Spring Cleaning Ideas

Get Your Home Really Clean

Spring cleaning might not be topping your to-do list right now. With most of us working from home while home schooling our kids, any type of cleaning might feel like a labor of Hercules. The benefits of doing so are huge — exercise, stress relief and increased productivity for starters. Here are some tips for deep cleaning your home, one day at a time.

Get Out Your Calendar

The good news about spring cleaning is that you can do one thing a day and still have a sparkling clean home. Create a to-do list of all the things you want to accomplish. Spread the tasks out over days or even weeks. A typical schedule might look something like this:

• Monday: Clean out closets, cupboards and the pantry
• Tuesday: Deep-clean appliances and under the kitchen and bathroom sinks
• Wednesday: Wash the windows inside and out
• Thursday: Change filters, check furnace, carbon monoxide and smoke detector systems
• Friday: Clean the floors and dust the baseboards
• Saturday: Organize and deep clean the kitchen
• Sunday: Sweep the patio, walkways, clean exterior windows, light fixtures and patio furniture.

 Kitchens First

It’s important to give the kitchen a thorough clean because it is probably the one area of the house that still has contact with the outside world. The kitchen is where we keep our groceries and dish up our take-out orders. Don’t have cleaning supplies? You can easily make your own. Make sure to deep clean your dishwasher and clean out small appliances like your coffee maker.

Get a Handle on the Clutter

A disorganized home adds to stress levels not only for you but for family members. Take time to organize your closets, go through the dreaded junk drawer and get rid of toys.

Disinfect Your Electronics

Bacteria and viruses can survive for days on phones, computers and tablets. Most can be cleaned with disinfecting cloths. For keyboards, use compressed air to get all the crumbs out. Use rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab to get between the keys.

Clean From Ceiling to Floor

If you clean your floor before dusting those ceiling fans where will the dirt you knock off go? Start with ceiling fans, corner cobwebs and other high, hard-to-reach places. Use a Swiffer on walls to get at the dust. Then dust the furniture, vacuum and mop the floor.

Have You Considered Door Knobs?

We dust, we vacuum and we wash, but how often do we clean doorknobs, light switches and toothbrush holders? They are all breeding grounds for germs. Don’t forget to wipe them down with disinfecting clothes when you clean. Reusable grocery bags should hit the washing machine regularly.

Have Fun

Cleaning doesn’t have to be a chore. Turn on some music, listen to a podcast, bake up some spring-cleaning treats and ask the kids to come up with their wackiest ideas for getting things clean. Some great ideas include:

• Set up a cleaning relay race where one member gets instructions to do a chore and when that is finished, hands a different chore to another family member.
• Hide prizes around the house for family members to find as they clean.
• Set a timer and see who can get done the fastest.
• Play Pictionary or another game — the losers have to take care of an agreed upon chore.

Wondering what else could use a deep clean? Check out these articles in Family Handyman and The Active Times.