LIBRARY BLOG

A Guide to Spring Cleaning

It’s that time of year again! Time to go through every room in our house and get the dreaded yearly deep clean out of the way. Cleaning can be one of the most undesirable chores of all time, but pushing it off unfortunately only makes things worse. If you’re like me, cleaning can be a fulfilling form of meditation that leaves you with a sense of purpose. We all know the high of a freshly cleaned home, but how do we make ourselves get up and get started?

MOTIVATION! Before you get going on your cleaning rampage do something that inspires you! I adore watching cleaning videos on YouTube! Seeing someone else’s house go from disaster area to oasis always gets me excited to start my own cleaning projects, and it reminds me that I’m not alone in feeling like my home is cluttered and messy! See the video below for extreme cleaning motivation!

Don’t put pressure on yourself to finish it all in one day because you won’t! Spring cleaning is certainly a multi-day affair. Once all of that initial cleaning is done its time for you to sort through your things! Clean out those drawers, the pantry, bathroom cabinets, and closets. Get rid of expired foods, medicines, and hygiene products. Once everything is in its place it’s time for you to vacuum and mop under beds, furniture, and appliances (so much dust builds up in these areas)!

Start with your bedroom!

Putting on fresh sheets and making your bed can be the morning start you need. Seeing your bed all clean and cozy can really get you moving to other parts of the house! But don’t stop at making your bed: pick up all dirty laundry and put all items, no matter how small, in their place, and finally vacuum and mop those floors and baseboards. You can do this for all the bedrooms in your home. If you start to feel overwhelmed later in the day you can always come back to your clean bedroom for some self-motivation!

Move on to the bathrooms!

Bust out the scrubbing bubbles and spray down your shower and bathtub, including the shower walls! While that loosens the grime and hardwater build-up, wipe down the sink, counter, mirror, and scrub that toilet (inside and out)! Go back to the shower and using a sponge or scrub brush and wipe down the walls, faucet and fixtures, and the tub and rise with water. Remove all dirty laundry and towels, put all items in their place, and finally vacuum and mop those floors and baseboards!

Finish your clean sweep in the common areas!

The living room and kitchen/dining area can be the biggest disaster areas of your home just because it is the most used space by everyone, including your guests. You can start by picking up all the items that are out of place: laundry, dishes, books, blankets, toys, etc. This will probably feel the most daunting but once this clutter is gone vacuuming, moping, dusting, and sanitizing frequently used surfaces will seem like a breeze! Don’t forget your light switches, door knobs, and remotes as these items can contain the most germs.