Spring cleaning is a great way to get a fresh start for the season. Seems like over the winter months we accumulate so much stuff. When the weather changes it’s time to give the house a good purge. You might as well clean too. I started reading Spark Joy this week by Marie Kondo, and it has inspired me to start the spring cleaning process too.
From getting the dust bunnies out from behind the couches that never get moved to flipping mattresses and changing the sheets, spring cleaning is time to give your home a good purge and clean. But even when you think you did a thorough job there are tasks many of us forget to do and those things can make a big difference.
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Spring Cleaning Made Simple
When you start your big clean, remember the little things count, as well. A good cleaning includes culling and organizing. Remember, the less stuff you have, the less messes too. Clutter weighs you down. And right now we have clutter. This house has needed a purge for months. So, I decided to get my youngest daughter involved. Many hands make light work.
Cull
DITCH the old clothing that you haven’t worn. When was the last time your husband wore that awful shirt? When’s the last time you wore that sweater that is so far out of style, it will never come back in? How often do the kids really play with those old toys? These are the questions to ask yourself when you begin spring cleaning. If you haven’t used it in a year, get rid of it. Make some space and create peace.
I am the worst possible offender here. My kids are the same. We hold onto things that have an emotional connection long after they’ve outlived their use. My kids hate getting rid of old toys. One of us still has a Backyardigan and the kids are now 13 and 15. It can be a battle moving things on here. But I do find with toys and clothing that if the girls know the gently used items are finding a new home at their cousin’s house then they can get behind the cleaning and purging initiative.
This weekend I took a bunch of Clorox products and I bought several small organizing bins from the dollar store. Clorox wipes make cleaning easy, so my kids can help clean surfaces too. If you are organizing and culling, let your kids personalize the bins if they want. Clorox disinfecting wipes are also affordable at $3.25 for a canister. I really like these because they are convenient and they kill 99.9 % of bacteria that lives on surfaces in your home.
We started in the girls’ bathroom because it always looks like something girly exploded in there. Not joking. My girls like makeup and hair and beauty products and their shared washroom overflows with them. We pulled everything out of the drawers and tossed a few things we no longer need. Then we checked expiry dates on things like sunscreen. Eventually we also moved a few more items into the bin going out the door to charity and organized the rest into separate bins. We also did a big clean of the space. Clorox Disinfecting Bleach Foamer Spray works beautifully on bathroom surfaces to kill germs. It also kills athlete’s foot fungus and I have athletes so I am hanging onto this.
Spring Clean the Drains
Do you ever notice a funky odor coming out of your drains? It could be sewer gas creeping up through the pipes, or it could also be a year or more’s worth of gunk stuck to your pipes. A good drain cleaner helps. At our house it’s always hair. Disgusting, yes. But reality because let’s face it three of us are girls with long hair and that takes a toll on drains, carpets, and vacuum cleaners. I actually let out a happy yell when I realized Clorox has a product just for hair clogs. Brilliant! Liquid Plumr Hair Clog Eliminator sticks to trapped hair and dissolves it. This product is only used by adults in our house.
Door Knobs
You should really be doing this all year anyway, but spring cleaning is the perfect time to really get those door knobs clean. Don’t just give them a quick wipe, get in there with a cloth or wipe to get in all the nooks and crannies that house bacteria and germs. You’ll also be surprised at how much physical gunk built up on those knobs that you never even noticed.
Molding
One of the biggest forgotten areas in spring cleaning is dusting the TOP of the molding around the house. I am so guilty of this. It is both amazing and disgusting how much dust comes off the top of your molding when you spring clean. You would NEVER suspect so much has collected up there. It’s especially bad if you’re like me and you never remember to dust that area.
Grout
We all mop or use some other cleaning method to clean our tile. The grout is a secondary thing that might get a little cleaning action just from the act of cleaning the tile. When spring cleaning rolls around, however, you should give your tile some extra love. You can use a bit of Clorox bleach to give your grout a good cleaning and get it spruced up in no time.
Don’t forget the Glad Easy-Tie Regular Garbage Bags and the Glad Easy-Tie Tall Kitchen Catchers with Febreze fresh scent. I like the Tall Kitchen Catchers because they are a good size for kitchen garbage. But my favourite this year is the Glad 100 % compostable bags with Febreze Fresh Lemon Scent. ($5.99 for 20). These are great for your green/ organic and food waste.
Spring Cleaning for the Forgetful
This year I am breaking this huge job into chunks, purging and cleaning one room at a time. Spark Joy talks about doing it all in one go, but that’s a huge commitment of time for me right now. Spring cleaning can be overwhelming. I hope this list of often forgotten items is a big a help to you too. Get all the nooks and crannies, and declutter your space so you feel less overwhelmed and your home should spark joy again.
This spring cleaning post was sponsored by Clorox and I received compensation. My opinion is all my own and it is also truthful.