Spring has sprung, and along with it comes spring sunshine, green, green grass, and the beauty of flowers blooming everywhere. A lot of people see spring as a time of rebirth, and it’s one of the best times of year to start fresh in all parts of your life and shed the lingering gloom of winter.
Where do you get started when you want to kick your spring season off with a bang? I think everyone should begin by saying goodbye to the winter dust bunnies in your house and greet spring with a good round of spring-cleaning.
I know, I know, it’s not something everyone looks forward to, and it can be a bit overwhelming when you think about doing it all at once, but spring cleaning your home makes everything look and feel lighter and brighter. If you’re ready to spring clean, I’m going to make it simple with a step-by-step spring-cleaning survival guide that will get you from floors to windows in a flash.
Choose your level of spring-cleaning dedication
When I think of spring-cleaning, I think floor to ceiling. That’s because I work from a passed-down spring cleaning plan my Grandma gave me, and although there have been some years I didn’t feel as though I’ve had the time, every year I deep clean my hardwood, tile, walls, window coverings, and windows.
Even if you don’t want to go floor to ceiling, your best bet is to start your spring-cleaning with a solid plan. Do you want to wash your walls? How about deep cleaning your baseboards? Once you have a plan of attack, you can decide what you’re going to tackle and how much time you can allocate for each task you take on.
My Grandma’s list is a bit too intensive to share here, but if you want an actual plan Imperfecthomemaking.com has a great one.
Bring in the spring-cleaning tools
Just like a mechanic needs tools to fix your car and a plumber needs tools to fix your plumbing, appliances are the tools you need to spring-clean your house.
Let’s start with the floor. I’m a big fan of hard floor cleaners, but I also have a mix of carpet in my house. Rather than tackle cleaning with a broom and vacuum, I found an upright vacuum that will glide from hard surface to carpet and not miss a beat. The Dyson DC66 multi-floor upright vacuum tackles every single surface in the house, and the rotating head makes it easy to get into tiny corners and suck up those long established dust bunnies. It also has a wand you can use to clean dust off of blinds or remove dust from the top corners of your rooms.
Once the floor is clean of dust and debris, you’ll need a tool to make it shine. For hardwood floors that means a tool like the Hoover FloorMate Deluxe Hard Floor Cleaner. It has counter-rotating brushes to wash and scrub hard wood floors, and it really does make them sparkle.
I also recommend you have several dish towels, a few Mr.Clean Magic Erasers, an old toothbrush, and a bucket of warm, sudsy water. You can use these to wipe down walls, scrub your baseboards, and dust everything.
Expand your spring-cleaning reach
When you really get into spring-cleaning, nothing is off limits, and I love picking up cleaning supplies designed to target my hardest to clean areas.
I like to completely wipe down my stainless steel kitchen appliances and buff out stains, add some shine to my granite countertops with special cleaners, and use Weiman’s Cook Top Cleaner kit to remove baked on marks and stains on my smooth top range. It really makes a difference in how clean the kitchen feels.
Let there be light
If you ever read up on Martha Stewart’s recommendations for spring cleaning, you know she likes to change out or dust all of the light bulbs in her house during her spring cleaning blitz. You can remove your light bulb and gently dust them off, or you can simply use a dry cloth to dust a light bulb that’s still plugged in. Just make sure you have had it turned off for a while so it’s not hot.
You might want to completely switch out your light bulbs in the springtime, so it’s a great time to try out the latest smart lights. Smart lights like the Belkin WeMo Smart LED light bulbs let you dim, turn off, and turn on your lights from your phone or tablet. That way you conserve energy and are able to turn your lights off and on from anywhere you are.
Change up your bedding
Doesn’t everyone have winter and spring bedding they switch out every season? I’ve been doing this since University, and it really makes a difference in how the room feels when you walk into it. Spring means light and bright, so pick up some new sheets, take the flannel cover off your duvet, and get ready for warm summer nights.
Toss the pillows
When it comes to spring cleaning there is one ritual I swear by-the tossing of the pillows, and by tossing I mean replacing. Because of dust mites and allergens, you should replace the pillows on your beds at least every six months, and spring and winter are the perfect time to do that. If you don’t want to replace your pillows, you can try washing them in your machine.
Rearrange the furniture
I feel as though rearranging furniture is one of the most overlooked parts of spring-cleaning. Moving your couches, beds, tables, and chairs around means you’ll be able to deep clean underneath them, but the benefits of rearranging furniture don’t end there. Switching your couch to a new wall or moving your bed can give a room a whole new perspective, and it’s the perfect way to feel as though you’re starting fresh in your home.
I look forward to my spring-cleaning blitz every year because it means winter is over and spring is finally here. Yes it takes effort to deep clean your house, but the results are worth it, and it’s gotten easier over the years thanks to my favourite home appliances helping me along the way.
Throw open the windows, shine up your doors, and use this spring cleaning survival guide to clean up and officially welcome spring!
