After our family has spent all winter long cooped up in the house I am more than ready to welcome spring. Spending so much time indoors generally results in an accumulation of dust, dirt, and clutter. All things that I am ready to purge as we go into a new season.
Spring cleaning is the traditional practice of deeply cleaning your home. It’s a time to reap the mental and physical benefits that come from a clean and tidy home.
The problem with spring cleaning is that it can be a long and exhaustive process. That’s why I am going to talk about the best way to spring clean your entire home in just one day.
How Long Does Spring Cleaning Take?
The traditional average for spring cleaning is about 6 days.
I am going to assume that you, like me, are a busy person and do not necessarily have six entire days to devote to deep cleaning and organizing your home.
Let’s break down the process and figure out how to spring clean in one day.
For an entire spring cleaning checklist download a copy of my Cleaning Routine Ebook. This spring cleaning list will take you through every room in your home from the living room to the laundry room and beyond.
How To Make Spring Cleaning Easy
- First step, start with a spring cleaning plan. Create a list of all the spring cleaning tasks that you want to accomplish and then put them in order of priority. Essentially you want to end up with a list of what you would like to have done and out of those items what is the most important to you.
- Stay on top of your regular cleaning first. During the winter months and the time leading up to spring you should be continuing to follow your regular cleaning routines on a regular basis. For me that looks like a daily cleaning routine as well as a weekly cleaning routine. Whatever your usual cleaning activities look like you want to be sure that you stay on top of them. The reason for this is that if you are trying to navigate around large mountains of laundry or piles of dishes then the time you spend spring cleaning your entire house will be much less productive.
- Enlist help from the whole family. You are not the only person living in the home and making messes so it is more than reasonable to ask your other family members to pitch in. If you have very young children who are unable to help you might consider hiring a babysitter or having them spend time with the grandparents on your spring cleaning day. For older children or your spouse set clear but reasonable expectations and be sure that you are straightforward with them about what you most need help with. I have found lists to be particularly useful for this and prevent the chore from seeming like a daunting task. It is also a good idea to show them the master list and let them have a say in which parts of the spring cleaning process they would most like to help with.
- Make sure you have all the tools you need. There is nothing worse than beginning to tackle a big project only to have to stop and run to the store for another spray bottle or more cleaning products. Take a quick inventory to make sure you have the correct cleaning tools and products for each task before you get started. I like to use equal parts of white vinegar and water to use as an all purpose cleaner. This is a great way to clean the whole house without spending a lot of money on fancy cleaner solution.
How Can I Spring Clean In One Day?
When I create my list of things I want to accomplish when I spring clean in one day there are a few areas around my home that I always know I want to tackle.
Remember to use this list as inspiration rather than law. You will want to create a list of tasks that is important to you and your family specifically. Once you have created that list then you will figure out what items on the list are your top priorities.
- Declutter
- I make it a practice to declutter my house continuously throughout the year but there are always a few hot spots that need special attention. For me there are a few closets and one area of shelves that always become hot spots for clutter. Making sure that I declutter first means I am not need to clean around these unwanted items.
- Dust and Vacuum
- Again this is something I do regularly but for spring cleaning I am focusing on dusting and vacuuming things like baseboards, window sills, and light fixtures. Places that need some attention but are not generally covered in my every day or weekly cleans.
- Kitchen cabinets and drawers
- Wiping out or vacuuming cabinets and drawers is another item on my list.
- After cleaning is the perfect time to make sure that everything is well organized and tidy as I am putting things back into their homes.
- Clean both the inside and outside of kitchen cabinets
- Wash linens and curtains
- Bed linens are washed regularly of course but pillow covers and well loved blankets do not make it to the wash as regularly. I always make sure to give those some love.
- Curtains and shower curtains are also washed at this time of year. It’s also a good idea to replace your shower curtain liner if you have not done that in awhile.
- Organize closets and drawers
- Organize your closets and drawers, or another storage space, by removing everything and only keeping what you need. Use storage containers or organizers to maximize space.
- Front yard and backyard
- Sweep porches, patios, and decks. Wash windows and outdoor furniture. We also take some time to clean out the gutters. My husband typically takes on that job while I am running around in the house doing other chores. It just works out that way because if I left him in charge of reorganizing the job would definitely be done, he’s more than competent, but I’d surely never find anything again. As I’m the one who spends the most time in the home working it only makes sense that I take up those organizational tasks.
What Should I Know About Spring Cleaning In One Day?
Spring cleaning can be a large undertaking. Depending on the size of your home and the amount of clutter, spring cleaning can be a big job. It’s important to break it down into manageable tasks and not try to do everything at once. That’s how the checklist of tasks is so helpful.
The most important advice I can give you on how to spring clean in one day is to be clear with yourself about your priorities and focus on those. If it is more important to you that the kitchen is reorganized than if the hall closet is decluttered then focus on the kitchen. Ultimately, there is no reason to spend a full week or even an entire weekend for your spring cleaning time.
Spring cleaning is also a great time to take stock of your home. Evaluate your home as you are cleaning and identify any areas that need repairs or updates. This can help you prioritize home improvement projects for the coming year.
Finally, this is your home and it is important to figure out what makes the most sense for you. What works for your mom, sister, best friend, or an internet influencer may not work the best for you. There is nothing wrong with that. Your home and family are unique and should be treated as such.
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