Spring is in full swing so most people tend to think about their spring cleaning. Spring cleaning is a thing because it happens when winter is finally over and the weather starts to get warmer which motivates people to get their house in order. Spring cleaning doesn’t just involve a deep thorough clean, it involves organizing and decluttering. Anything that it takes to make your house a better place to live. Below are some tips to help you start the process if you are feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Clean

Obviously the first step to spring cleaning is to clean. This isn’t just your normal tidying up that you normally do. This is an intense clean of every room. You should dust and wipe down all surfaces including windows, baseboards, moulding, cabinets and appliances. In the bathrooms you should clean out the shelves in your medicine cabinet, vanity and linen closet. In the kitchen you should wipe down your appliances, toe kicks and shelves. All floors must be cleaned as well. Now is a good time to wash the outside of your windows and also clean your screens so you can enjoy the spring breeze. My recommendation is to do room by room until complete. You could also hire a cleaning service to do a deep thorough clean but it could cost your a pretty penny.

Organize

The main part of spring cleaning that makes it different than your everyday cleaning is that you should organize your house as well. This is the time to organize drawers, closets, etc. The main place people need to organize is their garage or storage area. Go through this space this time of year and get rid of what you don’t need or haven’t used in a lot of time. This is why yard sales are so common this time of year. People want to get rid of their stuff! You can host a yard sale to sell your things, do an online yard sale (I have found some on facebook) or there are also consignment shops that may want to pay you for your things. If you don’t want to sell your items it is also nice to donate to a charity. I have used such services as green drop to donate to the charity of my choice since they have a few they work with. If you have children’s items you no longer need you can always give to a friend in need who may be having a child. Kitchen and bathroom drawers and closets should be reviewed to see if anything is not being used or is even expired. Clothes drawers and closets should be looked through as well. All of this will make you feel like a whole weight has been lifted off of your shoulders.

This is the basics to having a successful spring cleaning. There are many ways to organize your efforts but I guess any step is a step in the right direction. Especially if you aren’t doing this already. A happy and decluttered house leads to a happy family.