Your Guide to the Ultimate Spring Clean!
Yes, it’s finally that time of the year. With the fresh spring breeze comes a less exciting activity — Spring Cleaning! Not only does this once-in-a-while task get you a sparkling clean wardrobe and home, it also helps declutter your mind and helps you live more sustainably. To read more benefits of this much needed activity, read our blog ‘Spring cleaning is sustainable (for you)’! Clean your home with a game plan in mind — a strategy that takes on cleaning in a systematic, organized way while having the flexibility to make it very ‘you’. So, let the overhaul begin!
1. Make a checklist
Before you pick up anything, it’s important to note down what needs cleaning. Write down a checklist to make sure you don’t miss out on any item that requires decluttering. Approaching your house room-by-room is the most effective way to deep-clean your home especially in the spring. Use room checklists as a springboard for deep-cleaning the areas of your home that really need extra attention. Feel free to skip items that have been cleaned recently and focus on the areas of your home that have been neglected all winter long.
2. Set a timer
It’s finally spring time and we’d all like to enjoy some of that outdoor time. So, decide how long you want to spend in each room, and then set a timer in order to not make it too time consuming. Make cleaning a fun challenge so it doesn’t feel like a task. You can also call your friends over for some extra aid to add in more fun and reward them with pizzas to be a great hostess! Two birds, one stone!
3. Sort your clutter
Begin fresh with a more streamlined process. Adopt a systematic four step approach to identify the mess, analysing reasons, determining solution and implementing remedies. Sorting out your clutter into four categories — trash, give-away, store or put-away can be very effective as you begin with spring cleaning. Get rid of the items that are weighing you down. If it’s wasting space, it needs to disappear for good. If it can be donated, place it in a designated area along with similar items. If it “sparks joy” like Marie Kondo says, and you need it in your life, fold it small and put it where it belongs immediately instead of piling it back up in some corner.
4. Clean everything
With your checklist in your hand, tackle every bullet point in your list. Stay in your room until it’s fully cleaned and then move on to the next. If you hop around the house, you’re more likely to get overwhelmed and you might abandon your little project. One mindful tip would be to keep things that are sustainable or eco-friendly. It would help you adopt a minimalist lifestyle and get rid of items that were occupying unnecessary space.
5. Organise
Remember that box of items you couldn’t live without? It’s time to make place for them to live. Organising should be the last step because it allows you to place those items without any clutter blocking the way. Congratulations! Without realising you have approached a mindful step towards cleaning which made your life easier than ever.
Our biggest tip? Commit. Commit to getting it all out and sorted through in whatever manner works best for you. Clearing out the clutter in spring helps us prepare to enjoy the warm (and hopefully productive) months to come!
#MAYUreads: This month, we recommend a delightful read that’s also in sync with the spring clean we hope we’ve motivated you to do! Get yourself a copy of The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo!