Top 7 Secrets to Making Spring Cleaning Less Painful & More Productive

Spring Cleaning

It's that wonderful time of the year again.  Oh, joy, it's time for the annual spring clean, one of my all-time fave ways to spend my time.
 

Cleaning w/ kids is lots of work, MommyBlogExpert.com

Misery loves company though, so I'm going to shout it from this blog post.  Please join me in screaming aloud that all-too-familiar refrain "I hate spring cleaning!" Ah, I feel a bit better.  Don't you?

Yes, it is now officially spring.  On top of the fact that I'm preparing for Passover, so clean I must, whether I like it or not.   A clean house always feels good after the work is done, doesn't it?  But, I'm sure you'll agree, getting it looking sparkling in the first place can be a real grind.

That's why I created this list of the best ways to make your own spring cleaning ritual a little less stressful and a lot more efficient.

Secret 7 Spring Cleaning Tips

• Start your spring clean up about a month early and do a little bit each day, instead of trying to get it all done at once.  Let's face it, all that grime in your house took a year to get this bad, so it's going to take a little bit of time and effort to get rid of it all.

• Clear out at least some clutter from each room of your home, before you even start cleaning.  Remember to look inside all your closets, cupboards, and other hidden interior storage spaces which are so easy to conveniently "forget" to deal with.  Don't overlook the outside, either, checking the garage, garden shed, dog house, or other exterior structures you may have for junk you no longer need or want.  Load up all your bags of unwanted stuff into those grocery bags that are also cluttering things up. Then donate all your treasures (recycling those pesky market sacks at the same time) to your local thrift store, killing two birds with one stone.

• Begin cleaning only after all that excess stuff  has been taken away.  Start by working in the smallest room or in the easiest area to tidy up first, progressing to larger rooms and bigger messes.  That way you're not as likely to give up before you've started, if you are seeing at least some improvement and are feeling a sense of accomplishment early in the game.

• Get all the kids to help: as young as toddlers and as old as teens and young adults still living at home.  Spring cleaning is a family affair and everyone should participate to the best of their abilities.  Assign small appropriate tasks for younger children to do alone or give them the opportunity to work side by side with an older sibling or parent doing part of a larger job.  Big kids, too, should be reminded that they are expected to contribute to the family effort.  Be sure to reward children after they complete each task, not only by praising them in front of the family but also by giving them a special treat they'll appreciate, like getting to stay up 30 minutes later that evening -- or in case of a teen, maybe letting them go out with friends on a week night.

• Avoid running out and buying every cleaning product and tool under the sun.  Hot soapy water, vinegar, a few other things and some basic tools that you probably already have around the house will get the job done.  An added benefit to the monetary savings from not buying unnecessary cleaning agents, you'll also be a little kinder to the planet if you limit the supplies you use to those that are eco-friendly.

• Do a little of cleaning each day as you tackle one room at a time, working in a logical fashion.  For example, the kitchen can be overwhelming.  So, don't clean your refrigerator or cupboards out all in one day but just do a shelf at a time working from top to bottom.  This way it will be a whole lot easier to keep clean what you've already finished working on as your cleaning campaign presses onward.

• Play music while you work, and whistle too, if you are so inclined.  It worked for the Seven Dwarfs, so why not approach this year's annual spring cleaning extravaganza by making it a little more fun?

Clean a shelf at a time, MommyBlogExpert.com

Let's get real. I doubt you or I will ever really love spring cleaning.  At the very least, though, I think we'll both hate it a little less if there's less pain, but more gain.

What spring cleaning chore do you hate the most?  Feel free to vent it here so we can all share each other's house cleaning frustrations.  Now, you have the floor (pun intended)... so please comment.

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