Spring Cleaning "Kondo Style"

Snow is melting, birds are chirping, and sunny days are on the horizon, which can only mean one thing: Spring is here! If you’re anything like me, you can’t wait to enjoy the outdoors but dread the process of Spring Cleaning. Like it or not, it’s time to get rid of those winter blues, open the windows, and follow a few of my favorite Spring-Cleaning tips.

Let Go of What Doesn't Matter!

Before doing any cleaning, it’s always a good idea to declutter and get rid of all your excess stuff. According to The New York Times best-selling book, “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying up”, Marie Kondo lays out how to go though your items and choose only the ones that spark joy. When I begin my decluttering process, I separate my things into five categories.

1. Put away: Everyone has these items, the ones that are either being thrown in pile on a chair or hiding anywhere but where they belong. Dedicate this basket to those joyful belongings so they can be returned to their original homes.

2. Recycle: If you have items that need to be recycled, throw them in here. Note: Avoid hoarding items that you won’t use in order to save space and also remember recycling is good for the economy, saves energy, and reduces landfills.

3. Fix/Mend: Broken items are a part of life however, stashing them shouldn’t be. Throw these items (only if sparks joy)into this basket and make it your priority to get them fixed as soon as possible. 

4. Trash: In order to create space, get rid of things you haven’t used or will never use. Once you’re done, the trash basket should go outside right away to avoid any temptations.

5. Donate: The remaining items that are still in good condition or can be fixed, but no longer spark joy should go in the donation box. Remember there’s always someone out there that can use it if you can’t.

The Big Clean

Now that you’ve completed the first half, lets dive in and really get our hands dirty with the deep clean!

*Note:Make sure to work from top to bottom leaving the floors for last!

1. Dusting: When cleaning, focus on getting rid of all of the dust first so that your cleaning isn’t in vain.

2. Walls: Make sure to wipe all walls and ceilings with an all-purpose cleaner. The aim should be to clean areas that you often neglect so that your home feels new and refreshed.

3. Upholstery: Don’t forget about upholstery! Make sure you get curtains dry-cleaned, furniture refreshed, and throw rugs in the washer machine or spot clean if to large.

4. Flooring: Make sure to wipe and mop all hard surfaces and if needed buy or hire someone to steam your carpets.

House Hold Cleaning Schedule

Spring Cleaning doesn’t have to always be a long dreadful process that happens only once a year. I found that splitting my chores into daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly task help me maintain a clean and tidy home so when Spring rolls around it wont be as much of a daunting task.

Want to see how I keep my home clean throughout the year? Print out my cleaning schedule, add it to a picture frame and check off each task with a dry erase marker.

Enjoy and Happy Cleaning!