Spring Cleaning: Tips, Tricks, And The Ultimate Checklist

It’s that time of year again! I don’t know about you, but I LIVE for a good spring cleaning. I love it so much that I do one twice a year! So really, I do a spring and a fall deep clean. I know it can be daunting, and people generally don’t know where to start, but you’re in luck because I’m going to tell you how to get it done and done properly and efficiently! If you want to get super clean, I’ve created a FREE Ultimate Cleaning Checklist! This checklist is incredibly detailed guaranteed to help you with your spring cleaning! For more spring cleaning tips, keep reading!

Things To Keep In Mind Before Cleaning

A good spring cleaning isn’t an easy task; in fact, it can be pretty intense. I’ve deep cleaned so many times, and think I’m pretty good at it, so here are some things to keep in mind before you start:

1. It is a marathon, not a sprint! Depending on the size of your home, I think it’s safe to say that if you do this properly, it’s going to take more than one day. It might even take more than two! Make sure you can commit and schedule in a few days to get this done.
2. Have your supplies ready before you start! You don’t want to be halfway through cleaning and run out of your favourite spray or go to do laundry and don’t have any detergent. What a pain! So have that stuff ready!
3. Try to stay away from distraction. I know this can be difficult with children and pets, but perhaps the kids could go for a play date or start while they’re in school.

Where to start: Tidy Up

Yes, I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but I promise there’s more to why this needs to be done first. I’m not talking about a typical tidying session, where you put everything away. I mean, you can, but you’ll just be taking everything back out in the next step. What I want you to do is to walk around your home and put things back into the rooms they belong in. For instance, do you have clothes in your bathroom? Put them in your bedroom. Laptop and paperwork in your living room? Put them in your office. Things like that. You want to make sure everything is in the place it belongs because your next step is to declutter.

2: Declutter your spaces

Ok people, it’s time to get your Marie Kondo on and get to decluttering. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, click here to check out her book “The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up” or go watch the series on Netflix. If you want to declutter using the KonMari method, by all means, go ahead. Personally, I like to declutter room by room. So choose a room and get to it! Here are some tips for decluttering:

1. Have trash bags ready! Once you find an item that’s trash or to donate, put it in the bag. If you fill a bag, tie it shut immediately. This will keep you from looking through it again and possibly saying “Well, do I really want to get rid of that?” Out of sight, out of mind.
2. When you have bags or boxes to donate, put them in your car A.S.A.P! They’ll take up less space in your home, and you’ll be more likely to donate the items.
3. If you tend to keep everything when you declutter on your own, enlist a helpful friend or family member to help you. Pick someone who will help push you to declutter. If you’re having a tough time when it comes to decluttering your wardrobe, read my post for some helpful tips and tricks!

Once you’ve chosen what to keep, donate, and throw away; Take the trash out, put the donation bags in your car, and put the items away that you want to keep. Make sure you do this in every room before you move on to the next step!

 

3: Dust

Now that your spaces are decluttered, it’s time to tackle the dust. Why should you dust next? Well, dust is light and likes to float around and land on everything! Say you’re dusting your bedside tables, wouldn’t it suck to get dust on your clean bedsheets? That’s why certain things should be done in order. Plus, it’s easier to give everything a good scrub once all the dust is gone. What should you dust? Every single hard surface! Click here to get the Ultimate Spring Cleaning Checklist!

Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m SUPER sensitive to dust. I’ll start breaking out into hives after two minutes of dusting. If you’re like me, here are some tips:

1. Take an allergy pill 30 minutes to an hour before you get started.
2. Wear long sleeves. My arms tend to get the most hives, so I like to cover them up.
3. Take a shower and change your clothes right after you’re finished dusting. It’s a no-brainer, but you’ll feel so much better.

4: Clean

This is where the magic happens. Here is what I want you to do:

1. Open those windows! A part of having a clean home is having a home that smells good. Opening windows is the best way to freshen everything up, especially after being closed up all winter. Get rid of that stuffy feeling and air the place out!
2. Blast some tunes! Choose something that really gets you pumped up and in a “Let’s do this” frame of mind. Everything is more fun with music.
3. Strip the beds. Fresh bedding is a must! Pop those into the washing machine and then get the rest of your laundry together.
4. Start cleaning hard/high up surfaces. Why? Gravity my friends. Any dirt or debris is going to fall on the floor.
5. Vacuum first, mop second. It’s easier to suck up anything on the floor first. Otherwise, it just gets wet and messy. I don’t mop. To be honest, I think it’s gross. Something about sticking it back into dirty water just grosses me out. I do, however, use a steam mop. THEY ARE THE BEST!
6. Put gloves on! And by that, I mean rubber gloves. You’re doing some heavy-duty cleaning, and all those chemicals are going to irritate your skin. Be responsible and use a rubber… glove. *cheeky*

Once everything is clean, this would be an excellent time to make the beds and put clean laundry away.

Here are some cleaning products I use and LOVE!

 

5: Freshen Up

Now that everything is clean, it’s time to freshen up! If you have a sensitivity to perfumes and scents, feel free to skip this step. We wouldn’t want you to get sick or anything. I, however, LOVE a nice scent. I’m into a fresh smelling one, like linen or airy. Here are some ways to get your home smelling nice:

1. Whip out a good candle. Everyone who knows me knows that I’m a candle hoarder and I’m not ashamed. To me, there’s nothing better than a clean home, an open window with a breeze, and a fresh candle burning.
2. Spray your fabric pieces. We often forget that things like sofas and curtains trap smells. So I like to spray some Febreze on them. I never use a lot, just enough to freshen up.
3. Spray your sheets with sleep spray. When you finally crawl into that freshly made bed, wouldn’t it be nice to have a nice scent to help lull you to sleep? I love it, and Schatzie does too. I love the sleep spray by Bath & Body Works. The one I use is the lavender vanilla scent, but now they have new ones that are black chamomile and hibiscus ylang-ylang.
4. Spray your indoor mats. You know, the ones you have by your door? Think about all the dirt and smells that thing soaks up. Show it some love by spritzing a little Febreze on there.
5. Freshen up your carpets with Arm & Hammer Carpet Odor Eliminator. I love this stuff! All you have to do is sprinkle it all over your carpet, let it sit for 15 minutes, and then vacuum it up! Not only does it make your carpet smell amazing, but it helps lift dirt! I have the Meadow Fresh scent!

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I hope these tips help you get through your spring clean! DON’T forget to click here to get your hand on The Ultimate Spring Clean Checklist!

xo Little J

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