A Complete Spring Cleaning Checklist and Helpful Tips

Spring is a time of wondrous new beginnings, a time when all the hibernating flora and fauna awaken and start to feel alive again. Human beings are like that, too. We hole up in our homes during the cold, dreary winter, dreaming of spring. Warmer weather naturally triggers thoughts of spring cleaning, which many people regard as necessary for their homes as well as their spirits. When the arduous task of spring cleaning is finally done, we feel more alive, more joyful and somehow lighter in our bodies. Over the years I've fine-tuned this annual ritual to make the process easier and more organized. Here's my spring cleaning checklist along with some helpful tips.

1. Clear your clutter. No self-respecting spring cleaning checklist would leave off the most important first step to this annual rite of passage. Clearing your clutter before tackling the actual nuts and bolts of spring cleaning lets you see more clearly what shape your home is in. When you clear your clutter first, you also make your spring cleaning easier because there is less "stuff" to get in your way.

Before you begin, I recommend buying a copy of "Clearing Your Clutter" by Karen Kingston. This excellent book not only helps to understand why you hang onto useless stuff you don't need or want, but makes it easier to detach from it and clear your clutter. The author defines clutter as more than just useless junk; in short, clutter is anything that has negative connotations or makes you feel uncomfortable. When you pare down your possessions to include only those you love, use regularly and feel good about having in your home, your spirit is lifted in a way that all the cleansers, bleach and brooms can't begin to match.

2. Assess the situation. Get a notebook and go room to room, making notes on what spring cleaning tasks you intend to do. While doing that, also make a list of the cleaning supplies and equipment you need for each task. Once you know exactly what projects you plan to undertake, prioritize them on a separate spring cleaning checklist, with the most important tasks at the top. This way, when you start you'll be able to go down your spring cleaning checklist and mark them off one by one as you complete them. Never underestimate the value of being organized and planning ahead!

3. Review your list of cleaning supplies and equipment, and check your cabinets to see if you have them on hand. If not, add them to your shopping list and pick them up the next time you go. Nothing derails a thorough spring cleaning faster than discovering you don't have all the supplies you need. Once you have all the cleaning supplies you're going to need, store them in one location so they're easy to find when you begin your spring cleaning.

4. Decide on a day to start your spring cleaning, and plan for ways to minimize distractions. If you have children, either plan for simple ways they can help, or plan something that will entertain them independently for several hours. Pets should be kept out of the way as well. And consider unplugging the phone or at least letting the answering machine take messages. Being constantly interrupted breaks the spring cleaning flow, and makes the task more daunting. A thorough spring cleaning takes time, and you will probably need to break it up over several days (or more, depending upon how many hours you can devote to it).

5. Find a way to make your spring cleaning chores more enjoyable. For many people, listening to upbeat music makes the time fly and provides a mental distraction from the drudgery of cleaning. Others like to listen to the television, books on tape or talk radio shows.

Besides cleaning, other important tasks for your spring cleaning checklist are:

1. Your closet. Remove all your fall/winter clothes and replace them with your spring/summer items. This is also a good time to go through your closet and decide what clothes to keep, and what to throw away or give to charity. Organize the clothes that are left to make them easy to find and easy to wear.

2. Appliances. Check your stove, microwave, toaster and other appliances to be sure they are all in proper working order with all cords and parts in good condition. Defrost the freezer and thoroughly clean the inside of the refrigerator. Thoroughly vacuuming the lint from your clothes dryer duct will make your dryer operate more efficiently and helps to prevent possible fires. Speaking of fires, now is also a good time to thoroughly clean your fireplace.

3. Change the batteries on your smoke alarms. Doing this now ensures that you won't start hearing that annoying little chirp-chirp-chirp the alarm makes when the battery is low, which always seems to commence in the middle of the night. (This needs to be done in the fall as well).

4. Don't forget to put the garage and outdoor areas on your spring cleaning checklist. The house's rain gutters need to be cleaned, as does patio furniture, garden equipment, birdhouses etc. Also make sure the lawnmower is ready to go, because spring grass grows so fast you can almost watch it! Cleaning and organizing everything stored in your garage might be a time-consuming task, but it's one that can't be ignored. Often, we put things in the garage thinking, "out of sight, out of mind" until one day we discover there's no room to park the car. It's far better to add the garage area to your spring cleaning checklist and get it organized now before it gets out of control.

Like any household chore, spring cleaning is not easy, and probably not the most enjoyable aspect of our lives. However, once it's done and you can see and smell how much fresher your home is, you will feel a thousand times better about living in it. Now, go forth and conquer your spring cleaning checklist!