It’s that time of year again: the days are getting longer and the sun is shining brightly. The winter snows have melted, and the flowers are coming out.
But wait. The yearly spring cleaning is on your to do list. You tell your family that it’s time to clean and inevitably everybody runs the other way: your kids take off one direction and your spouse the other.
Now, while the thought of cleaning the entire house from top to bottom is not anybody’s idea of fun, it doesn’t have to be a dreaded chore. Keep it something fun that everybody will not run away from. Dance with the mop. Put a rag on your head and dance around.
In this article, the furniture experts at Fireside Furniture in Pompton Plains, NJ are going to go through six tips for spring cleaning to make it easier, less stressful, and more fun this year:
1. Make It Fun
Who says cleaning has to be a dreaded event? There are two ways to do anything in life: the boring, long way, or the fun way. Put on some music and dance around. Make it a game with your kids by throwing stuff in the basket or looking for hidden treasures in the junk drawer. If you don’t have kids, then blast your favorite hip hop or dance track and give yourself a mini workout. Remember when you were a kid yourself, and you made things fun by turning it into a game? Well, do that again, with cleaning.
2. Break Down Spring Cleaning into Mini Tasks
The idea of cleaning the entire house all in one day is overwhelming to most people, including us at Fireside Furniture. Even the most motivated person can get stressed out with that idea—but it doesn’t have to be. The fix for this stressor is to decide what you are going to focus on, say, over a 3-day period. For example, Today, we are going to do the kitchen and living room. If there is just a little bit of time in between soccer games and baseball practice then we will clean out the junk drawer. Tomorrow we get up 30 minutes early and sweep the garage. You will be amazed what you can accomplish in a short time, especially when you do not feel overwhelmed.
3. Tackle Spring Cleaning Just One Room at a Time
If you break down your spring cleaning room by room, rather than focusing on cleaning the entire house at once, the task will feel more manageable. It will also keep you organized and on track. So instead of going from various parts of the house randomly, focus on one room at a time. All the family can clean one room, in fact. Dad mops, mom dusts, the kids do windows. Use that time to talk to each other and reconnect. But don’t forget our first tip: to make it fun.
4. Stay Organized
The best way to keep a clean house is to keep specific spots for different items. Before you start a large cleaning project, make sure to have handy some storage tubs, boxes, hangers, etc., which will help you maintain order for things such as pens and pencils, mail that piles up every day, or the keys that get left on the counter. It’s hard to get mad at the kids for leaving things around if there is no spot to put them in the first place. Get mini jars to put in the junk drawer, or better yet, throw out the things that you don’t need.
5. Make Sure You Have the Right Tools
Ask any mechanic or carpenter, having the right tool for the job makes your life 100% easier. So instead of dragging the ladder out and balancing precariously with a cloth to reach the ceiling fan, get the right tool. There are tons of affordable ceiling fan dusters with extenders on them, which can get the job done in five or ten minutes, rather than the twenty or thirty it would’ve taken for you to get the ladder out, etc. Having the right tool can be a huge time saver—which is all the more important when tackling a big project like spring cleaning.
6. Set a Schedule for Your New Spring Cleaning Routine
We at Fireside Furniture believe in the power of routine, and the habits you form now, this year, will save you time come spring of next year. For example, if you keep your junk drawer reasonably organized throughout the year, then it will be one less thing you have to clean next spring. So make a schedule for things that need to be done on a weekly basis, and stick to it. Things that may seem like a large task now perhaps would not have been so big if you had taken care of for five minutes every Saturday morning. You don’t have to be perfect, but a little bit goes a long way.
Now That Your House Is Clean, Go Visit Fireside Furniture
Well, now that your house is nice and tidy, it’s time to visit Fireside for a furniture refresh! Check out our latest styles to upgrade your home office or dining room, or treat yourself to a new mattress. Come visit our showroom today: you deserve it!
We know that spring cleaning is a chore, but don’t stress. Have Fun. You got this.
