We’ve been having really nice spring weather this week (except for this morning’s rain!) and it’s got me thinking about spring cleaning. Last weekend it was so nice that we opened up all the windows and doors and aired the house out. It felt so good to get that cool spring breeze going through all the rooms! It really got me motivated to start cleaning up for the season ahead. Garrett likes to tease me that it’s nesting (and I’m sure it is to a degree!) but I think it’s also that great feeling that the warm weather is getting here and we want to be ready for it.
I did all of the spring cleaning last year while I was preparing to move from our apartment into the farmhouse. I cleaned the apartment while we left and cleaned the farmhouse when we got there – talk about lots of work, but so worth it! You can see more here about my 10 Tips for an Organized Move (with free printables).
Over the last couple of months I’ve been trying to slowly rethink each room as well, such as reorganizing our kitchen and creating a pantry in our basement stairwell. It gave me a chance to think about what needed to be cleaned as well. With the baby on the way, I’d like our house to be as neat and clean as possible in anticipation of lots of guests and limited hours (or desire) to clean.
To help with all the cleaning this year, I put together this updated Spring Cleaning Checklist! It gives you an idea of what you can do it in each room and has been a real help when I get a little overwhelmed with the tasks as hand. Plus it feels so good to make a little check mark when each task is done! ✔✔✔
Download the Spring Cleaning Checklist (PDF)
Some Things to Keep in Mind…
1. Set Aside Time – Be realistic with how long it will take to spring clean based on your home’s size and your energy. With the old apartment I would usually do it in two weekends and wrap it up over a few weeknights. Now that I’m getting close to 36 weeks pregnant and this house is much bigger, I know it will take a little longer. I’m breaking mine up over several days, picking one room at a time to focus on.
2. Make a Repair List as You Go – Now is the best time to make note of all those little repairs and touch ups around your home. Keep a notepad handy to make a list for yourself or your landlord, but don’t get distracted with taking care of them right away. Focus on getting the cleaning done first and then figure out what projects you want to tackle first.
3. Plan Easy Meals – After a long day of cleaning, the last thing you want to do is make a big mess in the kitchen for dinner. Keep it simple with a fun spring BBQ dinner, dig out your slow cooker or better yet treat yourself to some takeout!
4. Set up “Donate”, “Repair” and “Return” Bins – As you’re going through each room, you’ll probably spot a number of things that fall into these categories. Set up bins in a central area and drop the items in as you go. Schedule a day to do returns, drop off donations and take things in for repairs you can’t do yourself.
5. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t get it all done – I honestly have never completed everything on the list. There is always something that gets forgotten. I aim for 100% and usually fall at about 80%. Keep a list on the fridge what you didn’t get to and work away at them later on.
What you’ll need:
- Broom & Dustpan
- Vacuum
- Mop & Pail
- Sponges
- Paper Towels and Rags
- Old Toothbrush
- Garbage Bags
- Bins for Sorting
- All-Purpose Cleaner
- Glass Cleaner
- Floor Cleaner
- Dish Detergent
- Wood Polish
- Good Music (it really does help keep you motivated!)
I use a combination of homemade cleaning supplies and eco-friendly options. With dogs that like to lick and sniff everything, I like knowing that the products are safe for them to be around. There are so many great uses for vinegar in making homemade cleaning products such as eco-friendly furniture polish or for cleaning our Keurig Mini instant coffee machine and getting salt stains off of suede sneakers and boots. I conditioning our cutting boards and spoons with mineral oil, and I like using baking soda to make a paste for more difficult areas I need to scrub.
My main focus in the coming weeks is to get the inside of the house ready, and then start to work on the outside once the weather gets consistently nicer. There is still quite a bit of work to be done in the front yard with our porch restoration and landscaping, and I can hardly wait to get started on it again this summer. I did finishing spring cleaning our cars a couple of weekends ago while we had a fluke burst of warm weather. It’s so much easier to keep our cars tidy when they are already clean!
Good luck with your own spring cleaning!
If you have any tips and tricks, I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!
