I'm totally excited that warm weather is here(ish). I love spring cleaning. I love putting away all the winter gear that clutters my front & back doors, I love opening the windows and freshening up the house and most of all dh has been working on pulling our patio furnature out in the yard. YIPEE!
Now I know some people hate cleaning...In all honesty I dont really like cleaning all that much either. What I hate more is having a dirty house. I can live with messy, lets face it I got 3 kids and my house has toys and art all over the place regardless of how many times a day I pick them up. The chores that I do every day are cleaning the playroom, dining room and kitchen. The chores that get done a few times a week are bathroom and laundry plus I nag at the girls to clean their room and ryes room doesnt get overally messy and only takes a minute to tidy so its not even really considered a chore. Everything else just kinda builds up untill spring or fall cleaning(yes I do a big clean in the fall aswell) or just whenever I got a chance.
Some people I know complain that things don't get done because they honestly dont know where to start. I've been there so no worries, I'm not judgemental. I was a slob when suffering through post partum depression. I was so overwhelmed that cleaning was just not something I could manage very well. Id rush to clean the dishes and hide messes before Nick got home from work(just to clarify he's not an ass to me about housework, I was the only one freaking out). That turned into a completely different issue because eventually I had to go through random hidden boxes of stuff and junk drawers and reorganize everything.
Hopefully anyone who is struggling to get a head start on cleaning will be able to just follow along to my simple instructions.
First you need cleaning supplies. Several rags, paper towel, all purpose cleaner(You can mix water and vinigar for this or use whatever you find at the store), window cleaner (vinigar works fine for windows aswell) and a scrubby thing. You will also want a garbage bag(or many) and a big box for any stuff you want to donate.
For me I always start my cleaning in the kitchen. Its the center part of my house and the room that I insist on being clean at all times, plus its where my cleaning supplies are. You may want to start from front of the house to the back. So for me that would be starting at my bedroom or front entry, then dining room and kids rooms, kitchen and bathroom then the living/play room. Write down the order you want to clean.
Clear all surfaces, Throw out garbage and anything thats still good but you dont need then donate, rest of stuff just put it away. Next you wipe down surfaces with disinfectant. Move onto next room. Continue through the house. Use rags to disinfect surfaces except in the washroom. Please use paper towel when cleaning your toilet everything else you can use a rag. Once you do this with every room its time to look at door handles and walls. If you are in the kitchen you will need to clean your cupboards, front of dishwasher if you got one and fridge(as in taking everthing off it and wiping down). So get a fresh bucket of cleaner or vinigar and a rag. Look at the walls. I bet they are dirty so don't skip this. Find a starting point and work your way around the wall and disinfecting door handles(very important). Doors to outside tend to be a nightmare so be prepared to scrub around those. For any difficult marks then you can used Mr.Clean eraser but I do try to encourage mostly natural cleaners. Now once your done that its the most dreaded chore of all. WINDOWS. Yup those need to be cleaned aswell. I will admit that its mostly Nick who cleans our windows. I either never remember or I find something else to clean :P
So now that you have tidied and cleaned everywhere theres just one more thing to do. The floors. Sweep or vacume. Don't cheat and get behind and under the furnature at least every couple months. Then wash the floors. When I have time I wash them by hand but for every day touch ups I used my swiffer or mop. And if your thinking I'm one of those people who have a spotless perfect house then your very wrong. My walls are covered in kid stuff, Theres toys scattered from one end to the other and the computer desk has been cluttered for years even though I have made several attempts at fixing that and my girls room only gets a good cleaning every couple months because it involves protective gear and some liquid courage. Last time we cleaned the girls room there was a bunch of yelling and fighting and my mom hiding under my dining room table because according to her I have a scary mom voice. I don't recall where Nick was. Maybe hiding in the basement with the laundry.
Oh and a tip to keep the house clean on days that you don't actually plan to do a good clean, watch for sales on disinfectant wipes. I prefer Green Works or Lysol. Noname wipes work fine aswell. I didn't like the clorox that much but I will use it if its on for a really good sale. They work great for everything and its fast. If you keep some in every room(in a safe spot so the little ones dont get them) then your not running around trying to find the cleaner and rags. I know you can make them but I havent tried that yet but planning to experiment soon. Also for encouraging the kids to help clean just wet a cloth in water and ask them to wash their toys. My kids would rather do some washing instead of picking up so I let them. I also give them a little dish soap and the hose and have them clean their outdoor toys every spring :) Happy cleaning everyone! Hope this post was helpful or at least a little motivating.
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