When the temperature is climbing up to an acceptable level and flowers are flexing their muscles, when the birds are singing and you are in a (generally) better mood, that just might mean that spring has arrived.
And with that comes the unignorable urge to clean everything in sight.
Spring cleaning is an age-old tradition that grips virtually everyone with a home or apartment. It’s that annual event likened to a pilgrimage that means you discover all kinds of things, such as “What in the world has been growing behind the refrigerator?” and “Just how many spiders lived in our basement this winter?”
Spring cleaning needs to be strategic, not a haphazard running around the house with a feather duster in one hand and the vacuum in the other.
The first step is to prioritize. Which areas of the house need attention first? Which will take the most time? Which will make the most impact (positive) on creating a cleaner, healthier home?
Make a list. What you will do with the high-touch points, dusting, vacuuming, moving furniture, special tasks such as window washing or oven cleaning. Also add in what you need professional services for, such as carpet and furniture cleaning, hard floor care, and similar tough jobs that give you a migraine just thinking about them.
Create a schedule. While some may have a few days they can put against spring cleaning chores, many must split it up. Make it manageable. After you create your list and priorities, get out the calendar and map it all out so your plan gets some life to it. Nothing feels as good as checking off those cleaning tasks over a period of time.
Take your time. When dusting, vacuuming, or another cleaning task, don’t hurry through it. There’s nothing as valuable as a thorough, diligent cleaning of surfaces. Moving that vacuum slowly over the carpet means you are pulling more dry soil, which means less dust “coming back” after spring cleaning is over.
You will also be “getting rid of stuff” during the spring-cleaning process. Sentiments may come into play. Although that elephant shaped planter in the back corner of the basement came from a favorite third cousin (what is her name, anyway?), you have never introduced anything resembling live growth to it. Maybe just get rid of it, along with all that other stuff that you know you won’t use in this lifetime.
And when it comes time to get some expert help with your cleaning tasks, do the right thing. Call your favorite cleaning company. After all, it pays to call a pro!