Spring cleaning tips

When it comes to spring cleaning, people tend to fall into one of two camps: those who are genuinely enthusiastic about clearing away a winter’s worth of clutter and those who would sooner take a seat in the dentist’s chair than clean up around the house. Removing that clutter, however cumbersome it might seem, doesn’t have to inspire dread. Instead, there are several ways to make spring cleaning enjoyable.

Spring cleaning doesn’t have to take up an entire weekend. One way to make bigger jobs seem less time consuming is to tackle them piecemeal. Rather than leaving a big job for the weekend, one can gradually get a more time-consuming job, such as cleaning the garage, done by devoting an hour or so each weeknight. The job will be accomplished without wasting a lovely spring Saturday or Sunday.

Being unprepared is a great way to waste time. Take inventory the week before to make sure one has all the tools that are needed and that their batteries are charged and they have enough fuel.

Parents can make spring cleaning more enjoyable by doing certain jobs with their kids, as opposed to assigning each person a different task. Kids will have more fun if they can joke around with Mom or Dad while cleaning out the attic than they would if they were simply going it alone. And parents will have more fun and will find that jobs get done a lot faster if they have a helper around.

Another thing that makes spring cleaning unappealing to many people are the excess and unnecessary items everyone has around the house that they never seem to get rid of. Year after year, rather than discarding these items, homeowners simply pick them up, clean underneath and put them right back on the shelf.

These items add more time to spring cleaning and take up space in the process. To save time and create more room around the house, take inventory of things that aren’t used and decide before spring cleaning what to do with these items. Internet auctions, charitable donations, garage sales or simply putting items out at the curb are all viable options for clearing away shelves and closets full of clutter.