Spring cleaning

little more haphazardly like me, that sun is still a sign passed down through generations, and even if your home is perfectly clean all the time it’s a great time to declutter and revive it. With the move away from minimalism and sterile interiors to a more lived in ascetic, and the realisation that Instagram isn’t reality and most people don’t live in a perfectly curated home cleaned to within an inch of its life all the time, maybe the old tradition of a spring clean once a year to declutter and revive our homes is a good idea as opposed to “Marie Kondoing” our life away. Even Marie Kondo’s life is messier now — and she’s fine with it. If you do feel the urge to spring clean or seasonally clean, here are some tips from the experts to keep it a calm, cathartic experience:

Pump Up The Volume

When you don’t need any sand and can draw your name in the dust on your coffee table, it's time to grab the old feather duster or microfiber cloth and get cleaning. Listening to music while cleaning is a game changer as you work to the rhythm. It not only helps your motor skills, but lightens your mood. Download a playlist and pop in your ear buds and clean to the beat of your favourite tunes. Make sure it’s upbeat though.

Prepare Your Cleaning Supplies

Before you get stuck into the dirty work, make sure you have all the cleaning supplies you will need to hand. Essentials include rubber gloves, cloths, sponges, brushes, bleach, all-purpose cleaner, furniture and glass polish, bin bags and paper towels.

Work Room By Room

If you’re working on a big cleaning project, don’t spread yourself thin. It’s better to start and complete only a few chores rather than having several half-finished projects. Working room by room and completing one small project at a time can help.

If there’s one spring cleaning tip you should take advantage of, it’s this: only start projects you have time to com- plete. If you only have five minutes, pick a five-minute task. Unfinished cleaning projects lead to overwhelm. Try to avoid them.

Declutter And Minimize Household Inventory

Start with thorough decluttering in each room of your house. If you only complete one spring cleaning task, make it this. Its benefits will last for months to come.

Work From The Top Down

Always clean from the ceiling to the floor; first tidying, then dusting along the ceiling, light fixtures, pictures, etc., finally vacuuming and mopping the floor when everything else in the room is done. This just makes sense because the earlier jobs will of course dirty the floor.

Put Away Those Winter Clothes

The temperature warms up when spring rolls around. However, we live in Ireland, so putting away the winter clothes is sometimes a more difficult task as we often get all the seasons in one day. You probably won’t be using your heavy jackets as often so don’t waste your wardrobe space on clothes you won’t wear regularly in the next few months. It’s time to put them away. Invest in some storage boxes if you don’t have a lot of space. Under-bed storage is great. It’s also a great time to really look at your jackets and coats; if there are some you didn’t wear this winter then odds are you won’t wear it next year either, so have a plastic bag ready for donation or recycling.

Kitchen Deep Clean

The most used room in our homes is the kitchen. If you have babies and toddlers you probably never leave, and it’s were you bump into your teenagers when they grace you with their presence! This room is tricky as it’s always in use; the best tip is to do it before you do a big shop. Go through cupboards and throw out all out of date dry food, empty entirely and clean the inside. It’s a good chance to get rid of chipped dinner-wear or cooking paraphernalia you don’t use as this will help make your day to day life less stressful. Always do one cupboard at a time so as not to get overwhelmed. Fridge and freezer are best tackled when almost empty and the same rules apply (it’s a great excuse for a takeaway night) especially if you’ve cleaned the oven!

Prepare Your Cleaning Supplies

DELEGATE!

There are some jobs where you can put your feet up and let someone else do the work, safe in the knowledge that you’re doing the right thing. Examples include window and chimney cleaning. Spring is the ideal time for both, and sometimes specialist equipment, experience and skill is needed to reach those upstairs windows or the chimney pot.

Treat Yourself

Let’s face it, most of us only like the end result when it comes to cleaning so treat yourself to a new candle, some bright new cushions, or new bedding. The reward of sitting down in your new spring cleaned home with a candle lighting, and hopping into a newly made bed after, keeps us motivated.