There’s a reason Marie Kondo is such a superstar these days: tidying up is finally going mainstream. And with spring right around the corner, you can start fresh with less clutter and a pristine home.
Follow these five steps for an efficient and thorough spring cleaning.
1. Strategize Before You Start
Decluttering is the biggest part of cleaning. Is there a designated storage room for decluttering as you go? If so, get that room ready to receive things. Will you be putting clothes or other objects in drawers? Start by emptying and cleaning those drawers.
You never want to store things away on top of grime — that’s just making more work for yourself later. It’s important to plan your cleaning before you start.
2. Start Big, Then Go Small
Cleaning gets easier as you go. We see progress as we clean, and this inspires us to keep going. It’s best to start with the biggest problems and then take care of the small details later. That’s why “start big, then go small” is such a useful architecture to your cleaning strategy.
Tackle the largest problem first, whether it be the cluttered countertop or a corner full of junk. If there are big objects taking up floor space, prioritize moving them before the smaller objects. If one room in the house is messier than others, start with it.
3. Start High, Then Work Your Way Down
Gravity laughs at those who work from bottom to top. If you clean your floor and then stir up dust on high shelves, that dust is going to undo your work. Once you’re done decluttering, begin your cleaning from the top down.
Clean the high surfaces (top of the fridge, cabinets, window ledges), then move to the medium surfaces (countertops, tables, chairs), and finally down to the low surfaces (floor, baseboards, rugs).
4. Finish Each Task to Completion — Don’t Multitask.
There’s something to be said for finishing each task — decluttering, vacuuming, mopping, dusting, polishing, wiping, etc. — before moving onto the next one. It keeps you from tripping over the vacuum when you’re spraying the windows, and so on. It also keeps your spray bottles and cleaning supplies from forming their own clutter!
5. Suck Some Scent Booster Beads Into Your Vacuum
A good-smelling vacuum cleaner works like an automatic Febreze can. Buy a bottle of scent booster beads and pour a small pile on the floor. Suck these up with your vacuum and every room you vacuum will smell like fresh laundry.
Stay Ahead of the Clutter
As you go, think of ways to stay ahead of the clutter. Can you get shelves for your shoes? Can you use vertical space instead of horizontal space? Do certain tables tend to serve as clutter magnets?
Get ready to throw the windows open and enjoy the spring air in your clean home!
