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Spring cleaning has become a tradition in many households, and for good reason. After months of staying indoors because of the cold winter weather, anyone’s home could benefit from a little refresh.
Spring is the best time to declutter and deep clean, before the chaos of kids being home for the summer.
Consider hiring extra help, or utilizing your existing household staff to help with organizing and decluttering this Spring. It can feel like a massive project to undertake, so the more people you can get involved, the easier it will be.
We’ve broken down the process of Spring cleaning into 4 steps. We can’t promise they’re easy steps, or that it won’t take a few days, but it will all be worth it when your house is sparkling clean and organized down to the very last spoon.
Step 1: Declutter
Decluttering is such an important part of a Spring cleaning because it gives you the opportunity to rid your home of the things that you don’t really need.
It’s essential to do a declutter at least once a week, because the more stuff you have, the harder it is to organize.
Studies also show that decluttering may improve your mental health by helping you feel calmer and in control of your surroundings.
To start your declutter, go room by room and open ALL of your drawers and cabinets. You’ll want to make three or four piles:
Keep in the house
Keep in storage (like the garage, or a storage unit)
Donate or sell
Throw Away
The decision-making process in decluttering is best left to you and your family, as you know best what you want to keep and get rid of.
Older kids can help make their own piles in their room, but it’s a good idea to give them a once-over to make sure they’re decluttering properly.
Once the piles are made in each room, you can show your household staff what each pile is, and they can coordinate the logistics of getting stuff out of the house to store, sell, or throw out.
It’s important to declutter before starting to clean and organize, so you know exactly what you have, and you’re not wasting time cleaning things that you’re going to ultimately throw away.
Step 2: Deep clean
This is definitely a step that can be fully delegated to your household staff.
Once you’ve decluttered and are left only with the items you’re planning on keeping in your house, it’s time to give everything a really thorough cleaning.
Make sure to get the often-neglected spots, like the top of fans, and baseboards. Move heavy furniture to clean every inch of the floor.
This is also a great time to clean all appliances, like your oven and washing machine, as well as all the little tchotchkes you have on display.
Be sure that you give your household staff a comprehensive list of things to be cleaned, as well as communicate to them that you expect a deep clean beyond what’s normally done.
Step 3: Plan
While your household staff is busy with the deep cleaning, it’s time to plan how you’re going to reorganize your home.
All the heavy furniture is being moved to clean anyway, so it’s the perfect time to try out new layouts that can fit your family’s needs better.
Once you’ve gotten rid of all the clutter, you can get a really good look at what you’re left with, and decide how you want to organize things.
This is also the best time to plan organizing your pantry, especially if you’re hosting any holiday parties in the near future.
The Container Store will be your best friend. Just make sure that you stay on target, and only get what you need to organize. After all, you don’t want to add clutter in the form of organizing materials.
Step 4: Organize
Now that everything’s been decluttered, cleaned, and planned out, it’s time to go in and actually organize.
Some people LOVE to organize, so if you’re one of those people then go for it.
If putting things in containers doesn’t sound like your idea of a good time, then you can delegate these tasks. Just remember to communicate to your household staff exactly what you want to go where.
As you’re organizing, remember to go for utility over aesthetics. How will your family actually use these items? Are you storing often-used items in easy-to-reach places? The harder it is to access items and put them back away, the more likely it is that your organization system will completely collapse by the fall.
Spring cleaning is a large project, but when you break it down into 4 steps, it’s that much more manageable.
The right household staff can be an immense help in helping you deep clean for the Spring.
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