Spring Cleaning Tips

There’s always a few weeks between needing to put away all the holiday trimmings and being able to appropriately bring out all the floral decorations. That in-between time usually entails snow, arctic winds, and long nights. At least here in Virginia, it seems that our last sliver of winter has finally passed us by and I can finally get into the mindset of spring. As soon as I fling open the windows and let those first spring breezes in, I almost instantly get hit by the cleaning bug. I truly don’t think there’s anything better than a good decluttering in the spirit of spring cleaning.

I’ve compiled a list of a few things that I try to do every spring to make the most of my motivation.

Refresh for the new season
One of the first things I do to help make my house feel a little bit more like spring, is stock up on some essentials that will make the season all the more welcoming and bight. Keeping things simple and cheap are a must, so my go to decorations are flowers and candles. Flowers, preferably real, but even fake ones bring a vibrancy to an entire space. Summarily, candles can change the atmosphere of any house to a fresh bakery, tropical getaway, or beautiful garden. Getting a window open to let in clean air is just an added bonus to any fragrant candle. A few other inexpensive ways I have prepped for spring in the past was getting a new pastel duvet and putting up ivy garlands.

Clean those places you don’t usually get around to
While you have the inspiration, or at least motivation to clean, take the time to clean the places you usually forget about. Here are a few places I make sure I get to every spring:
– Wash the windows, especially if you have puppy drool all over them like I do.
– Mop or wax your wood and tiled floors (compared to the normal sweeping or dusting you may do).
– Clean out under your kitchen and bathroom sinks. Who knows what surprises might have built up after a while down there.
– Clean out all the salt you tracked into your car on the inside, and wash off all salt on the outside. Even if you don’t live in a snowy area, giving your car a good detailing never hurt.
– Dust and wipe down all the surfaces in your house. You might already do this often, but having the whole house (from bathtubs to tv stands) the same level of clean at the same time is usually not a luxury I have the time for.

 

Before

After

Declutter EVERYTHING
When I’m finally done tidying up, sprucing up, and touching up, there’s one last step to my spring cleaning process: decluttering. Throughout the year I hoard random sentimental items, Christmas presents I have no use for, and clothes I no longer wear in our extra room, behind a shut door. We all have one those spaces where those random or unneeded items go. For some it may be a drawer, or a corner, or a closet, or in my case, a whole room. I truly do not think there is a better feeling in the world than purging out my dumping space and starting fresh. The main tasks of decluttering involve:
– Changing my closet from winter to spring. Anything that I know I didn’t wear all winter goes in a give away pile.
– Actually put away and organize everything holiday/winter related. As you can see in the picture above, previously my Christmas tree box was sitting smack dab in the middle of my guest bedroom, which was surrounded by a box of random presents, fall decorations, and garland. Instead of having them strewn across the floor, I was able to decide what I wanted to keep and where it it all would go. I now have a separate container for my fall, winter, and holiday decorations (pictured below).
– Clear out the rest of your “throw away/dumping” room. This could mean throwing out the literal trash that has built up, folding up the remnants of your winter closet, going through boxes you stuck up there from your move a year ago (guilty), or just doing a quick vacuum of the floor. Other than decorations, the boxes pictured below now hold my old yearbooks, those sentimental gifts I just couldn’t throw out, and a few other knick-knacks I didn’t have a specific place for.
*not pictured: the 5 bags of trash full of literal garbage and things I had accumulated that I had held on to for far too long.

Luckily, I was able to use my spring break to get most of my annual cleaning done. I still have a few places to organize and tidy up, but that will just have to be weekend projects moving forward. I hope you enjoyed my brutally honest before picture and are inspired to join me in spring cleaning!