Spring cleaning promises I actually plan to keep this year.
If you’re anything like me, I look forward to spring time every year! It’s mainly because of the extra daylight that somehow makes me feel like I have so much more time to be productive. Granted it’s only an extra hour or two of sunlight but it still feels like I’ve gained an entire extra evening, enough time to possibly take over the world. But I’ll save that worldly task for next spring.
So… just like every other year, I usually make a mental to-do list of things that I plan to accomplish around the house for my spring cleaning. (It’s actually often the same list that’s carried over from season to season, but I digress.) While my list always seems like a lot, they are all realistic tasks that I can easily accomplish over the course of the four months of spring. That’s about 13 weeks or 92 days/bright evenings. No matter which way you calculate it, it’s more than enough time. But for some reason, the season always passes leaving me with nothing but an unfinished spring cleaning to-do list, soon-to-be a concern of the summer.
We often complain there’s never enough time but somehow we find the time to do the things we either absolutely need to, or we really, really want to. For example, many say they don’t have time to exercise, yet somehow they’re up-to-date with the latest reality TV show or spend over an hour a day mindlessly scrolling on social media. My point is, spring cleaning is not necessarily an “absolutely-need-to” and will never be a “really-really-want-to” type of task. But like anything else, it’s always possible when we make the time to do it.
So I thought about what I can do differently than previous years to really get stuff done this spring. I’ve come to realize that it’s not always what we have to do, but it’s how we plan to do it.
Say hello to our old, faithful friend: TIME MANAGEMENT.
Make a list. An actual written list, not a mental one like I normally do. This year, let’s write the things we can truly accomplish during the allotted timeframe. This isn’t to overwhelm ourselves, but instead to have a visual perspective of our overall plan.
Prioritize and set deadlines. Organize the list in order of importance. Think about it, is it more important to clean the attic we’ve never actually been in, or get rid of clutter that we actually see every day? (I’ll let you decide for yourself on that one.) For each task, give it a deadline. This will help us stay on top of the list without slacking off since it’s very clear what we want to get done, and by when.
Set a timer. Decide on how long a task should take and how much time you’re willing to spend on it. For example, it should take less than an hour for me to clean the back patio furniture. No matter how tempted I’ll be to want to sit down and relax in the beautiful warm sunshine, I’ll remember that I’m only allotting one hour to this task, so occasionally glimpsing at the timer will keep me on track.
GET THE FAMILY INVOLVED. If you have children or anyone who lives in your home, they can help too. There’s no reason spring cleaning has to be done alone. Get them involved while you make the original to-do list. Make it fun! Maybe come up with a cleaning contest or a small reward for whoever finishes their task(s) first. Before you reward anyone though, don’t forget to check under the bed because we all know children can be a little sneaky sometimes!
SHRED IT! So I know we have this thing, where some of us feel the need to keep decades-old files just in case we ever need them again. But let’s face it, do we REALLY still need our Chemistry notes from freshman year of college? Or our award for perfect attendance in Vacation Bible School? It’s time to go through all those stacks of papers hidden away and get rid of them! Have you ever come across old store receipts that the ink is so faded you can’t even tell what was purchased… or worse, what year you even bought it in? It’s time to throw those away, too. Listen, if you can’t read the receipt, it’s probably too late to return it. So get some large trash bags and power up that shredder, because we have some work to do. If you’re going to do this and any other task, think back to that time management. Decide ahead of time where you plan to start first and how much time you are willing to spend on it. You don’t want to bite off more than you can chew… or in this case, shred.
DUST. DUST. DUST. I have THE WORST allergies, with dust mites being one of the main culprits. I know a lot of people dust furniture on a regular basis and for the most part it looks pretty good, but what about underneath the bed, ceiling fans, or window blinds? These are some of those not-so-difficult tasks that we often put off for far too long. Matter of fact, when was the last time you swept the area where your central A/C unit is housed? Or replaced your A/C filter? I know we aren’t paying as much attention to these things but trust me they make such a difference to our indoor air quality when they’re clean. Spring is a great time to get back on track with these tasks if they aren’t already part of your regular weekly/monthly routines.
PURGE KITCHEN CABINETS. Uhm… when was the last time you checked the expiration date on your herbs and spices? How about the canned foods in the back of your cabinet? Sugar? Flour? Yeah… they actually do have expiration dates, and if not, they likely have “best if used by” dates. Pay attention to them! It doesn’t necessarily mean they are spoiled, but from what I understand they can lose their flavor and quality over time. Expired or not, if you still use them regularly, then that’s not an issue here. I’m talking about the stuff you don’t even remember are in there and have no intention of using them again. I’m also referring to those pots and pans kept at the bottom of the stack “just in case” the good ones go bad. Listen, I’m all for the “just in cases” but if your kitchen is cluttered and you can never find what you need, it may be time to make some changes. I’m just suggesting to start with these basics.
MAXIMIZE STORAGE SPACE. Ahhh, the garage. Once a place to house the car, now often a place for storage. At my home, we have a few storage racks in our garage but we still haven’t had a chance to get everything neat and organized. There are some things that were carried over from home to home, move after move that it may be time to say goodbye to. But in all honesty, there is space for everything currently in there, we just have to make the time to maximize that space. For example, we have old paint buckets from the original homeowners on the very top shelf in our garage. We no longer need them so we just have to get up on a ladder and take them down. Easy peasy. Once those are gone, it’s a great spot to put the Christmas tree and other holiday decorations that we only need once a year. Think about your garage, basement, or attic, whatever space you have in your home currently being used for storage. Is it organized? Do you really know what’s in those boxes? Are they any changes you can make? Think about it.
GIVE IT AWAY. I know, I know… You want to find a reason to wear your old high school prom outfit. Even IF it still fits you, where do you think you’re really going to wear it? It may be time to do a nice sweep of items in your closet that you know you’ll never actually wear again. There are so many charity organizations that will gladly take them off of your hands. This doesn’t stop at just clothes and shoes. It might be old toys, books, electronics, or even the kitchen stuff I mentioned earlier. (Some food drives will take expired canned goods, so check with them before tossing.) Anything you’re not using, give it away. They’ll take up less space in your home and you’ll certainly feel good about it later.
With all that said, I’m so determined to actually get my spring cleaning done this year. While I’ve shared some of the ideas of my planned approach, there’s a lot more on my list but I’m already feeling really good about it. Better than I have in previous years. I can’t wait to check things off my list as I go. It’s going to feel so good!
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that no matter how much cleaning, decluttering or reorganizing we do, there’s always something around the house that we’ll want to get done. Let’s face it, once we finish one thing, there’s always another. We may never, ever truly feel finished. And that’s OK. That’s the beauty of having a place to call home. Whether you’re renting space, or you own it, you deserve to enjoy a clean home. So I encourage you to stay on top of your seasonal cleaning and make the best out of your current home. Cheers to all of your spring cleaning efforts and making the most out of daylight saving time this year!
What’s the first thing on your spring cleaning to-do list? Inquiring minds want to know!
