The weather is heating up, flowers are starting to bloom and the birds are singing, all signs that Spring is here but are you still stuck in the Winter blues? It is tradition that when Spring arrives, we get into cleaning mode and start to get our homes into tip top shape and focus on those areas of the house that have sat dormant for the past few months. After reading this blog on tips to get your home Spring ready, you may just feel the urge to get started in your home.
Step 1- Get your family involved
You will need help on your Spring cleaning endeavour, so get your family involved. You are probably thinking to yourself, you can do it quicker on your own but when it comes to lifting, cleaning and sorting especially the kid’s rooms, you will want their input as to what stays and what goes – not to mention that many hands make light work!
Work together and make it fun.
Step 2- De-clutter each room
One of the biggest parts of spring cleaning is getting rid of clutter that you don’t need. This involves going through cupboards, drawers, sheds, garages and storage and making tough decisions as to what to keep.
Here are some tips to de-clutter your home:
- Plan a garage sale, this can be fun for the kids
- Sell unwanted items on eBay or gumtree to make a few dollars
- Box up items you don’t need but want to keep such as family air looms and place in storage
- Donate items to charity, schools, friends that are taking up space that you think you can’t sell.
- Clean and wash items as you go, you don’t want to have to come back to this later.
While you may have a tendency to hoard and hold onto items that you feel you may just use sometime in the future, if you have not used them in the last 2-3 years, you are not likely to use them this year either so get rid of it.
Cleaning will be a lot easier when the clutter is gone, plus you may be able to make a few extra $$ to buy something new for your home or a gift for the kids as a reward for helping.
Step 3- Organising
Organising your home will make your life so much easier. Not only will you be able to put things away properly you will know exactly where everything lives and you will know exactly what you have. You can stop wasting money buying items you already have but couldn’t find at the time and can start buying new items that you thought you did not have room for.
Tip: Pull everything out of the cupboards, clean the cupboard, sort items into piles of “keep, chuck, donate, or store” and whatever you are keeping put back neatly.
Don’t move onto the next room until the first room is complete, trust me you want feel like going back to it later. When it is done properly the first time it is easier to maintain and the whole process will be quicker.
Step 4- Cleaning
A dusty refrigerator top and an oven that smokes every time you bake are not the components of an ideal kitchen not to mention the dusty skirting boards, blinds, flyscreens, or the dead flies and dirt in the door tracks and windows, these are not signs of a clean inviting home.
Here are some tips for Spring cleaning:
- Get all your cleaning products and a bucket together before you start
- Do the floors last, you will only make mess along the way
- Try to use products that are environmentally friendly
- Ensure each room is well ventilated as you clean
- Don’t forget to dust the photos and pictures on the walls
- Clean the ceiling fans and exhaust fans, as these can be the causes of allergens
- Pick a sunny day to wash your curtains, drapes, bedding and rugs
You may even decide to invest in a professional cleaner once you have de cluttered to save yourself sweat and tears.
So what are you waiting for? Pick a room of the house to start on and go for it!
The weather has been perfect so you have no excuse and you will thank yourself later when you can sit back and enjoy a clean and fresh house for the Spring and Summer.
As always, feel free to visit our website for any tips on choosing the perfect floor or window coverings for your home now that it’s been officially made ready for Spring!
