When the days start getting brighter, and the weather
turns warmer, it lifts your mood and really puts a spring in
your step (pun intended!).
It’s also the time of year
when you’ll feel the urge to roll up your sleeves, open up
your windows to let some fresh air in and start cleaning up
your home.
Now, that’s not to say that you haven’t
kept your home clean through the winter, but closed doors
and windows tend to trap a lot of dust and dirt
inside.
The Reason Why Spring Cleaning Is So
Important
Aside from the significance the term
‘spring cleaning’ holds in our society, it’s also the time
when we can take stock of all the annual maintenance work
that our home needs – and get it done!
This also
creates an excellent opportunity to get rid of all the dirt
and dust piled up in the corners of your home.
When
Is The Perfect Time To Start Spring Cleaning?
In the
past, spring cleaning used to be a long, tiring day of
cleaning.
However, with changing times and busier
schedules, it’s best to split these tasks up over a couple
of days to ensure you get the best out of your spring
cleaning.
As a rule of thumb, when the weather gets
warmer, it’s the perfect time to open up the windows, let
the sun in and get to work.
Okay, So Where Do I
Start?
In the same way, you wouldn’t undertake a big
project at work without a plan, nor should you tackle your
spring cleaning. Before you begin, write down a list of
tasks that need to be completed, and then decide which ones
to tackle first.
So, here’s a quick start guide to
getting your house cleaned!
- Make a
plan: First things first, map your home into zones.
Start with the rooms that you use the most. For instance,
since you most likely use your kitchen often, get started
here first. - Stop procrastinating:
Don’t put things off. Make yourself accountable to someone
so that you have to get things done. - Start
with the most challenging and largest tasks first:
Once you get the most daunting tasks out of your way, it
will motivate you to finish the smaller and more manageable
tasks so that you can complete your spring cleaning as
efficiently as possible! What’s more, the tasks that are the
most difficult are also the ones that make the most
noticeable visual changes first – think, get rid of all the
clutter on your tabletops. - Don’t compare
yourself to anyone else: Just because your
neighbour cleaned their home up last week, or your colleague
did it all in one day, it doesn’t mean that you should allow
it to bring you down. Keep in mind that all that is
important is that you are ultimately satisfied with your
home cleaning.
To ensure that you put your time
and effort to good use and your home looks brand new, here
are a few of our top tips!
- Declutter,
declutter, declutter!
As you’re
clearing up around your home, take a minute to ascertain
which items you use daily, which ones you rarely use, and
which you never really use.
Then go about reorganising
and getting rid of the things that you no longer
need.
Contrary to popular belief,
natural, homemade cleaning solutions (like vinegar, baking
soda, lime juice etc.) are just as effective as store-bought
chemical ones. When using these natural products, you are
able to disinfect surfaces and even add a great smell to
those areas too!
Of course, if you have very
hard-to-remove stains, you must use a cleaner that suits
your needs.
Begin dusting and cleaning from
the top floor (or from the tops of cupboards) and work your
way down. That way, all the dirt and grime falls to the
bottom, where you clean up at the very
end.
- Make sure you have everything on
hand.
Before you start cleaning, ensure
you have all the cleaning solutions and tools you need for
each area within easy reach. That way, you won’t have to
waste your energy walking around, and you won’t risk
tracking dirt and grime to various other rooms of your
home.
Also, if you use a cordless vacuum, ensure that
you have it charged before you begin using it – so that it
doesn’t die on you mid-clean!
Empty out dust bags
outside your home so that all the gunk accumulated in your
vacuum’s dust bag stays out of your home for
good!
The Best Way To Maintain Your Spring
Cleaning
The worst thing that could happen is that
you spend all this time cleaning up, only to have your
efforts go in vain. Before you know it, your neat and tidy
home has returned to looking like it did before – almost as
if you never cleaned at all!
This usually happens
because your regular life takes hold, and you’re likely to
forget what you should do to maintain your home.
To
avoid this from happening, here’s what you can
do:
- When you are reorganising each room, remember
what you use it for and how you and your family use it. For
instance, if you usually use your coffee table to keep
important bills (and not coffee table books and decor), then
you should do so. - You should also keep in mind the
storage requirements of each room and plan it out
accordingly. - Finally, you should try to wipe down
surfaces, vacuum and mop floors and also make sure you air
out your house regularly. In doing so, you’re sure to keep
your home in tip-top condition!
And, if all else
fails, you can always call in a professional cleaning
service to keep up with the regular maintenance for your
home. All you need to do is book your service and remember
to let them know about your particular needs and if there
will be any pets or young children at home during the
cleaning.
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