Flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, and birds are chirping, which can only mean one thing, spring is here. That’s not the only thing that spring is notorious for, it’s also time for the dreaded spring cleaning. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be a dreaded task, with proper planning and family participation- it can be done in no time at all. This spring-cleaning guide offers tips on spring cleaning, creating a spring-cleaning checklist and getting the whole family to help.
Before getting started, you need to create a spring-cleaning checklist. This will be your guide on what needs to be done, what has been done and who is doing what. You can use the checklist to create a schedule that is realistic based on the family’s availability.
Starting the checklist
The first thing you want to do is decide whether you will start from the outside of your home and work your way in or vice versa. Next, you will separate the tasks by rooms and mark them down as you go. It is also handy to have a spring-cleaning guide on how each task should be handled. Here’s an example of how you can set up the guide and checklist:
Bedrooms:
- Take anything that doesn’t belong in the bedroom and put it in the correct location
- Dust ceiling, corners, and upper and lower crown moldings
- Dust baseboards and windowsills
- Dust and polish furniture
- Dust edges of wall hangings, mirrors, and pictures
- Clean glass and mirrors
- Dust lamps
- Vacuum lamp shades
- Polish wood furniture
- Dust ceiling fan
- Clean light fixtures and light globes
- Organize your closet
- Pack and store winter clothing and separate by things for storage and donation items
- Clean and organize your dresser
- Clean and organized your nightstand(s)
- Flip and rotate your mattress clean your mattress
- Clean under your bed, wash all bedding
All Other Rooms
- Clean windows and windowsills
- vacuum carpet, including edges and under furniture
- Shampoo carpet
- Remove scuff marks from doors and moldings
- Disinfect doorknobs and light switch plates
- Change light bulbs
- Clean doors, baseboards, and walls
For the outside:
- Power wash, stain and sweep any decks
- Power spray siding
- Touch up paint trim, wood, doors, and shutters
- Power wash garage door
- Clean outside door frames
- Wipe away cobwebs
- Shake out entry mat
- Clean grill
- Clean and repair gutters
- Replace broken bricks, wood, or stone
- Clean outdoor light fixtures
- Wash outside windows
- Clean outside patio furniture
- Trim trees, bushes, and shrubbery
- Check and repair sprinklers
- Inspect roof shingles
- Wipe away cobwebs
- Clean outdoor trash cans
- Clean out garage
Gather Family Together
Don’t hesitate to call a family meeting, enlisting everyone’s help and what their tasks will be. This means getting children involved with the spring-cleaning chores, including your toddlers. In the next section, you will learn ways to motivate youngsters and the reasons why it’s important to involve the kids.
Motivating the kids
Every parent knows how hard it is to motivate children and get them involved with spring cleaning. However, there are ways to get the little ones on their feet helping with the chores:
- Turn up the music- play upbeat music and show the kids how silly you can be while cleaning.
- Create cleaning games- i.e. put on socks while cleaning the floors and let the kids slide around
- Put children in charge of specific chores and give fancy names such as “Detective in charge of expiration dates.”
- Incorporate make-believe with tasks
- Give incentives- for example, tell your children for every chore completed they will receive a raffle ticket -the winner of the raffle gets a special item
- Gather plastic containers and have one for storage, throw away items and donations and let the kids sort through things in their rooms or in the garage.
Of course, you will want to make sure that whatever techniques that you incorporate to get children involved, it’s geared towards their age group. Kids don’t mind pitching in, especially if it looks exciting.
Importance of involving the kids
There is always a reason behind everything that we encourage our children to do or not do. Most experts say that it is important to start the task of spring cleaning at a young age. The reasons behind this include:
- Develops self-confidence
- Enhances their fine motor skills
- Starting early is linked to greater success in academics and life
What can toddlers do?
Many parents will use the excuse that their children are too young and will just get in the way. However, when creating your checklist for spring cleaning tasks, create a separate section for your toddlers. This will be a section of tasks that can be done in less than 5 minutes. Here are some examples of what you can have your toddlers do for you:
- Put toys away
- Wipe tables or furniture
- Water plants
- Feed pets
- Sweep floor
- Rake leaves
- Gather their shoes and arrange them by colors or type of shoes
- Place books and stuffed animals on shelves
Special notes
It’s important to remember that spring cleaning isn’t something that can be done in a day or two. That is why it is important to be organized and plan ahead. It might be a good idea to leave the dusting and baseboards for the final phase of spring cleaning. Start with what needs to be stored either in the attic, basement or storage unit.
During this time, the vacuum will be your best friend. It will make various jobs easier, such as dusting and getting between the couches and under sofa cushions. Always use a soft cloth when cleaning or wiping furniture and windows to avoid scratches. Read labels for cleaning instructions and start from the top and work your way down when cleaning. Leave the floors as the final step in each room.
Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be a dreaded task. Once the cleaning is done, you can relax and take pleasure in knowing that your house is cleaned and organized. This spring-cleaning guide should have given you some helpful tips on getting started and getting children involved. Remember to make it fun, don’t overdo it and take your tim
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