Spring Cleaning
Last week my oldest daughter looked at our dining table centerpiece and asked, "Mom, if you went in someone's home and they had this much dust, what would you say?" I told her if I knew they'd had a month like we just had, I'd give them a pass. Long story short, our May is devoted to spring cleaning...amazingly my 12-year-old is actually looking forward to it!
I remember the day spring cleaning became a reality for me. I wasn't 12, I was 37! The dust on a baseboard caught my eye and I thought, "Hmmm, you must have to clean those." Up until then, we'd always moved before spring cleaning became a necessity. It never occurred to me to routinely clean the baseboards or behind the refrigerator...I always did that when I moved in and again when I moved out. It's actually easier that way, without all that pesky furniture to mess with! Plus, during a move, I take time off to concentrate on my home. Having to fit spring cleaning in with my regular routine seems a monumental task.
Whether you need to clean out your home or your office, here are a few tips to put the spring back in your step during spring cleaning.
Mountains into Molehills
Break overwhelming tasks into smaller, manageable bits. Don't plan to spring clean your entire home in one day. Tackle one room at a time. When you finish that room, start on the next. You can do a room a day, a weekend, or a week. Or, you could do one room a month and spread your spring cleaning out over an entire year. If your goal is to deep clean every room once a year, does it matter that all rooms don't get cleaned at the same time?
Enlist the Troops
Your children can be great cleaners. Even little ones can get in on the action. It may take a little longer, but you'll be preparing them to spring clean their own home one day.
Save the Best for Last
Do the least desirable tasks first. Once they are out of the way, the other tasks will feel like a cake walk. An added bonus: You'll have less reason to procrastinate.
Supercharge your Motivation
If you find all spring cleaning tasks equally heinous, try completing the quickest task first. Getting that first room under your belt--seeing the shining surfaces, deeply inhaling the scent of clean--will inspire you to tackle the next room!
Reward Yourself
Set goals for yourself. When you reach a goal, reward yourself! Go out to dinner. Slurp your favorite milkshake. Buy yourself new jewelry, perfume, candles...whatever you love that you consider a special treat! If you decide to have your children help, don't forget to reward them, too!
Spring cleaning is an unavoidable part of life, though you have to admit, I almost beat the odds. I mean 37 years without spring cleaning...that is pretty impressive! If you have any tricks to take the pain out of spring cleaning, will you take a minute to share them here?