~Updated for 2019
With spring right around the corner and winter soon to be a distant memory, it is time for the dreaded Spring Cleaning. I have always dreaded spring cleaning. I mean I am not going to lie, while I like things to be organized, I am pretty chill about the house being super clean. The kids make it impossible most days to achieve both for any long period of time. So I figure why waste my energy on the inevitable!
In years past, my annual spring cleaning would go something like this. Start cleaning, work on it and work on it, keep sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, until the day was done. Only problem is I would forget what I did and what I needed to do. The kids would come through like tornadoes where I did clean the day before and I could not make heads or tails of where I was in the process. It was beyond frustrating and pretty much made me throw my hands up in the air in defeat.
Not being able to keep good track of what needed to be done. in addition to the kids making it look like we made no progress. This was more than enough for me to skip the annual spring cleaning. But part of me knew that I needed to get to these items eventually, so I needed to figure out a way to manage the process better.
Why Spring Cleaning Anyways?
There are a few reasons that going through with a deep cleaning room by room spring cleaning. It gives you a chance to get rid of the dirt and grime that accumulates over winter and just spending more time generally indoors. But there are a ton of other reasons to go through with a deep clean at least on an annual basis.
- Air in the home is not as clean as air outside the home, as hard as that is to believe, it is the honest truth! So giving your home a deep clean can really help with those that have allergies or asthma. In addition, avoiding spraying harsh chemicals, perfumes, and potentially toxic candles. Adding plants to your home environment, will go a loong way in improving your indoor air quality. Also, set a reminder to change your HVAC air filter. I change mine as often a every month to a long as 90 days. You need to figure out what is right for your home and if depends on a ton of factors. Like filter type, where you live, if you have allergy / asthma suffers.
- Another reason to give your home a deep clean is to de-clutter your home. This is a really good thing to start right before you deep clean your home. it will make deep cleaning that much easier!
- Also, it gives you a reason to clean items you may not normally clean so well. Think behind the toilet or under the refrigerator, the light fixtures, walls, and base boards.
- Finally, there is something to be said about starting fresh as the season changes. Cleaning up your rooms can help you feel less stress and even help you focus.
Tips To help You Get Started Deep Cleaning Your Home
- If doing all your deep cleaning is too much in one season, break it down into quarters. Pick the rooms or chores you prefer to do and once they are complete check them off. When you are ready to dive back in the next season you will have a record of what was already done.
- This is not a race. This is deep cleaning. Take your time. If you are planning on de-cluttering your home at the same time, be prepared to take a lot longer to get it all done. I would recommend you de-clutter first, then deep clean.
- I find that completing one specific task through all the rooms is easier than going room by room. So I will clean all the baseboards and walls of the entire house first. But, you can do it how you prefer! After all, I am not going to come over and clean your home for you!
- Make sure you stock up on all your cleaning supplies. Like Homemade Orange Vinegar Cleaning solution and these inexpensive items that are so useful from the Dollar Store.
- Enlist the entire family to help. Give tasks that are age appropriate to your kids and pay them for it, since it is above and beyond their normal chores. Give a list to your significant other too and a deadline!
- Don’t worry if you do not get to it all. What matters in the end is that your home is a happy place a bit of mess will not kill anyone!?
Getting My Sanity Back
What did I do to make all these lovely deep cleaning plans work and keep my sanity, while still actually complete an annual spring cleaning? I created an action plan in the form of a free printable deep clean room by room check list. The Spring cleaning Complete Home Checklist covers every room in the house and the garage and outdoor areas of your home.
It makes it easy for my to check my progress in each room. Plus it has a handy note area that allows me to write down any issues I find while I am cleaning, like an area that needs paint or caulk. It also has a few extra lines for you to add tasks that make sense for your rooms in your house.
This simple to use printable deep clean checklist makes it so easy to follow along and check on progress as you work through each area or task in your home. Since it is all written down in one place, you will not forget those pesky once a year chores!
All in all it is a useful tool that keeps me on track, shows, me my progress and lets me keep a list of issues that need to be resolved. While it may not make me love spring cleaning, I no longer loathe it!
Check out my Spring cleaning Complete Home Checklist I am sure you will love it too! Just click on the link to download it, its free!
PS: Looking for a great de-cluttering challenge to help you keep your home or apartment neat and tidy? Check out these then!
Check out my other 30-Day De-cluttering challenges and get your house in order!
De-Cluttering Challenge #1: 30-Minutes
De-Cluttering Challenge #2: Closets
De-Cluttering Challenge #3: Kitchen & Dining
De-Cluttering Challenge #4: Family Room & Play Room
De-Cluttering Challenge #5: Bathrooms / Office
De-Cluttering Challenge #6: Garage / Shed / Attic
De-Cluttering Challenge #7: Basement
Looking for a different kind of clean up?
Check out these posts on budgeting and saving!
Budgeting 101
Tracking Your Bills
Christmas Savings Club
I hope you enjoy these other posts, but if you are at the end and wondering where that awesome room by room deep cleaning checklist is……