Spring is my favorite time of the year. The days are longer, the weather becomes warmer and sunny. And I get an urge to improve things in my life and around the house. You see, I feel time passing by in the first day of spring. I am a very organized person, but I’m really not the best at cleaning chores. In fact, I hate the work involved. However I do like a clean and fresh smelling home. Therefore when spring hits, I grab my mops and brooms, vacuum cleaners and detergents and just go at it like crazy. I get it done in no time. Want to know how I get spring cleaning done the effortless way?

Spring Cleaning! That big, ugly monster that creeps once a year, when the weather becomes warmer and sunny. It used to scare the breath out of me, because that meant there were some deeper cleaning chores to be done around the house and not just the little things we do every day. I used to procrastinate (a lot) on Spring Cleaning, always postponing it. In addition, I ended up feeling guilty for not having done it sooner and stressed for having to do so much work in so little time. After that, there came a day when I put my foot down, rolled up my sleeves, had a little talk with myself and decided to tackle Spring Cleaning like a boss. It became sort of a ritual, where I don’t even think much about it anymore and just do it. And guess what? I enjoy doing it! Queue gasp.

The trick is to divide and conquer. My Spring Cleaning process consists of three phases:

• The Cleaning phase.
• The Decluttering Phase
• The Recycling and Donating Phase

This article will cover the Cleaning Phase and I will share how I tackle decluttering, recycling and donating in other articles.

I always start by getting ready to clean.

And I mean both physically and mentally. I remind myself that my home is my sanctuary. The place where I feel safer and most comfortable in the world. And just like I take care of my body (most of the times – hello junk food!), I must take care of my home.

Looking at the big picture allows me to get excited about cleaning! In order to maintain my sanity and balance in my life, my home has to be not only clean, but fresh smelling, decluttered and organized. And I always remind myself of that fact. Who doesn’t want to feel good in their own home?

Before I begin the cleaning frenzy, I open all windows to let the fresh air in and all blinders, shades and curtains to let natural sunlight invade my home. Then, I select my power playlist and hit it on a high volume to start getting psyched (Mr. Brightside, anyone?). I choose an outfit that I won’t mind getting dirty or greasy, like some old leggings and t-shirt, tie my hair and get my cleaning caddy on hand.

The Cleaning Caddy

The cleaning caddy is a trolley I stock with all supplies I will need to deep clean my home and that I roll around the house with me. This helps with two points:

1. I know where all my products are and don’t need to go back and forth picking some specific cloth I left behind;
2. Everything is organized in a way that every product has its right place. Which means I’m less likely to forget cleaning supplies stranded around the house.

I use the Räskog trolley from IKEA, in black. It is a three-tiered, easy to move cart and it fits in tight spaces because of its small size.

This cart is also ideal for my routine because of its tiers. I can divide the supplies by zone. The top tier is for general spaces, the middle tier is for the kitchen and the bottom tier is for the bathroom cleaning supplies. That way, I won’t end up cleaning my kitchen counters with the same sponge I used to clean the toilets (yuck!).

And what goes in my cleaning caddy, you ask?

Other supplies that don’t belong in the Cleaning Caddy:

• Broom
• Vacuum cleaner
• Mop and bucket
• Rectangle mop for drying the floors
• Floor detergent
• All-in-one surface cleaner
• Wood cleaner
• Bleach

Let’s start cleaning!

I structure my spring cleaning in activity sections instead of area sections. What does this mean? It means if I’m vacuuming, I vacuum the whole house, not just the living room, for example. If you vacuum one room and then move on to the next room a few days later, in the mean time you have carried all the dust and dirt around with you anyway. It doesn’t make sense to me.

I always start by cleaning all windows.

Seeing the glass completely clear acts like a motivator, because I’m beginning to see the change in my home. And as I’m already with the products on hand, I also clean all mirrors, including the bathroom mirror.

Next step: Dusting and Vaccuum.

I always dust everything first and then I vacuum, to catch any bit of dust that might fall off. When dusting, don’t forget to look up. Ceilings, lamps and lightbulbs also need a little T.L.C. Remember to take care of your baseboards as well, and also your doors and door frames.

On vacuum day, I vacuum all rugs and carpets first. Then give them a scrub and a wash and lay them outside to air dry in the sun. It leaves the carpets and rugs smelling amazingly fresh. This also helps to ease and make the vacuuming quicker because the rugs are no longer in the way. Win-win! I also vacuum sofas, mattresses and armchairs.

After the vacuum cleaner action, comes the cleaning of the walls. Be mindful of the different materials that make your walls. Make sure your paint and wallpaper are washable before trying any scrubbing. Tile walls, in bathrooms and kitchens can be cleaned with all-purpose surface cleaner, so scrub away all the gunk and dirt.

Then comes the floor cleaning.

Use an appropriate detergent for different floor types.  Remember to change the dirty water in your bucket as you go along. I have two mops for floor cleaning. One I use with the detergent and water and the other one I use to dry the floors. Although I open all windows to help the drying process, using a dry mop speeds things along. Next comes the bathroom.

Bathroom ahead!

Deep cleaning the toilet is something I do twice a year, during my Spring Cleaning and Autumn Cleaning, which are essentially the same. I use the stainless-steel sponge and bleach here, to sterilize everything. Remember to protect your skin with gloves and to open all windows to prevent fume inhalation.

Give your drains a good scrub and consider using a drain cleaning tool to remove any hair clogs. I also like to use a drain clog remover liquid at this stage, to help maintain my drains clog-free. Don’t forget to wash all cannisters, cups and dishes that you may have in the bathroom. Throw them in the dish-washer if you can, to sterilize them.

Give your faucets a scrub with a lime-removing detergent and use it in your showerhead also. Use this simple trick to clean your showerhead effortlessly.

Moving on to the kitchen

Here comes the washing of the counters and cleaning of the appliances. Assuming you have already dusted, vacuumed and cleaned your kitchen walls, obviously. Remember to clean the outside and inside of your cabinets with appropriate detergent.

Jilee over at One Good Thing shares two awesome ways to clean, deodorize and sanitize your microwave effortlessly and with minimum scrubbing required

In short, I go with method number one for spring cleaning and method number two for usual cleaning. Try them out!

Does your oven scare you?

Do you keep postponing cleaning it because of all the work involved?  Fear not! Tanya over at Tidy Life Happy Wife has the perfect process for oven cleaning for you to try.

It really is fuss-free and much easier to clean your oven than you thought.

Cleaning and organizing the refrigerator and freezer

This task deserves it’s own blog post, as there are so many things to say about that. Julie over at Frugally Blonde describes her process perfectly, and she doesn’t use strong chemicals, which I totally support because the fridge and freezer are a food storage place. 

As for organizing the inside of the refrigerator and freezer, I take a couple of things into account:

• Divide the fridge and freezer into sections.
• Always use clear containers, either glass or acrylic.
• Try to use as many freezer bags as possible, in order to save space in the freezer.
• Meal prepping and planning is a great way to keep you from overstocking your fridge and pantry as well.

Toni Hammersley, from A Bowl Full of Lemons, has some of the greatest fridge and freezer organization ideas. Go check it out!

Moving on to the stovetop

Whether you have a burner stovetop or a ceramic/induction cooktop, I have got you covered. However, remember to start your way from the top and then work your way down. This means the first thing you should clean is your hood vents and filters.

Serena from Serena Bakes cleans her greasy hood vents perfectly and in no time.

Jessi, over at Practically Functional shares some great tips to easily deep clean a burner stovetop. Go check it out!

According to Happy Mama Tales, three ingredients is all you need for a clean glass cooktop.

On to the laundry room

Since we are talking big appliances, let’s move on to the laundry room and take care of our washer and dryer.

The Rozy Home explains in Home Talk how to clean your front-load washer for both basic, everyday use and how to deep clean it if things get nasty.

I go to Jessi, from Practically Functional once more, because her cleaning methods are super easy and fuss-free. Check out how she deep cleans a top loading washing machine with nothing but vinegar and bleach. Genius!

Katie Berry over at Howsewife How-Tos shares her process on deep cleaning her dryer, and let me just tell you it is a wonder because of how easy it is. Your dryer will run smoothly, use less energy and dry faster, all the while reducing the risk of it causing a fire.

Ironing

Don’t forget your iron also needs a little T.L.C. The Cleaning Expert shows exactly how to deep clean your iron from the inside out.

Last step: Mattresses and Closets

The last step in my spring cleaning is the mattresses and closets. I deep clean my mattresses twice a year, in spring and autumn, to get rid of any stains, odors, dead skin cells and dust mites, and any mold or mildew that may come from sweating.

Katie Berry again, from Housewife How-Tos has the perfect way to clean your mattresses and leave them smelling clean and looking brand new.

Finally, I leave the closets for last because in the process of deep cleaning I also take time to declutter and get rid of clothes I haven’t worn in a while or plan on never wearing again, or clothes I think should be stored in a more permanent place.

What I do is empty my closet and aerate for at least an hour. Then, I dust it and scrub it down with wood appropriate detergent. All glass surfaces are an exception to this, and I use window cleaner for that. If you have drawer protectors, this is a great opportunity to clean or exchange them for new ones. Don’t forget to clean any organizers you might have in your closet. After everything is squeaky clean and all dried out, I start putting back all the clothes I want to keep wearing. By the end of the day, I realized I have saved so much space in my closet!

In conclusion

See? Before you knew it, Spring Cleaning is done, your home smells amazingly fresh and clean and you know it really is clean. And the best part? You managed to do it in an effortless way! Yay you!!

Don’t forget to download the Fiercely Balanced Spring Cleaning Checklist to help you along the way! And let me know which tips you have followed and what works for you in the comments.

Until next time.