By Jennie
Spring has sprung! Well, okay, not technically; the official first day of spring isn’t until March 20th. But Daylight Savings Time has started (yes, I will be whining about the lost hour incessantly until I get it back later this year), and, at least where I live, blooming things are starting to bloom.
Kind of makes you feel like cleaning, right? (crickets….)
Well, maybe not all of us love to clean, but I’m guessing most of us love the results – the lack of grime, grease, dust and clutter which results from a little daily/weekly/monthly effort. But the more sporadic the effort, the more intimidating the task can become. Many of us put off little cleaning projects for later (“oh, I’ll wipe down the baseboards during spring cleaning!”) and then put off the larger effort altogether because it seems so overwhelming (“oh, I’ll take care of spring cleaning after the zombie apocalypse; the breakdown of society will leave me with lots of free time on my hands and a strong desire to avoid public spaces”). The end result is that stuff never gets done.
I don’t pretend to be a cleaning guru, but one thing that works for me is to try to break down big cleaning projects into small ones. I try (though I don’t always succeed) to spend 15 minutes “straightening up” a day – this might mean throwing things out from the refrigerator that have morphed from “food” to “horrific science experiment” or wiping down the stove (a seemingly never-ending project; I never get it entirely clean and it gets dirty almost as soon as I finish cleaning it), or going through a stack of mail/papers and throwing away the detritus. Ideally, this means that when weekly cleaning rolls around things are just a little bit cleaner, neater and better organized.
I also try to attach a slightly larger project (say, 30-60 minutes) to my weekly cleaning. This may involve cleaning out the junk drawer, going through old CDs and listing them on Music Magpie, ( deep cleaning the living room rug (so much cat hair!), or cleaning the windows in one of the rooms (I use a mixture of vinegar and water – nothing smells like “clean” to me like the sharp smell of white vinegar!). Or I tackle the baseboards in a room or two (vinegar and warm water is good here too, along with a good sponge or even a Magic Eraser for scuff marks).
Now, there are potentially an endless number of these medium-sized cleaning projects; I’m never quite “done” and I could (and sometimes do) plan an extra super-sized “spring cleaning”, whatever the time of year, to really get decluttered, clean and organized. But these mini-spring-cleanings keep my home cleaner and more organized throughout the year, and ensure that the larger cleaning project is never *too* overwhelming.
So don’t delay! It may be spring cleaning time now, but you can spring clean throughout the year and keep your house in better order from January through December.
Jennie has contributed to Imperfect Women since its inception in 2009. She writes about politics, celebrity news, and anything else that catches her interest.
Anna at Mama Writes says
March 11, 2013 at 11:02 amGreat tips!! I need to get on with cleaning at home as things have really been piling up!!
Annabelle says
March 11, 2013 at 11:04 amIt’s definitely important to try to get a few minutes in each day. I used to put it off til the weekend, but who wants to spend the whole weekend cleaning?
Elizabeth says
March 11, 2013 at 12:57 pmI feel like it’s a constant battle to keep things tidy and declutter. There is always more stuff that could easily go.
Susan Alban says
March 11, 2013 at 3:49 pmThanks for the tips! It is definitely time to implement a schedule of cleaning around here! 🙂
snickers says
March 11, 2013 at 5:39 pmGreat tips, I love to clean when you can open all the windows!
Paula -Growing Up Bilingual says
March 11, 2013 at 5:50 pmGreat tip! Cleaning a little bit every day really makes a huge difference.
Tonya B says
March 11, 2013 at 9:46 pmI’m one of those weird people that would have been raising my hand amid the cricket sounds. LOL I love the way the house looks when everything is shiny and clean.
I try to do a “spring cleaning” task at least once a week. With the skin issues that I have since my chemical burns, I can’t really do a major cleaning… so it helps to keep on top of it all year.
Jennie says
March 12, 2013 at 11:47 amTonya, do you wear gloves and use natural cleaners? I hate wearing gloves so cleaning can be hard on my hands (particularly my nails!), but I try not to get caustic cleaners on my skin because they are so bad for it.
snickers says
March 12, 2013 at 12:29 pmJennie,
Have you tried to wear a surgical latex that has the powder in them. They are slim fitting and don’t flip water everywhere. If after I have worn them, I wash my hands with warm water and use Jergens overnight repair cream. Just a thought for you to try.
Pam@IW says
March 12, 2013 at 12:36 pmI am the cleaning queen according to Ms. Pattypie, LOL. I do clean quite a bit but I do projects year round so that they all don’t fall in the spring. I feel like Jennie also, I am never quite done.
Anya@IW says
March 12, 2013 at 8:54 pmI loved this article. Thanks, Jennie! Snickers – when my dad was in the hospital, I used to sometimes sneak those latex gloves from the multiple dispensers around the unit and bring a few home for cleaning/gardening… Yes, I admit to that!
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I do agree that even when you stay on top of the grime and the clutter that there is always something that needs attention. This is especially true when you live with multiple people (aka younger people or teenagers/adult children) who don’t understand or appreciate cleanliness!
Jennie says
March 13, 2013 at 10:28 amThanks, snickers. I’ve tried most kinds of gloves. The slim fitting ones make my hands sweaty (yuck) and the loose ones are just too thick and annoying to deal with. I will wear gloves to garden (usually) because I don’t want to get dirt under my nails (or touch a worm with my bare hands!!!) but I tend to just wing it with bare hands when I clean.
Lenora D says
March 15, 2013 at 4:40 amDefinitely need get in a little more every day. Time to get past the resolution euphoria crash and get steady at it.
Widyaning Ambarwati says
March 17, 2013 at 10:29 amThanks for the tips! The tips I think could be also used in my country. Even no Spring session.
Peggy Greco says
March 17, 2013 at 1:39 pmCleaning is a required chore lol, but tips do help lighten up drudgery lol!
Cassie says
March 17, 2013 at 4:56 pmi am a fellow white vinegar for cleaning lover! That, lemon juice, and baking soda ar ethe only “cleaners” we use around here do to my severe allergies
Brianne says
March 17, 2013 at 5:13 pmThanks for the tips! This just gave me the motivation I needed to start some spring cleaning 🙂
Wendy Pence says
March 17, 2013 at 5:29 pmI hear you about the stove top. It is one of my most hated chores, too. But, I do it anyway because I have a beautiful cooktop & I hate seeing it grimy. :0)
Rebecca says
December 24, 2013 at 9:01 amUgh. Cleaning. I try to stay very organized and everything have a place to go always, that helps. I hardly ever need to spring clean b/c I do a ton of things each day by putting each and everything away immediately.