Spring is so close! Renewal of life. A fresh start. And time for spring cleaning!
Winter starts while we’re in the throes of the holiday season, and then continues forward into the emptiest months, January and February. Finally, March comes with the promise of something new and exciting.
The urge to do spring cleaning comes from the staleness we feel at this time of year and the need to take action. We want to create change. We want to take control.
The home you live in is the perfect place to start.
THE DEEP CLEAN
You clean all year long and yet dust still piles up, pet fur still gets caught in corners, tile gets dingy, faucets collect calcification, cat toys collect under the refrigerator and couch (I know that isn’t just my house), and a myriad of other small things grow into larger things over the year.
That’s where a deep clean comes in.
Getting into the nooks and crannies, stopping your house from getting overcome by the build-up.
A deep clean can be done a number of ways. You choose what works best for you. If you try to do it someone else’s way you might find yourself avoiding and not getting anything done.
I know one woman who takes four days twice a year and deep cleans the heck out of her house. Her family has informed her that they do not like those days or the ones leading up to them as she becomes very difficult to live with. However, the idea of stretching this process out longer makes her more irritable and the idea of not doing the clean at all makes her skin crawl.
So, her kids and husband have learned to stay out of her way.
You might like to do the intense all in one week clean. You may choose to target one room each weekend for the next couple of months. Whatever you choose to do make sure it is sustainable and something you know you will complete.
KITCHEN
Food, dust and grease come together in the kitchen, and, as one of the most used areas of the house, it needs attention. Creating nourishment for yourself and your family in a tidy kitchen adds to the love and health of every meal.
Wash and put away dishes
Wipe down cabinets
Organize cabinets
Organize drawers
Throw out expired food in pantry, refrigerator and freezer
Wipe down and disinfect interior of the fridge and freezer
Clean under fridge
Organize pantry items
Empty trash, clean the bin
Wipe down microwave
Wipe down backsplash
Clean under stove
Deep clean oven and stovetop
Wipe down appliances
Dust tops of cabinets
Scrub and disinfect sink
Clean out garbage disposal
Mop floor
LIVING ROOM
Although it doesn’t have as many moving parts, the living room is probably the next most lived in space in the house. Clutter and dust are the enemy here.
Remove anything that doesn’t belong
Dust mantle, picture frames, and shelves
Dust tabletops
Dust electronics
Organize media cabinet
Organize miscellaneous items
Vacuum under couches and under couch cushions
Steam clean couches and any covers that can’t be removed
Wash throw pillow covers and removeable couch cushion covers
Fluff throw pillows in the dryer
Wash throw blankets
Vacuum drapes with the appropriate attachment
Wash and iron curtains
Mop/vacuum floor
BATHROOMS
Filled with potential bacteria and clutter from old makeup, hair products, excess towels and linens, and old cleaning products, the bathroom quickly become dingy and untidy without consistent attention. Spring cleaning is a time to reset your habits and remind yourself how nice it is to bathe in a spa instead of in chaos.
Scrub shower walls and fixtures
Descale shower door
Replace shower liner
Wash cloth shower curtain
Empty trash/wash out bin
Wipe down mirror(s)
Scrub sink, countertop, and faucet
Scrub toilet
Replace toilet scrub brush
Wash rugs
Clean out/wipe down/organize cabinets
Clean out/wipe down/organize drawers
Cleanout/wipe down/organize under sink
Mop floor
BEDROOMS
Our bedrooms need to be our places of calm and quiet. Spaces that invite sleep and relaxation. Excess things that don’t belong get in the way of that peacefulness. This may look different for adults versus children, but the intention is the same.
Dust tops of dressers
Dust headboard
Declutter nightstands
Vacuum drapes with the appropriate attachment
Wash and iron curtains
Wash sheets
Wash mattress cover
Wash/dry clean comforter
Fluff pillows on high heat in dryer
Replace pillows over three years old
Clean bed skirt
Flip mattress
Clean out under the bed
Pick up clothes
Mop/vacuum floor
CLOSETS
As a sub-set of the bedroom, the closet gets its own category because it holds so much stuff. A disorganized closet can cost you hours every year in wasted time looking for what to wear. Save yourself some time down the road and give your closets some love now.
Sort clothes to keep/donate/toss/sell
Take out clothes to be dry cleaned or tailored
Organize
Dust shelves
Mop/vacuum floor
HOME OFFICE
These days many of us who didn’t have a home office two years ago, now rely heavily on this space. Especially if you are working from home this area needs to be conducive to function and ease of use, keeping your work-day flowing.
Remove old coffee cups, and food containers
File documents and important papers
Backup and/or delete old files on the computer
Organize cabinets and drawers
Refill office supplies
Dust desktop and shelves
Dust electronics
Mop/vacuum floor
ENTRYWAY
As the entrance to your home, your entryway needs to welcome you, not make you want to turn around and leave again. Organized and clutter-free spaces that invite you home can make a huge difference in the mood you bring with you into your day or evening.
Dust furniture
Clean rug/mat
Organize shoes/coats
Mop floor
LAUNDRY ROOM
No one likes doing the laundry. It feels like an unending task that taunts you daily. Wash, dry, fold, put away. Repeat. Not fun, but necessary. So, to make it as easy as possible a tidy, organized and inviting laundry room is absolutely necessary.
Empty trash
Run cleaning cycle in washing machine
Clean out dryer vents and ducts
Reorganize/discard old cleaning supplies
Mop floor
GARAGE
Whether you use your garage to house your cars, as a play room, a workout studio, or as general storage, it still needs to be attended to at least once a year instead of being that dirty little secret you pretend you can’t see every time you pass through.
Sweep floor
Clean up any oil spills
Take trash/recycling to proper disposal center
Put away/organize tools
Put away/organize sporting equipment and toys
Organize seasonal décor in bins
THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE
There are a ton of little tasks that need to be done proactively and regularly to keep a house running at optimum levels. Dust builds up, burned out bulbs go ignored, unreplaced filters clog, and grime builds when you don’t attend to it. Trust me, as someone who used to be a master of ignoring all of these things, it makes life so very much easier when you just do them!
Clean out additional closets
Change air filters
Change humidifier filters
Change water softener filters
Change batteries in smoke/CO2 detectors
Polish wood floors
Steam clean carpets
Change burned out lightbulbs
Dust lighting fixtures/ceiling fans
Dust ceiling/corners of rooms
Dust shelves, picture frames, decorative accents
Dust blinds and window sills
Wipe baseboards
Wipe walls/use Mr. Clean Magic Eraser gently on tough spots
Dust doors and door frames
Wipe down exterior doors
Wash windows
Clean tracks in windows and sliding doors
Use bristle brush to clean edges of carpet of pet fur
WHAT ELSE?
You may have a basement, a sun room, or one of many other kinds of rooms in your house. Take some time to identify what needs to happen in those and create your own check list before you begin.
On the face of it this may look like it should be as easy as setting aside time and going through each check list. Unfortunately, life sometime makes that difficult. We have to decide a project like spring cleaning is a priority before attempting it. If you want it to be a priority, but in reality, it simply isn’t, you won’t do it.
If you do a little self-sabotaging to make sure you unconsciously never have a home you’re proud of you won’t do it either, but that’s the sort of thing you can figure out in Life Coaching and in Decluttering Coaching.
In Life Coaching we’ll address the underlying issues and create a plan for success. In Decluttering Coaching we’ll do that while also giving you the opportunity to have me along via virtual meetings to help you as you take action.
Whatever support you need, we can do it together!