Four Essential Spring Cleaning Tips

Winter is over and warmer weather is starting to arrive, which means it’s time to dust out the cobwebs, wipe down every surface, and declutter your home. There’s nothing quite like a deep clean to signal the start of spring!
 
While it might seem daunting to clean more than one bedroom, our essential tips can make the process easy-breezy — especially if you use our favorite divide-and-conquer method. Continue reading for essential tips to clean your new house as the seasons change.

Make a Checklist

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you can’t tidy up your whole home in just 24 hours. It’s important to prioritize and plan ahead when making a cleaning schedule. To avoid overwhelming yourself, consider identifying pain points: Is your primary closet driving you nuts?

Is it finally time to tackle the garage? If big tasks seem a little too large, start small with one cupboard at a time — or just vacuum one floor. By prioritizing what you need to clean first to stay sane, you’ll stay on-task and spring cleaning more manageable. For more ideas on how to tackle a spring clean like a pro, check out this housebeautiful article.

Ways to Involve Your Kids

Don’t take it all on yourself. Our instinct is to clean solo as we really want to wipe away all the grime — but if you have helping hands available, remember to use them!

Declutter, Purge, Organize
A traditional part of spring cleaning is the idea of getting rid of excess stuff — and kids can do this too! Sharing is already a skill we teach children from toddlerhood, so use those same ideas to help them learn to purge toys.

Work Together
Intentionally plan time to teach your children each step of the cleaning process. It may be tempting to jump in and complete a task for them — especially when they're tiny — but that prevents them from  robs them of the ability to building self-sufficiency. While your kids clean, lean on your fellow adults can help you declutter your spaces before you dive into the deep clean. Simple tasks such as vacuuming, cleaning out the closet and selecting items to donate, or throwing out expired food are easily tackled even by novice cleaners.

Let them make mistakes and praise the things they do well, setting manageable goals so they feel confident in their work. Hold them to age-appropriate standards so that they can gauge for themselves when the toilet is adequately clean or whether they need to wipe down the table one more time. As spring cleaning rolls around again and again, they'll be ready to go! 
 
If you’re more trusting, assign everyone a room or even a floor to work on throughout the day. The divide-and-conquer method can help you speed up the cleaning process while bonding as a family!

Let Them Have Fun
As sneaky as it sounds, remember that your kids don't know that cleaning the house probably isn't the most fun activity you could ever do together! Help them associate the cleaning process (not just the end result) with positive emotions. Put on music and dance, turn cleaning into a game or competition, tell jokes, and be sure to take plenty of snack breaks. Let them pretend that duster is a magic wand or that they're racing down the ice like Olympic curlers while they mop the hallway.

Cleaning Products & Solutions

You’d be surprised by how much dirt, dust, and grossness can build up throughout the winter. Discover solutions below to help clean and refresh your home!
 
Saftey Precautions
It’s very important that you glove up and even consider a mask while you work. Use a fan to create ventilation and mitigate dangerous inhalants — and be sure to read the labels of your cleaning products to prevent any kind of allergic reaction or dangerous combination that could make you woozy or faint!

DIY Cleaning Solutions
To promote sustainable living in your household, consider mixing your own cleaning products as you begin to tidy up your living spaces. There are a lot of recipes available for environmentally friendly cleaning agents, and most of them can be made cost-efficiently with ingredients you already have. Start today with this recipe for a DIY glass cleaner:
Glass Cleaner Recipe
Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup white or cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol (70% concentration)
• Optional: 1-2 drops orange essential oil, for scent 

Instructions:

• Combine ingredients and store in a spray bottle
• Spray on paper towel or cloth, then wipe glass

No More Pet-sky Stains
For many, a home just isn’t a home without pets. However, animals can make a pretty big mess, particularly when they run into the house after a refreshing mud bath. Old stains can be a real struggle, but the right tools make it so much easier to handle. This portable carpet cleaner is perfect for spot testing and removing unsightly stains from carpets, furniture, and more! The small size makes it easy to store and take to other parts of the house.

Keep the Air Pure All Year Long
There’s nothing quite as relaxing as smelling fresh flowers—unless you’re allergic. Though spring brings about warm days and gorgeous views, many suffer from allergies that are exacerbated by pollen season. To cut down on scratchy throats and congestion, you might want to consider purchasing an air purifier for your home. Each air purifier on this list from the NY Times captures dust, bacteria, and allergens, which can help keep your home fresh and healthy.

Additional Ways to Declutter

Get Rid of the Junk Drawer

First things first: Dump the drawer, clear it out, and then make a plan for creating a more functional system. Once you’ve lived life junk drawer-free, you’ll never want to go back!

It’s tempting to designate a junk drawer in your new home, that one catch-all hidey-hole that seems to collect all things random including single keys, old tape dispensers, and expired coupons. As you may know, organizing is half the battle when it comes to spring cleaning.

Our advice is to have an organized layout for every cabinet, closet, drawer, and storage space to eliminate the need for a junk drawer in the first place! Specialized drawer dividers, more available trash receptacles, and inventive kitchen cabinet installations can help you find a place for everything.

Donate Your Unused Items
As you clean out your closets and drawers, don’t toss the unwanted items into the trash! Instead, get everything organized and donate your castoffs to a good cause. Not only will you be decluttering your house and making it more comfortable for yourself, you’ll also be doing your part in helping both the environment and those in need.

For additional inspiration on managing your home's clutter, whether it's for an extensive spring cleaning or your routine weekly clean-up. Explore more articles from Shea Homes' blog such as, Five Ways to Keep Your Kitchen Clean, How to Keep your Garage Clean and Organized, and Home Cleaning Checklist for Daily, Weekly & Monthly Cleaning