Top Tips for Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning is traditional for many people and signifies the end of dreary winter days. I remember Mom and Grandma opening all of the windows of the house on crisp, spring mornings on weekends when we did spring cleaning. Somehow the clean air wafting through the rooms while we cleaned made me more industrious and breathed new life into the house. Follow these great tips for spring cleaning your home to make everything feel new again.

• Lists. Begin by making a list of everything that needs to be cleaned. Use a separate sheet of paper for each room, and write the name of the room at the top of the page. Put your room sheets on a clipboard and stand in the middle of the first room. List everything in the room that needs to be cleaned, and then go to the next room and make another list.
• Assign. When you're finished making your spring cleaning lists, gather your family together and assign tasks. If you have older children, simply give them a room sheet and have them complete the list. Younger children can accomplish simple tasks, such as cleaning banisters, dusting floor vents, or shaking out small rugs.
• Remove clutter. Before you begin cleaning, you need to clear away clutter. Use a large basket as your clutter basket, and go from room to room removing clutter. Place the clutter basket in the garage or basement, and let family members know that their clutter is in the basket so they may retrieve it later.
• Dust, mop and vacuum. Once the clutter is cleared away, move furniture away from walls into the middle of the room or into a hallway. Remove pictures and mirrors from walls and, using a broom, dust mop, or Swiffer, swipe the walls and corners. Make sure to remove cobwebs from ceiling fixtures and corners. Vacuum or sweep the floor entirely, using a crevice tool on baseboards. While one person vacuums, another person can dust the wall hangings and light fixtures. Replace all of the furniture and wall hangings.
• Linens. Plan one weekend to strip all of the beds of linens and take down the curtains and wash them. While the curtains and linens are being washed and dried, take the opportunity to make repairs to curtain rods and bed frames.
• Plants. Instead of dusting your plants, gather all of your live houseplants and place them into a bathtub, turn your shower on a very gentle spray and give your houseplants a rain shower in the bathroom.
• Window screens. Remove your window screens and line them up against your house and spray them with your garden hose.

Make sure to clean your smoke detectors, clean your dryer vent of lint, clean your furnace filter, and clean your kitchen and bathroom countertops. Treat your family to ice cream when your spring cleaning is finished.