With longer days, warmer weather and the fresh scent of flowers in the air, most people look forward to spring. Spring cleaning? Not so much. Books, magazines, newspapers, and old mail form mounds of clutter around the house. Herds of dust bunnies party under the couch, and every drawer looks like a “junk” drawer. Indeed, picking up that dust cloth and mop is a daunting task. Here are a few tips to get you started and motivated.
Prioritize to Minimize
If you think about cleaning the whole house or apartment, you’re likely to become overwhelmed. Start by making a list of everything you must get done, a list of tasks you’d like to accomplish, and those that can wait a few weeks or months. Tackle the easiest jobs first and cross them off. What a sense of achievement!
Zoom to One Room
Pick a room or even a closet. Focus all your efforts on this one area that you really want to clean or organize. Once you accomplish this task, you’ll feel motivated to move on to another area.
Put Time on your Side
Decide how much time you want to devote to cleaning. Give yourself ten, fifteen, twenty minutes a day to clean or organize then stop and resume the next day. Put it on your calendar and commit to it. If you work in this way throughout the year, spring cleaning will become a breeze.
Toss it? Or Keep it?
Seriously, are you ever going to wear that chartreuse bridesmaid gown again? Or display that talking fish in the den? From clothing to books to knick-knacks, place your belongings in three piles: Toss, Keep and Unsure. If it goes in the “Toss” pile, do not look back. Have a garage sale or donate those items without a second thought. Anything that’s broken, chipped, obsolete or worn beyond usefulness should be tossed, unless it’s valuable and can be fixed. Store your “Keep” items in an organized and neat manner. Then sort through the “Unsure” group carefully until you decide what to do with them.
Make it a Group Effort
Don’t go it alone. Get the whole family involved or rotate cleaning houses with friends.
Take a Break
Don’t forget to reward yourself with short breaks after you’ve had little victories in the clutter battle. A good place to start is using NESCAFÉ® TASTER'S CHOICE® convenient single-serve stick packs and Coffee-mate® to make a delicious cup of coffee anytime, anywhere. Relax, refresh and take on spring cleaning with renewed energy!