As a child, I was always confused by the concept of "spring cleaning". Why do we have to do a special clean in spring? We already clean all the time, so why does this one get a special name? More importantly, though, I found it super annoying. I hated cleaning most of the time, and now there was a regularly scheduled extreme-cleaning time? Terrible.
Now as an adult, though, I get it. Without spring cleaning, there's no way I would bother to give my house the deep clean it really, desperately needs after a winter of hibernating in bed - and I live alone, having kids or pets only multiplies the mess that needs taking care of. While I've now accepted the importance of cleaning, though, I still don't enjoy it, so over the years I've developed a strategy to make it a little bit more tolerable. For anyone looking for a way to give your house the clean it needs this year without quite as much suffering, here's my quick guide to spring cleaning.
Tip #1 : Take an inventory of your house.
The first thing you need to do is a thorough exam of your house, at least mentally if not physically. Think about each room you have, starting from the top and going all the way to the bottom. Take your living room for example : on your ceiling, you might have an electric fan - that's going to need dusting! As you keep mentally moving down, you might find you have some pictures hanging on the wall - the frames need cleaning too! As you keep going down, there might be a television that needs wiping down, a couch full of crumbs from your kids' snacks, etc. For each item that you think of in each room, think of what cleaning it needs and jot it down - from ceiling fans and picture frames to baseboards and the tiny, hard-to-reach gap under the couch where all of your pet's missing toys have been hiding. Once you have all everything written down, you're ready for the next part...
Tip #2 : Buy everything in advance.
Nothing is more demotivating than being halfway through a task and suddenly realising you forgot to buy something you needed and being unable to finish the job. So once you have a list of everything you need to clean, start thinking about what you already have and what you still need to buy. Don't forget to check the state of your current supplies : make sure enough cleaning liquid is left in your bottles, and if your toilet brush is getting gross, it might be best to get a new one. By planning in advance, you won't just have everything ready to go, you can also make sure you don't buy more than you need or double up on any items, which is better for both your wallet and the environment, and you can even do some research to make sure that all the cleaning products you buy are pet- and kid-safe. If you're feeling like going high-end, you could even consider buying some cool new cleaning tech to make cleaning (and, by extension, your life) easier, like my own company's 2-in-1 self-cleaning robot vacuum and mop.
Tip #3 : Make a schedule.
Now that you know what you have to clean, its time to plan when you're going to clean it. I personally recommend going one room at a time, making sure each room is fully clean before moving on, and cleaning from top to bottom so that any dust that might get swept down from above ultimately gets swept up below. If you live in a small apartment like me, congratulations! You might be able to get it done in a day. Otherwise, adjust your cleaning plan so that you can clean when you have the time and energy, and if you live with others, you can try to plan so that everyone can get involved - while kids might not enjoy cleaning, childhood is the best time to instill good habits. While it's true that splitting up house cleaning over a few days means there will be no moment when the entire house is simultaneously pristinely clean, it does mean that you're less likely to get tired and give up. Worst-case scenario, you can take a picture of each room after you've cleaned it and admire it all later.
Tip #4 : Clean - but don't let it be a drag.
At the end of the day, the key to spring cleaning is cleaning itself. But that doesn't mean it has to be a bore! You can put on your favourite music, have a movie playing, or get your whole family involved to make the time pass faster. As I mentioned above, it's normal that kids might not be thrilled about it, but if you're looking for some ideas on how to get your kids to participate without complaining, the internet has endless ideas. You can even give your pets some extra attention while you clean by playing with them when you find their lost toys! Even better, you could find ways to make cleaning easier for yourself with new technological innovations like a special brush for dusting blinds or my company's product, the Narwal T10, which lightens the load by taking care of the vacuuming and mopping, even going so far as to clean itself. Even better, you don't have to crouch down to clean under your couch! No matter how you do it, just make sure you keep your motivation up, let yourself take breaks, and do what you can to make the job as easy as possible.
Tip #5 : Relax, you've done it!
Treat yourself to something nice and take a long rest - you deserve it. Will everything be messy again before you know it? Sure. But let's be real, a messiness is just proof of a space that's lived in, a home that's well loved. Spring cleaning is a way of showing appreciation to your house for giving you a space to live and love in - and its only once a year. Take advantage of the time you spend cleaning to reminisce about the good memories you had in each room with your family and pets over the past year, and be grateful for the new memories your house will be host to before next spring comes.
What do you think? Are you looking forward to cleaning your house this spring or are you absolutely dreading it? Is there anything I missed out on my list? Or do you have any special tips or gadgets for cleaning? Let me know!
If you're interested in my company's product, the Narwal T10 robot vacuum and mop, whether to buy or just to learn more about, feel free to check out my other blog posts or Narwal's official website.
