Spring Cleaning is that time of year we use as an excuse to go through our closets and purge everything we don't need anymore. We'll storm the garage making piles of things to donate, sell or throw away. We'll dig through our closet unearthing forgotten clothes like an archeologist. Spring cleaning can oftentimes feel daunting. But if you follow our guide below, you'll have a roadmap to get from overwhelmed, to under control. You'll fall in love with your home all over again because you'll have space, clarity, and cleanliness!
We've teamed up with professional home organizer Amanda Scott to bring you the ultimate guide to Spring cleaning.
What Is Spring Cleaning?
Spring cleaning is that time of year when people decide they want to get their homes back in order. The sun has finally started coming out and so have people's energy levels again, which makes this perfect for refreshing the home! But why did we start doing it?
Spring cleaning in the US dates back to the mid-1800s. If you imagine what life was like back then, you'd think of things like carriages moving people and cargo across dirt roads, irrigation systems that don't keep the streets nearly as dry as they do today, lamps lit by oil or gas, etc. That adds up to a lot of dust, debris, and moisture being carried from town into a home.
During the winter seasons, people would close up their windows to keep heat inside and the harsh elements outside where they belonged. The mess people bring in from outside is only made worse by the snow and rain. Homes are kept closed tight for a few months which means a lot of mess accumulates indoors during this time.
The cleaning tools during this time weren't like what we have today. The typical cleaning kit included dusters, brooms, brushes, and mops. Today we can make use of a vacuum to keep things clean, but back then everything needed to be swept outside. Rugs were hung up and beaten to get the dirt out. It's not easy to do something like this during the winter season. So people waited.
As soon as the weather got warm enough to open the home again, that's the time they cleaned all that crud that has built up over the cold season. This time was usually around April/May otherwise known as Spring.
What's The Right Way To Spring Clean?
Everyone does Spring cleaning differently. A lot of what you'll do depends on your lifestyle. Are you a minimalist or do you hoard? Do you clean regularly or put it off? Do you have pets, kids, or roommates? Do you work from home?
We recommend having a goal in mind when you do your Spring cleaning. This goal will help you focus your time and keep you motivated. Do you want to find things to donate? Will this be an excuse for you to get rid of things via a garage sale? Is this the year you finally put together an organizational system? Maybe you have someone new moving in soon. All of these things will affect the type of Spring cleaning you'll do.
3 Phases of Spring Cleaning
If you're just looking for a quick and easy way to give your home a refresh, try our 5 simple tips on how to get your home Spring clean and how to keep it that way all year long!
Phase 1: Take Out The Trash
The first thing to do is pick up the trash. Make sure every room has a trash can or trash bag and assign one person to that room to clear it. Or make it a contest with the family and see who can round up the most t