Spring Cleaning Made Easy

Winter is finally subsiding, the snow storms have hopefully met their end for a while, you can start breaking out the flip flops and capris, and the weather is just nice enough for you to drive around with the convertible top down—score! Spring is a great time that allows you to let off some cabin fever steam built up over the course of a long winter. Now that it's finally spring time you can look forward to the new spring fashions, the budding flowers, and the nice weather; however, something else that may not be on your list of what you're most excited for is spring cleaning. Spring is an excellent time to clean out that house and start afresh. Spring cleaning may seem a little daunting, but if you approach it in the right way, then spring cleaning will be a breeze!

The thing you need to remember about spring cleaning is that you need to take it one step at a time; if you think about all of the cleaning that needs to be done all at one time, then you'll be overwhelmed and won't want to start. If you just take spring cleaning one room or one project at a time, however, then you'll be set to go and you'll have your house sparking clean in no time!

First, you need to pick what your most daunting task is. It's best to start with the biggest project and then work your way down from there. You gain more cleaning momentum, confidence, and motivation when you work on the big projects first. This mentality works because when you can check something big off of your list, then you're on an "accomplishment high" and are more motivated to continue down your list. If you start with the smaller projects first, however, then you'll constantly be building up to your biggest project and you'll never be too motivated or ready to tackle it.

Here are some tips to follow as you go about your spring cleaning:

• Make piles. If you make piles when you're cleaning, then you can better decide what should stay and what should go. Make piles for keeping, for throwing away, for giving away, and for mulling over. Piles help organize your thoughts and help you better decide what you should keep and what you should let go.
• Lose the sentimentality. Too much sentimentality is the worst enemy of the spring cleaner. Sentimentality in excess leads to keeping any and everything, even if there is no purpose. If you can set aside your emotions while spring cleaning, then you'll be most effective. Some sentimentality is okay, but don't go overboard.
• Dust and vacuum well. Don't do a half job at dusting and vacuuming. It may not be your favorite task, but do it well and then you'll truly know that your house is at its cleanest.
• Set aside the time to spring clean. If you just wait for the time to clean, then you'll be waiting forever while your house gets more and more cluttered and dirty. Set aside a few days and devote them entirely to spring cleaning. Get grungy, wear cleaning clothes, don the rubber gloves, and go to work until it's finished.