Spring has officially arrived and with that comes fresh crisp air, light jackets, muddy dog paws, and of course, everybody’s favorite: spring cleaning. Trying to tackle spring cleaning while managing a 40 hour work week and doing all of our basic everyday tasks is no small feat. In this post I will walk you through the three things I do in all areas of the home to get a deep, refreshing spring clean.
I want to preface this post- Spring cleaning does not have to be done in one day, one weekend, or even one week!
The goal is to focus on targeting the areas of our home that we find need the most attention. Generally I will keep the home at a more base level clean throughout the week, and target deeper spring cleaning on one weekend day. The amount of time will vary from room to room or project to project. This should not be a stressful event- the goal is to clean your space and ultimately make you feel better! With that said, throw on some music or a podcast, brew up your favorite beverage, and treat the experience as self care. Even if it is not the most fun task, you should come out of it feeling good with a sense of accomplishment.
So while the three steps I take for spring cleaning sound simple- they may not be entirely time efficient. Fit spring cleaning into your schedule, not the other way around!
Step 1. Clear out the clutter.
This seems obvious and maybe you already have a light de-cluttering routine, but the absolute best way to get a deep spring clean is to first get rid of our crap that has no place with us anymore!
My best advice is to pick one specific area and clear it of absolutely everything. This will make your space feel WAY more messy- trust the process.
Once your area is free of everything that was once occupying it, I like to shift my attention to the new mess. It is time to sort it out! There are tons of sorting and de-cluttering methods from Konmari, to one in one out, and so many more- I personally like to take the minimalist approach. I first ask myself if this item adds value to my life or if it takes up my time and space by owning it. I try to remember the last time I used or needed the item, if it has been a long time or I simply forgot that I owned it- it’s time to say goodbye!
My best advice for discarding unwanted items is to make three spots to place them. Spot one is easy: we trash it, spot two is nicer things that I can give away to family or friends should they want them, and spot three is for donations.
A pro tip would be to take your donations the same day or shortly thereafter to avoid driving around with all of your unwanted stuff in your backseat for months like I have been known to do.
Step 2. Deep clean.
Before we put anything back in its cleared out space it is crucial to start deep cleaning! Clear the space of any dirt, dust, grime, mud, whatever it is. Give this small area the utmost attention during this step- the whole point of what we’re doing is to get a great clean, after all.
My favorite example to use for a deep clean would be the fridge. We take everything out, toss all of the expired items, and have everything new and fresh sitting on the counter. We absolutely NEED to wash out the fridge before putting our fresh groceries in there. This means taking the produce and cheese drawers out and scrubbing them down in the sink, spraying down the entire fridge inside and out and scrubbing it all down with a rag or new sponge, and drying it down, and then finally placing a fresh little container of baking soda in the corner to keep everything nice and fresh!
This is what I try to do with every area in the house that I touch on during spring cleaning, or really any time I get a deep clean, as it really freshens up the space and makes everything feel much cleaner.
Step 3. Organize.
This is when I like to find practical homes for everything I have decided to keep. This is the step that can either make a space feel sloppy or polished, so I really like to take my time deciding on how to organize the area. Not everything we have taken out of the space needs to go back; I often find myself moving things around to other spaces until it finds its perfect home within the house.
Again, I find myself leaning more towards the minimalistic look. I will always try to keep things out of sight if they are not adding any visual value to the room, like our collection of TV remotes or an excessive amount of dog toys.
We have a small space at around just under 900 sq/ft, so utilizing any and all space we can for storage is key! We have our shoes that do not get daily wear tucked away neatly in a bin under the couch alongside our workout equipment. Even if the area is out of sight I like for it to be well organized so I have an idea of what we have and where I can find it!
Make sure to organize your space in a way that is both functional and visually pleasing to the most important person in the home- You! (and your spouse if you have one, of course).
I love to set the vibe of a room after cleaning and organizing it- if that sounds like you too, these little finishing touches can definitely elevate a room and leave it feeling polished.
– If weather permits: Open your windows!! Spring air is so cool and crisp while the sun will warm up the space and showcase your lovely, clean home.
-Light a candle (Or use essential oils if you have a pet free home). Choose a scent that is light and fresh to compliment the season and make your home feel clean and cozy!
-Change your air filters! We have five pets so this is a regular occurrence in our home, but it really makes all the difference when making your space feel clean! I suggest springtime air filter changes over winter for low or no pet houses because a lot of the air filters that are available have the ability to not only block odors but also common allergens. This is perfect to do right before everything starts blooming!
These are all very small and subtle final touches that I find make everything feel completed, fresh, and clean without having to do too much. They all work together to make a space feel put together while setting a calming and refreshing vibe in your space!
Before I wrap things up, I can’t share about my spring cleaning routine without showcasing some of my favorite and very affordable deep cleaning tools and products! I like to keep it very simple, sustainable, and minimalist- for some of these there will be more of an upfront cost if you choose to invest, but they are well worth it because you will see savings over time.
The first one is new to me, this little weird rug cleaning tool that I found on amazon.
I have been trying absolutely everything to extend the life of my area rug and this little tool did the trick! We have five pets which means I am vacuuming 3x a week and shampooing the rug every month- I can’t even begin to tell you how SHOCKED I was to see just how much hair was leftover after that much regular cleaning!!! Yikes! I have also found this to be really helpful with getting animal hair off of our dining room chairs, and I have even gone as far as to comb it through the cat tree to get rid of allllllllllll of the excess cat hair that was hanging out in there.
Fair warning with this tool: it will make you feel like an absolute slob the first time you use it haha.
This is one of those items that is a bit of an investment but will save you in the long run: a rug shampooer. I personally have the Bissell TurboClean vacuum model- however, if your couch does not have removable covers, I would recommend one with a hose attachment to give you the ability to deep clean your sofa as well as your carpets or rugs. Prior to owning this wonderful little appliance, I would go through at least one rug every year. Did you know that area rugs are ridiculously priced?! Regular cleaning will extend the life of your rug significantly and save you so much money. Something to consider if you are boujee on a budget like me- I got my rug cleaner at Target with several gift cards I had been saving up, so really it was free to me!
The last honorable mention that I have is Grove Collaborative cleaning supplies!
This post is not sponsored by them (although I am open to it!) and I have purchased all of their products myself, but I feel it is necessary to share about their products and mission. Grove is a B corp which was a HUGE selling point for me and their mission is to be rid of single use plastic when it comes to cleaning products. I personally have their hand soaps which come in aluminum bottles that can be infinitely recycled, both their multi surface and their glass cleaning concentrate, and their laundry stain remover. Their prices are around $6/2 bottles of concentrate, however it seems like they regularly run deals that will save you even more!
I do plan on making a post dedicated to low cost cleaning products that you may already have in the home to piggyback off of this last section, but for now I think we are at a point where we can wrap up discussing spring cleaning.
In short, spring cleaning does not have to look one way. We can fit it into our schedule instead of planning our lives around it. It is important to be thorough with cleaning and to organize in a way that makes sense to how you utilize your space! That said, enjoy the process and praise yourself for the hard work you put in no matter how long it takes to complete. I hope you have found some of these tips to be helpful!
Sending you much love and fresh spring energy,
Sophia
The Working Homemaker 