Happy homemakers, welcome!
Talking today about a subject that is near and dear to my heart. Spring cleaning. Linking-up with Erin at Perfectly Port Family, to share 10 of our fav spring cleaning tips. My prob is, how in the world do I limit myself to 10? Yes, that’s how much I love spring cleaning.
Two years ago, I wrote a post about spring cleaning, here. Added a half-dozen spring cleaning checklists and house-organizing pins to that article. It might be a good idea to run by there when you are finished with today’s suggestions. If spring cleaning isn’t exactly your cup o’tea, it can be more bearable just having a plan of attack.
Let’s get to my 10 spring cleaning tips.
10 Spring Cleaning Tips: 10 on the 10th
In my life, the golden rule of cleaning and staying one step ahead of the dust bunnies is:
Touch everything once.
And you can quote me.
To avoid the risk of sounding like a broken record, let me refer you to my earlier post, here, where I talk about doing that quite extensively! It is amazing how doing just that…throwing junk mail away without setting down. Putting the dirty dishes directly into the dish washer without letting them sit in the sink for several hours (days?) first. Tossing the dirty clothes into the hamper without letting them land on the floor first can save so much time. And make day-to-day and spring cleaning much easier. Consider that a bonus tip.
Top Ten Tips
Here are my top 10 (+1) spring cleaning tips.
- Inspect each room carefully with a discerning eye. Is there anything in your den decor that no longer represents your style? Are there knick knacks that have little meaning any more? Or as Marie Kondo, author of The Life–Changing Magic of Tidying Up would say, knick knacks that no longer bring you joy? This is the first step before launching into your spring cleaning. Decluttering.
- Find two large cardboard boxes. Fill one with items to donate or sell and the other with items to toss. Move the boxes with you from room to room as you clean.
- Have an arsenal of spring cleaning tools. You may use these tools only a couple of times a year but they will be worth the investment. And most of them won’t break the bank.
- Start from the top and work down. Clean ceiling fans, light fixtures, change burned out light bulbs, upper cabinets, mirrors, blinds (wash these in the driveway), windows, window sills, counter tops, lower cabinets, dust furniture, framed art, lampshades, knick knacks, wipe down walls, door frames and doors and wash baseboards in that order. Then sweep, mop and vacuum. Take out trash and boxes of items to throw away or sell. Take boxes directly to your car to be donated at Goodwill or to your trash can. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.
- Tackle one room at a time. From top to bottom, of course.
- While you are cleaning in a room, throw curtains, drapes (or take directly to the car to be dropped off at dry cleaner), area rugs, linens, guest towels that belong in that room into the washing machine. Not at all once, of course! Iron linens or curtains as you finish cleaning the room.
- When it comes time to clean bedrooms, spend some time going through clothes in the closets and drawers. Invest in flocked skinny hangers, here or here. Their fabric covering keeps clothes securely hanging and they really take up less room. Roll rather than fold clothes in dresser drawers. Doing so, allows you to see every piece of clothing. Bonus…hang and roll clothes by color. So pretty! And by type of clothing. Jeans and pants hang together. Short and long-sleeved tees hang together. Sweaters, another rod.
- Clean out nightstands, desk drawers, cubby-holes without mercy. If you haven’t used that power cord in a year or have forgotten what it goes to, bid it adieu. Keepsake letters, cards, photos THAT BRING JOY should go into page protectors filed into binders. Have one place for bills, important mail.
- Bathrooms get special consideration. Go through all over-the-counter meds checking for expiration. Toss old tubes of mascara, makeup, perfume, break out new toothbrushes and throw away old ones. Combine bottles of shampoo and conditioner. Wipe out drawers and cabinets on the inside. Clean outside of cabinets with something like Murphy’s wood soap. Polish with lemon oil. Evaluate condition of all towels, wash cloths. Use 1 part vinegar, heated to boiling then mixed with 1 part Dawn dish soap in a spray bottle, to remove hard water stains on shower glass and tiles.
- In the kitchen: Check expiration dates on everything and toss expired items. Wipe down pantry and cabinet shelves. Clean cabinet doors and drawers with wood soap, polish with lemon oil. Evaluate pots and pans, plastic storage containers, old dishes. Make rags of old or stained tea towels and dish cloths, throw away old rags. Clean out refrigerator and freezer, throwing out old or expired food. Line shelves with plastic place mats. Add fresh box of baking soda to remove odors. Clean outside of all appliances, soak stove burners, clean oven. Use washing machine cleaner, disposal deodorizer, dishwasher cleaner on those appliances.
Check out this quick video that demonstrates the KonMari decluttering method to get spring cleaning inspiration.
Top Ten Cleaning Supplies
I have an arsenal of cleaning supplies that I keep in a large kitchen trash can. Granted, some of these are only used once or twice a year but they make deep cleaning so much easier. In my case, FUN!
- Check out this micro-fiber ceiling fan duster, here.
- This baseboard duster keeps you off your hands and knees or this one handles designed for moulding!
- While I like to wash my blinds at least once a year, this is a great tool for dusting in-between.
- Haven’t used this spin duster before but will be ordering one to clean pictures, wall decorations, in cubby holes and nooks.
- We have high windows and ceilings in our formal living and dining rooms. This high-reach cleaner would making dusting those window sills and cleaning those walls and ceiling corners possible.
- Anyone used one of these clean twist disc mops? They have good reviews; thinking it might add a little muscle to my mopping.
- Here’s the Murphy’s wood soap for cabinets. Our builder recommended polishing with lemon oil only now and then and using Endust for frequent dusting.
- I use an over-the-door shoe organizer like this one for my cleaning supplies. One in the linen closet and another downstairs so I don’t have to drag cleaning supplies up and down the stairs.
- Line refrigerator shelves and cabinets with inexpensive, Dollar Tree place mats that can be removed and washed.
My oldest daughter Brennyn has sold her house!! Yippee!! But for five months now, she has had to have it ready to show clean every single day. To motivate her, Brennyn and my seven year-old granddaughter Cadence have begun watching YouTube videos of women cleaning their homes. Have you ever heard of such a thing? I am not sure ‘who’ they watch but I found this gal whose video had a lot of views and complimentary comments. So, if you need a little extra motivation to get started, grab a cup of coffee and watch this first!
Now, it’s time to get started, girls!!!
Your Turn
Do you partake in spring cleaning? Is it a dreaded chore or something you enjoy doing? Do you have a favorite house-cleaning gadget or tip to share? Please, please do so in a comment below. I am always looking for new ideas and inspiration. Also, I am in the market for a handheld vacuum. If you have one, please tell me about it. These 3 models all get great reviews but vary quite a bit in price. Suggestions?
As I finish this post, I am watching a winter snow storm from my mother’s picture window in Kentucky drop lovely, feathery snowflakes to the courtyard below. You all know how I love snow! Never dreamed I would see any on this trip in March. You might also remember my word of the year is peace. Watching the snow twirl in the wind to earth is so very peaceful. Might sit here all night.
Thank you, girls, for spending a moment or two with me. Hope you will hop over and say hi to Erin. I am excited to see what tips she’s sharing myself. Come on, we’ll go over together.
Hugs and kisses,
Debs
Ok, is it ok for me to invite you over to tackle my spring cleaning if you love it and I don’t? When I was a child, spring cleaning was taken very seriously but I am not so good now I’m all grown up with a house of my own! I am going to try and catch some of your enthusiasm and get to grips with the bedside cabinet that is currently full of special cards I don’t want to throw away, and a great deal of stuff which comes under the catergory ‘not sure where to put this but I don’t want to throw it away’.
On the vacuum subject, we have the Dyson and it’s so easy to use and the size of it means that it takes up next to no room in storage.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Have always wanted a Dyson!! Can I come over and play with your Dyson? We were given a robotic vacuum for Christmas and I highly recommend them. It is really keeping the kitty fur under control.
Please take your special cards and put them in page protectors in a notebook. I used a divider to separate cards from my mom, PC, my daughters, friends. So they are actually in two different notebooks, with several cards in each page protector or sleeve. Every once in awhile, I get them out or will look through them, especially those from my dad who died six years ago. It is nice to have them safely tucked away. The notebooks are in my desk.
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom
You are the cleaning expert! I love your cleaning posts. I love a good Spring clean! I have been wanting to get some of those skinny hangers and gosh darn, my kids are getting so big now I don’t know why I am still trying to hang their clothes on the baby hangers. I need to get them some skinny hangers in adult size, too! :O I agree with cleaning top to bottom! I should try lining my fridge shelves, hmmm. Light bulb moment there. 🙂 Thanks for sharing all of these!!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Oh, Carrie, please, please start buying those skinny hangers. They are life changing!! The clothes don’t slip and they make such a difference in the amount of space used in the closet. I need to convert PC’s clothes over and have been doing so, little by little.
Also, the cheapo place mats in the fridge…game changer. I just discovered a gooey mess on one of my shelves yesterday. All I did was rinse the placemat and put it back in. So much easier than cleaning the glass refrigerator shelf!!
Thanks for always coming by, dear friend. It means so much to me to see a comment from my blogging mentor and maven!! XO
Erlene
Gosh, I feel like I’m constantly cleaning and losing since I’m outnumbered 5 to 1…lol. I just cleaned my entire craft stash that has been taking over our home, so that’s a step in the right direction and I’ll be starting a drawer organization hop soon. I’ll have to try that touch everything only once tip.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Oh, girl, try to touch everything once…it is life changing. You don’t keep dealing with things over and over. Would love to see what you’ve done with your crafting supplies. Mine are erupting all over my small loft. I have things in bins and drawers and took a big haul to the YMCA’s after school day care program but there’s still just too much to manage. Would love to write some drawer organization posts and hop with you!!
Dee | Grammy's Grid
Thanks so much for linking up with me at #AThemedLinkup 19 for Cleaning and Organizing, open June 15 to 25. All party entries shared if social media buttons installed.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you for hosting!!
Dee | Grammy's Grid
CONGRATS! Your post is FEATURED at #AThemedLinkup 20 for All Things American (red, white, and blue), from my previous linkup for Cleaning and Organizing, open June 27 to July 25. All entries shared if social media buttons are installed.
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, Dee!! For some reason this just showed up on my blog!
Dee | Grammy's Grid
That’s odd!