Spring Cleaning: How to Make it Fun, Organized, and Easy
Got spring fever? Get spring cleaning! Here are 4 tips from Domestic CEO to help make spring cleaning easier and less time consuming!
Did you know that there is a National Spring Cleaning Week? If you look at magazine covers in the month of March, you’ll see tons of articles about which big cleaning jobs you should tackle and instructions on how to complete those projects. In fact, at this time last year I published my Spring Cleaning Tips, which are sure to help you bust out the cobwebs and get your home looking great.
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This time around, I’m going to focus on something different. Instead of deciding to do the heavy cleaning all in one big weekend, I say why not learn to manage your household cleaning so you don’t have to do an enormous spring cleaning job at all! Follow these tips and you’ll be on the road to owning a home that’s clean all the time (spring or not!).
Step #1: Be Prepared
Owning the right cleaning tools is essential for doing your best cleaning. Take stock of what you have and replace things that are tired and worn. Here are the staples I like to have on hand:
- Tough, scrubbing sponges
- Rubber gloves
- An old toothbrush
- Microfiber cleaning cloths
- Large bucket
- Scrub brush
- Paper towels
- Rags (old towels and washcloths, as well as old t-shirts)
- Mop
- Vacuum cleaner
- Broom and dustpan
- Plastic tote to store cleaning tools
- All-purpose cleaner
- Window cleaner
- Baking soda in a shaker
Step #2: Make Cleaning Fun
I know this sounds like an impossible task, but if you use a few of these ideas, they’re bound to make your cleaning chores a lot less tedious!
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Own the most attractive cleaning tools possible. Believe it or not, this works. My friend has a pink vacuum cleaner and swears it makes her happy every time she uses it. Sounds silly? It probably is – but who cares if it works? My polka-dotted broom evokes the same reaction. Cute rubber gloves and a charming plastic tote will raise the adorable bar on your cleaning tools. Of course, don’t let cuteness overrule durability and overall performance.
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Each night, have a 15-minute family clean-up. Decide which rooms need the most work, then do a quick “divide and conquer” once-over. Assign specific tasks to every household membe. For example, one child picks up papers, shoes, and other stuff lying around; another child gets a bottle of all-purpose cleaner (or better yet, non-toxic lemon-based cleaner) to wipe down kitchen counters. Dad runs the vacuum for a quick touch-up in the family room. You get the idea. Even if there’s only you in the household, if you set 15 minutes each day to handle one or two cleaning chores, you won’t be faced with an overwhelming whole-house clean-up on the weekend.
See also: How to Divide Household Chores
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Turn on your favorite upbeat music during cleaning time. You’ll be surprised how your mood is affected by a peppy song. If the whole family is helping out, create fun dance steps to incorporate into the clean-up effort. Everyone will have more fun and what could be a tedious chore transforms into a great time (giggling might even happen!).
Step #3: Get Organized
Want to make that family 15-minutes cleaning time even more efficient? If you break down the cleaning jobs into visual, manageable steps, suddenly the task doesn’t seem overwhelming. Create “cleaning cards” for each room of your house. For example, cleaning the living room at my house involves:
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Vacuuming
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Dusting surfaces
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Cleaning light fixtures and the ceiling fan
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Vacuuming the furniture
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Cleaning the windows
You can write these steps on 3×5 cards and store them in an index card storage box. When the family tackles a specific room, you’ve got all the chores spelled out. You can each take one item from the list and get it done in your allotted 15 minutes. Once that room is completed, the card goes to the back of the file. You can also create separate cleaning cards for individual jobs like “wiping down baseboards.”
This system assures all rooms and cleaning chores take place on a regular basis. It’s also a great way for the entire family to understand what is involved in keeping the house clean and why one person shouldn’t be responsible for handling all the chores.
Finally, if you really want to amp things up, one night take a single cleaning item card and see what can be accomplished in the timed 15 minutes. You may find that a cleaning competition begins!
Step #4: Create Incentives
We all work better with an incentive dangling like a carrot in front of us, right? Home cleaning is no exception. When you do your job, you get a paycheck. When your child works hard on a school project, he gets a good grade. Why shouldn’t cleaning chores get the same treatment? Even if it’s just you and your spouse handling all the home cleaning, why not treat yourselves for a job well done? If a family is involved, rewarding with a special treat like ice cream or watching a favorite TV show is a good incentive. If everyone pitches in to handle a big job, maybe a night out at a restaurant is the reward.
Think of incentives that will encourage everyone, but sometimes individual rewards work better. After all, your 3-year-old will get excited about a sparkly sticker but the 12-year-old would rather have earned screen time with his favorite X-box game. Figure out what works in your house so kids learn that working brings worthwhile results.
Is it just you and the spouse? Ordering in your favorite take-out or renting that movie you’ve wanted to see can be a personal reward. Even a bubble bath or 30-minutes of uninterrupted reading time feels like a luxury to many of us. Whatever incentive you choose, just remember to reward yourself for a job well done, otherwise cleaning will end up being a drudgery.
If, after all these ideas and tips, your home cleaning still seems like an overwhelming task, you may want to consider hiring a professional to take that load right off your shoulders. I’ve got some great tips for finding the right person or company to handle housecleaning for you. Read or listen to my episode 3 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Housecleaner and you’re sure to make a smart decision.
What are your best spring cleaning tips? Tweet me @thedomesticceo or post them on my Facebook wall.
Until next time, I’m the Domestic CEO, helping you love your home!
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