kondo

If you are anything like me, few events are more personally gratifying than my annual Spring Deep Cleaning! It’s an opportunity to throw open the windows, let fresh air in, and make our homes clean, safer, and more joyous spaces. For many people, however, the pleasure comes only after the work is finished. While your spring cleaning may never become effortless, you can make the project more manageable – and even enjoyable. So, let’s jump in!

Here is my timeline leading up to Spring Cleaning and Allergy-Proofing my home each year.

Three weeks before cleaning, I request Thredup bags to donate unneeded clothing.

Two weeks before cleaning, I create my seasonal Capsule Wardrobe and utilize my Thredup collection bags.

A week before I start Spring Cleaning, I prepare my cleaners. A tip: to avoid hauling a caddie around my home during Spring Cleaning. Here’s my list of all-natural, diy cleaners I make:

• window cleaner
• outdoor window and siding cleaner
• wood polish
• all-purpose cleaner
• floor cleaner
• diy soft soap
• electronic spray
• shower cleaner
• dish soap
• swiffer solution and diy pads
• grout cleaner
• diy wall putty

The night before I start cleaning:

•  I place the cleaners I will be using in the rooms they will be utilized the next day. Along with cleaners, I place any towels, rags, or sponges I will also be using.  I do this because as soon as I finish cleaning each room, the cleaners make their way back to my storage closet. When all the cleaners are put away I know my work is done!
• Then I create a donation station. Three reusable bags are set up in my dining room. One to hold donation items to go to our local women’s shelter, a second bag for items at the thrift shop, and a miscellaneous bag for items that can go local animal shelter. To keep clutter to a minimum in our minimalist home, my husband takes all donations to charity the same day I clean. Also, I also pull in extra recycling bins too.
• I also prep my clipboard. I use a clipboard to cross off completed tasks, take notes on the condition of my house, to remind myself of items I need to bring to my husband’s attention and to keep up to date with our seasonal inventory and shopping lists.

At this point, I’m ready to prepare myself to clean!

Here are the steps I take to prepare myself to start cleaning:

1. Scheduling. I try to schedule grooming appointments and play dates around my cleaning schedule. This frees up to time to devote fully to my endeavors and to keep little hands and little paws away from cleaners too!
2. Getting Dressed. While Spring Cleaning, I dress for the occasion. For me, this means wearing all white. Cotton shorts and a tee. This outfit is conducive for cleaning, as I am sure to become soiled, splashed by cleaners, or sweaty while sprucing. This also prevents my clothing to become a visual distracting while cleaning room-to-room. You see, white is pure, clean light. It has clean energy. It allows you to focus on your space and not yourself while cleaning. In fact, Marie Kondo, famed decluttering consultant, wears only white while cleaning, consulting, or engaging at speaking events!
3. Vacuum. I start with light vacuuming around my whole home before even gathering my cleaning supplies. I do this because I remove my socks and shoes while cleaning. I want to be aware of how my floors feel. If there are any splinters or squeaks that need addressing I can attend to them immediately. And if your floors are clean enough to walk barefoot on, then they are clean enough for little hands and paws, too!
4. Music. I am known to put awesome music on for encouragement while Spring Cleaning. Sometimes I even create a playlist for the occasion.
5. Light. I open windows, light a candle, and diffuse while cleaning. This is simply to keep me happy!
6. Meals. I know I will be too tired to cook after cleaning so I generally prep crockpot meals before I start projects so I have hot, healthy meals ready for my family when the day’s work is done.

Zone 1. My Food Stockpile and Basement

Pantry and Stockpile:

• Canned goods: I dust cans, rotate by expiration date, and donate anything that will expire in your current month you don’t plan to consume.
• Soft Drinks, Cooking Oils, and Cleaners: Again, I dust containers, rotate by expiration date, donate anything that will expire in your current month you don’t plan to consume, and place all oils in the fridge for summer, especially coconut oil.
• Dried Foods: I inventory my stock and rotate jars accordingly.
• Room: As my storage room is in my sunroom, I sweep the walls down, dust the room’s trim, clean the windows, clean the ceiling fan, clean my glass doors, and mop my way out of the room.

Basements:

• Clean electronic air cleaner elements monthly for most efficient operation; replace filters as needed.
• Clean humidifier elements before the next season begin.
• Schedule furnace inspections; many areas offer free, or reduced fee inspections. Schedule appointments now!
• Buy a 3-month supply of furnace filters.
• Drain sediment from hot water heaters.
• Clean windows.
• Vacuum baseboards, floors, vents, and tools.
• Re-evaluate your holiday, seasonal goods. Declutter, re-sort and purge as needed.

Zone 2. Inside the home:

I work from the farthest rooms in my home and work my way towards my front door. I start in my master bedroom, then onto my family bedrooms, guest room, den, living room, office, bathrooms, closets, kitchen, and end with my dining room. Here’s what I do in each area:

In my bedroom I attend to:

• Turn mattresses front-to-back and end-to-end to equalize wear.
• Launder or clean all bedding: mattress pads, pillows, duvets, blankets, comforters.
• Change or scale-back linens as needed.
• Vacuum drapes and window treatments.
• Clean window sills and windows.
• Vacuum baseboards and corners well.
• Wash down walls with a mild astringent or cleaner, and dry with a dust mop.
• Clean out and vacuum vents.
• Vacuum upholstered furniture.
• Wash interior windows.
• I have my eyeglasses professionally cleaned in Spring.

Kitchen and Dining Room:

• Prepare the kitchen for holiday cooking; organize kitchen cabinets, paying particular attention to baking supplies, pans, and equipment.
• Clear kitchen counters of all appliances not used within the last week.
• Pull refrigerator away from the wall, and vacuum the condenser coils.
• Declutter your cabinets. Clear out your cupboards of anything that you don’t use on a regular basis. Make room in your dining room, basement, or stockpile area for seasonal items, such as punch bowls and holiday dishes. Purge, recycle, sell, or donate items that have not been used in a year.
• Zone your cabinets. I have a zone for coffee, baking, and pets; keep like items together. Creating zones in your kitchen helps to keep your cabinets organized, helps you to know where to store things, and helps you work more efficiently in the day-to-day running of your home.
• Random clutter. Anything random left over, and not able to be placed into cabinets, think of creative, upcycled ways to display and store these items.
• Wash light-diffusing bowls from light fixtures.
• Vacuum drapes and window treatments.
• Clean window sills and windows.
• Vacuum baseboards and corners well.
• Wash down walls with a mild astringent or cleaner, and dry with a dust mop.
• Clean out and vacuum vents.
• Re-season pots and pans, as needed.

Coat Closets:

• I steam clean coats, blazers, and jackets.
• All winter gear is laundered and then stored in baskets in the top of the closet.
• Add cedar and tea bags to all closets to prevent mildew and bugs over the Summer months.
• I dust upper closet shelves.
• I vacuum and steam mop closet floors. I then allow floors to dry for 1 hour before replacing items.

Linen Closets:

• Bundle like sets of sheets together.
• Keep necessity items in small baskets, labeled, and clustered on a single taller shelf together.
• Corral cosmetics on servings trays for easy removal.
• Any mismatched items should be donated.
• Any fraying towels should be donated; animal shelters are a great place to send unneeded linens.
• Prevent dust from covering linen sets, by placing them inside their coordinating pillowcases
• Antique linens are best to hang; install two hooks and a dowel rod in the bottom of a closet for hanging linens.
• Store throw pillows and guest pillows in a top shelf basket.
• Store towel sets in stacks for easy removal.
• Store like items on like shelves; linens with linens, towels with towels, and the like.

A few tips for Spring Cleaning your bathrooms:

• All cosmetics older than one year, should be purged.
• All cosmetic sharpeners, brushes, or curlers two-years or older, should be purged.
• All hair coloring products or kits, two years or older, should be purged.
• All vitamins or supplement older than one year, should be purged.
• All flu, cold, sinus, or allergy products older than two years, should be purged.
• All essential oils three years or older, should be purged.
• All first aid items, older than three years, should be purged and replaced.
• All digestive aids, older than three years, should be purged.
• Any fiber-based supplement, older than a year, should be purged.
• Any nail lacquers that have been to separate should be purged.
• All manicure and pedicure supplies not utilized within the last six months should be purged.
• All paper or cotton products should be visible, organized, and easily accessible.
• Purge your oldest towel set; towel, hand towel, and wash cloth.
• Take inventory and re-stock medicine cabinets.
• Clean contact lense cases.
• Replace toothbrushes and floss.
• Clean window sills and windows.
• Vacuum baseboards and corners well.
• Wash down walls with a mild astringent or cleaner, and dry with a dust mop.
• Clean out and vacuum vents.

Living Room and Den:

• Vacuum drapes and window treatments.
• Clean window sills and windows.
• Vacuum baseboards and corners well.
• Wash down walls with a mild astringent or cleaner, and dry with a dust mop.
• Clean out and vacuum vents.
• Vacuum upholstered furniture.

Zone 3. Outside The House:

• Clean and store patio furniture, umbrellas, kid’s summer toys.
• Touch up paint on trim, railings and decks.
• Check for breaks in exterior caulk lines around windows and doors.
• Inspect external doors and garage doors.
• Wash exterior windows.
• Drain and store garden hoses.
• Install insulating covers on exterior spigots.
• Check gutters, rain barrels,  and downspout openings.
• Have chimneys and flues inspected and cleaned, if necessary.

Zone 4. Greenery:

• Bring flower pots out of storage; plastic pots will need to be cleaned, emptied, bleached, and air-dried.
• Terracotta pots should be sun-sanitized, stacked, and stored on their sides.
• Sew grass seeds, as needed.
• Purchase bird seed, and keep feeders stocked for the winter.
• Prep/service your lawn mower, riding mower, edger, and tiller for warm weather.
• Pull back winter mulch, replace as needed.
• Clean out flower beds, plant annuals as needed by May 15th each year.
• Edge lawns and sidewalks.
• Clean and disinfect your outdoor mailboxes.
• Service outdoor fountains, solar panels, decorative installations.
• Maintain your indoor and outdoor compost bins.

Zone 5. Allergy-Proofing: Now that you’ve deep cleaned your home for Spring, I advise Allergy-proofing your home for Spring too! Here are a few of my favorite tips:

• Clean blades of ceiling fans.
• Sort and clean any extra zones such as linen closets, utility closets and office spaces; even the best kept linen closets trap dust, which can be inadvertently transferred to bedrooms and common areas.
• Check for mold. Bathrooms, basements and areas that are tiled can be especially prone to mold. The key to reducing mold is moisture control. Be sure to use bathroom fans and clean up any standing water immediately. Scrub any visible mold from surfaces with detergent and water, and completely dry. You can also help ward off mold by keeping home humidity levels at or around  60 percent and cleaning gutters regularly helps too!
• Check the fur-babies! Remove pet allergens by vacuuming frequently and washing upholstery, including your pet s bed.
• Diffuse! Using a diffuser daily can not only help to make our home healthier, by allowing ourselves to breathe in health, natural elements, but we can also help to make out homes smell as inviting by diffusing essential citrus, cinnamon, sage as well.
• When mowing and gardening, be sure to wear gloves and a N95 particulate pollen mask (Centers for Disease Control (CDC) NIOSH rated), and to avoid touching your eyes, and be sure to wash your hands, hair and clothing once you go back indoors.

Keep in mind, deep cleaning and allergy-proofing your home from top to bottom will essentially take several days. Do not attempt to clean your entire home in a day, or a weekend for that matter. Take a week, break off chores into chunks, utilize your family for aid and resource, and give yourself the grace of time and consideration of your everyday life when completing this expansive list. Also, you can  get a head start by changing your air filters every three months and using filters with a MERV rating of 11 or 12.

My biggest tip? Be sure to  vacuum regularly to get rid of dust mites. Use a cyclonic vacuum, which spins dust and dirt away from the floor, or a vacuum with a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter. And as always, be sure to wash bedding and stuffed animals weekly.

Moreover, consider this when devising a fall cleaning schedule:

• Are you the kind of person who wants to do a little every day?
• Would you rather tackle it all at once so that you don’t have to think about it for the rest of the week?
•  Do you work full-time or are you home during the day?
• Do you have young children at home whose chores can be incorporated into this system?

As there is no one “right way” to keep house, and so no universal cleaning schedule that will fit every household’s needs. Just sit down, take an hour, and create a system that will work best for you. Being prepared for the cooped-up winter months ahead is the long-term goals, so by adding a few small, obtainable cleaning goals a day is the way to go! This is a challenge to make your home as healthy as it is steadfast this coming season.

Also, don’t be daunted by the size of this list, many of the jobs are small ones that will go by quickly, and you’ll be so glad you took the time to do them! And if you are looking to see how I organize my year round cleaning schedule, you can also take a look at my general year-round printable list, too!

After you read through the zone lists, be sure to tailor the list to your home and yard. I encourage you to create a realistic Spring Cleaning schedule, keeping in mind that a single weekend won’t suffice, as you’ll need several days for more involved projects, such as shampooing carpets and organizing closets. Pick a plan. Create a stop and start point, whether it’s starting from the attic to the basement, outdoors to inside, or just focusing on one task at a time. Just have a plan. And be sure to enlist the help of family members.

So, folks do you have any tried and true methods for cleaning around your home this time of year. I’d love to hear about them below.