cleaning is far more important than a general overhaul of your space. Additionally, your entire list doesn’t have to be done all in one day; if it takes two or three days to get through only one room, that’s okay! You have permission to take your time, do things to the best of your ability, and not exhaust yourself. Be the tortoise not the hare. Oh! and save floors for last, that way anything you drop will be cleaned up in the final push.

• Have a Basic Cleaning Bucket. There are so many products on the market these days, and frankly it’s a lot of nonsense. Most proprietary brands do a similar job on your everyday dirt and grime, and several products can perform a variety of tasks from cleaning countertops to toilets to some floors. The key is finding what you like to use. I have been through more cleaning products than I can count, and for heavier cleaning, I generally go back to either Lysol concentrate or Dr. Bronner’s Castile soap, that I mix with hot water; add a durable-yet-soft cotton cloth and I’m in business. I do keep cleaning wipes in each of the bathrooms for quick refresh, and I have a favorite glass cleaner, but unless I need a specialty product for a specific task, those are my basic go-tos. Items like nylon scrubbers, magic erasers, and grout brushes are also good tools to have on hand.

• A Tip from the Pros: When I still worked outside of my home, my husband and I looked into a professional cleaning service to help take some of the household responsibilities off of us. Ultimately, we didn’t go with a service but I did learn a few things during the interviewing process. One tip that made tremendous sense was that each week when you clean your house, deep clean one of your rooms, that way by the end of the rotation, your entire house has had a deeper clean. And if you want certain rooms cleaned by a specific date (say, the winter holidays), design your rotation so that you deep clean those areas just before you decorate for visiting family and friends. A brilliant idea in my honest opinion!

One final note: Like many others, I like to reorganize along with my spring cleaning, and I am aware that there are several popular methods, including the extremely popular at the moment KonMari method of tidying. Developed by Marie Kondo, this method takes organizing your space to a whole other level by having the individual get rid of anything that doesn’t “spark joy” in their life. While I completely agree that most of us are buried under our possessions, I am not ready to embrace the full method; there are too many things that don’t “spark joy” that go toward the function of my household (my “necessary evils”). I do, however, think that some of her suggestions can go a long way toward bringing order to chaos, so check them out – she has books, videos, and a Netflix series (it’s worth a quick Google).

So for now, goodbye and good luck with your Spring Cleaning. I’m off to finish my list and watch a couple of episodes of Hoarders to get myself in the cleaning mood!