The One Week Spring Clean Guide

     Hello again and welcome to Spring! In today’s blog, I’m going to document and share how I tackle Spring cleaning in a more relaxed manner over 5 days. Although it can certainly be done over a weekend or 3 days, I share how I spread my activities out over a week, with three kids, a medium sized home, and a busy lifestyle. Not to mention, I like having a life, so I fit in lots of fun and breaks.

     As we prepare in this Easter Season or just getting ready for warmer weather, we traditionally conduct a deep cleaning and organizing of our home and gardens. The purpose of this annual ritual is so we can spend more time enjoying our space and relaxing as the weather improves. This tradition is probably done all over the world, but I give my perspective growing up with a Southern mother steeped in Southern traditions. 
     My mom used to incorporate it into Spring Break.  She gave me fun activities or let me go fishing with my dad, while she cleaned. When I stuck around the house watching her, I noticed how fresh the house smelled, the linens and curtains washed and lime dried in the floral fresh air, and how methodically she cleaned. 

     Now, as a mom and having the task of maintaining my own home, I carry this tradition, but with my own twist on things. I deep clean the same areas, starting with the kitchen, moving into the other dining and living areas, much like my mother. I just try to make it a fun experience. I add music or a fun movie, if there is a tv in that room. I keep everything upbeat. I may put on a pot of coffee, smoothie, or tea, to have extra energy. Listening to music or inspiration is uplifting and can make cleaning go so much faster. I often dance while cleaning and I usually drop a few pounds by end of the week. Audio books are great too.

     I start with a plan as well. I don’t just jump into things without having a road map. Attached is a basic mapping of what needs to be done in a quick one page guide. This is not all encompassing, but a good overall guide. Your home may have unique characteristics that require you add a few extra things. Some examples include, fireplaces, balconies/decks, changing air filters, cleaning air ducts, outdoor grills, pools, jacuzzis, home gyms, and saunas. 

     Once you have your plan mapped out for the week, gather your supplies. Here is a pic of my supplies, but there are so many other supplies you can use that are just as great. I also learned to make my own furniture Polish with olive oil that works wonders, especially on wood with little nicks and scratches. 

     Now, you’re ready to start cleaning. I like to begin with the toughest room. Whatever that room is to you. It may be the room you least want to start. I start with the kitchen. I move into the dinning room, then living room, den, and bathrooms next. For some reason, the rest goes so much faster for me. I then organize the closets for each of the rooms/ areas as I go.

     If you plan to get new furniture or reupholster your furniture, this is a great time. If you want to grab antiques, you can bring them right in and clean them down as part of the process. This is great to incorporate with any changes in your interior design. 

     So, when I get to the bedrooms, I do the closets and wash the linens at the same time. It gets a bit messy up front while organizing, before it is fully cleaned. That usually will feel overwhelming and that is when people give up. So, take heart and take a bug break or a day off, before you jump into that element, so you can better embrace the suck! 😂 Just know, by this point, you’re almost done, which will help you push through even more.

     This is the time you refresh your wardrobe. Donate and store Winter items you no longer need and bring in those stored Spring outfits you stored for Winter. Make sure you wash or dry clean items going into storage and wrap or bag up items that bleed dye onto others. Also, if you already have something to wear for Easter, go ahead and organize your outfits for that week ahead. It will pay dividends for sure later. 

     
     Don’t forget to make a separate bucket 🪣 of hot soapy water and have a good quality rag to wash baseboards, stair railings, knobs, switches, wall smudges, and shelves. You can hand wash the floors as well, if you don’t have a mop or have special floors. It works beautifully on marble foyers and glass too. I have different solutions that work for me and smell great. I particularly like the smell of Pine Sol and will add a bit to other solutions that may not smell so great, like bleach or vinegar and water. Be very careful with chemical cleaners or use more natural options, like Baking soda and vinegar, essential oils with water and soap. Dawn dish washing soap can be used for cleaning solutions too. I love adding lemon oil, Tangerine, or Jasmine essential oils to my cleaning for that fresh floral scent. I put a few drops on home made drawer cachet’s, and throughout the house. 

     Having a clean home is so much more pleasing when it smells amazing. During the cleaning process, I periodically open the doors and Windows to let the fresh air in. I do recommend putting in your door and window screens for this, to keep out bugs. I don’t recommend opening the doors and windows of there is a lot of pollen out or if you have seasonal allergies. It may be better to just use an oil diffuser, humidifier, or light your favorite candle. 

    Once you’ve cleaned the indoors, if time permits, you can do a little outdoor work. Hose down or clean outdoor furniture, weed, add spring flowers for home curb appeal, get fresh soil for gardens and potted planting. It can be done in as little as an hour or two, depending on the level of work. If you are not inclined to do it yourself, hire out for yard maintenance. You can do it seasonally or routinely. Do maintenance on the outdoor heaters and grills. Get new hoses or get something to hold your water hose neatly. I usually wait till later in season to clean the garage or storage units, but, it is fine to do during Spring Cleaning. These are great tasks to hire out, so you get your time back for other things.

    Once you’ve finished cleaning the house, you’re now ready to relax, enjoy the season, and entertain. Make some homemade sweet sun tea or lemonade really symbolize the end of preparation and the beginning of leisure days and sunsets 🌅 on the porch socializing. 

     Now, you have entered into the fold and joined a long standing tradition that paves the way to your home refresh. This lends itself also to self care, which I talk about often. When your home is clean and organized, it will give you this wonderful sense of accomplishment and a more relaxed outlook moving forward. 

     If you would like to hear more about my Spring cleaning journey or have questions, definitely join in the blog conversation in comments section below! I definitely would like to hear any memories of Spring cleaning that stood out for you or any questions you may have.