As the days grow longer and the weather warms up, it’s the perfect time to embark on a revitalizing journey to spruce up your living space. Spring cleaning isn’t just about tidying up; it’s an opportunity to breathe new life into your home and create a space that feels fresh, organized, and rejuvenating. With a bit of motivation and some practical tips, you can tackle clutter, banish dust bunnies, and transform your home into a sanctuary of cleanliness and order. Here are some energizing spring cleaning tips and decluttering strategies to kick-start your journey.
RECOGNIZE THE BENEFITS BEYOND A CLEAN HOME
You know that cleaning and decluttering your home will give you a clean, organized home. But there are more benefits to spring cleaning and decluttering than that. Utah State University’s Mental Health Education Extension states that cleaning and decluttering can assist with boosting mood, improving physical health, relieving anxiety, sharpening focus, and boosting energy to increase productivity.
Additionally, those benefits can come even from just a small amount of cleaning. This means you don’t need to feel like you have to dive in and clean the whole house all at once. You can start with one closet, one room, or even just one corner or cabinet in a room and feel the benefits. If you do want to dive in, consider our tips for decluttering your home in one weekend.
SET THE STAGE FOR SUCCESS
Before diving into the cleaning frenzy, set the stage for success by decluttering your space. Start by tackling one room at a time, focusing on areas that tend to accumulate the most clutter, such as closets, cabinets, and drawers. Sort through your belongings, and ask yourself if each item serves a purpose or brings you joy. Donate, sell, or discard anything that no longer serves a meaningful role in your life, freeing up space for the things that truly matter.
Why declutter first instead of clean first? As WebMD points out, it can be difficult to clean around piles of belongings. This means that the clutter provides built-in hiding places for mold, mildew, dust, and pests. By eliminating the clutter first, you make it easier to clean and eliminate those things, which can reduce asthma and allergies. Additionally, other benefits include sleeping better because your bedroom is tidy and cooking healthier meals because the kitchen is more organized.
CREATE A CLEANING PLAN
Create a cleaning plan or checklist to guide your efforts to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Break down tasks into manageable chunks and prioritize areas that require the most attention. Whether you prefer to tackle one room per day or devote an entire weekend to cleaning, having a plan in place will help you stay organized and focused on your goals.
This cleaning checklist or plan can also be used going forward to make cleaning easier by allowing you to delegate tasks, avoid decision fatigue, and make cleaning a regular routine. When cleaning becomes a regular routine, including the often forgotten spaces like drawers, cabinets, and closets, it also becomes faster and easier. You can even break your plan or checklist into several, so that certain tasks that only need to be done occasionally (like rotating mattresses or tossing expired medications) can be added to a seasonal list that you pull out and complete at the right time of year.
EMBRACE CLEANING HACKS
Make spring cleaning a breeze by embracing cleaning hacks that save time and effort. For instance, use a mixture of vinegar and water to clean windows and glass surfaces, or sprinkle baking soda on carpets before vacuuming to neutralize odors. Invest in versatile cleaning tools, such as microfiber cloths and extendable dusters, to tackle hard-to-reach areas and surfaces with ease.
One of the best cleaning hacks you can use is to find things you already have in the house that can pull cleaning duty. For example, you can use olive oil to buff dirty spots on stainless steel, a pillowcase to dust ceiling fan blades, and old socks to dust window blinds. If you have a well-stocked liquor cabinet, grab the vodka to remove carpet stains, and shaving cream can remove water stains from shower glass. Put the dishwasher to work for cleaning more than just the dishes, too.
INVOLVE THE WHOLE FAMILY
Get the whole family involved in the spring cleaning fun by turning it into a team effort. Assign age-appropriate tasks to each family member, and turn cleaning into a game or challenge to keep everyone motivated. Play upbeat music, offer small rewards or incentives for reaching cleaning milestones, and celebrate your progress together as a family.
Not sure how to gamify cleaning? You can try speed cleaning, where everyone is assigned a room or similarly-sized area and the one to finish first wins their chosen prize. If you’re gamifying it for kids or someone who is easily bored, try having them clean by looking for items of a specific color, texture, material or size. You can also have them look for the same item (“collect all the shirts” or “find all the crayons”).
MAKE HOME ORGANIZATION A HABIT
Once your home is sparkling clean, make home organization a habit by implementing simple systems to maintain order. Invest in storage solutions, such as bins, baskets, and shelving units, to keep clutter at bay and maximize space. Designate a specific place for commonly used items, such as keys, mail, and shoes, to prevent them from piling up in random spots throughout your home.
Teledoc Health indicates that a well-organized home can inspire a sense of calm, improved focus and productivity, while reducing stress and frustration. Additionally, being organized saves time and money. You won’t be late to work because you can’t find your keys, and you won’t buy replacements for items that you can’t find. You also will be able to avoid things like buying expensive coffee from a coffee shop because you’re running late because you couldn’t find something.
CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS
As you wrap up your spring cleaning and decluttering efforts, take a moment to celebrate your success and the transformation of your home. Treat yourself to a well-deserved reward, whether it’s a relaxing bubble bath, a delicious homemade meal, or a movie night with loved ones. Reflect on how far you’ve come and the positive impact that a clean and organized space can have on your overall well-being.
These small celebrations give a hit of dopamine, a feel-good neurotransmitter associated with pleasure. According to Integris Health, positively induced dopamine leads to feeling motivation, satisfaction, and pleasure. This will not only make you feel better about a job well done this time, but encourage you to clean again so that you get that same positive dopamine hit.
GET READY FOR A MORE VIBRANT AND PLEASANT HOME
By incorporating these energizing spring cleaning and decluttering strategies into your routine, you can revitalize your home and create a sanctuary that nurtures your body, mind, and spirit. Remember, spring cleaning isn’t just about tidying up; it’s about embracing change, letting go of the old, and making space for new beginnings. So grab your cleaning supplies, roll up your sleeves, use these spring cleaning tips and embark on this transformative journey to a cleaner, happier home. Your future self will thank you for it!
Still need a little help with getting organized and decluttering your stuff? Reach out to POSH Organizing to learn more about how we can work together as a team to declutter, organize, and get your home feeling like a sanctuary!
