Spring Cleaning Preview
Forever the optimist, I like to believe that once February hits, spring is on its way. After all, we’ve already been through four unpleasant months of rain, snow and generally unpleasant weather (ok, most of us have been- those who live in year-round warm weather have a right to gloat). But with the refreshing warmth of spring also comes the not-so-pleasant task of spring cleaning. And it’s never too early to start thinking about how to clean your house efficiently- or how much better it will look once the work is complete. Breaking your chores down into manageable tasks can help make spring cleaning less overwhelming and more realistic, so that you aren’t apprehensive about jumping right in.
- Begin by making a list of all the things that you plan on achieving during your cleaning.
- List each task separately so that you feel accomplished when you cross things off and so that you can finish things quickly without getting discouraged.
- Make a separate list of cleaning products and organizational tools that you will need throughout the cleaning process so that you will have everything on hand when you need it.
- Create a cleaning schedule whereby you make a little bit of progress each day. You won’t feel frustrated by spending hours on your hands and knees, and you’ll enjoy the tidy feel to your home each night.
- Find tasks that your children can partake in, and persuade them to participate. While you may not think it necessary to compensate your ‘child labor’ force with ice cream or a temporarily increased allowance, it’s probably worth the investment–teaching your children how to clean the house is an invaluable lesson that will hopefully stay with them forever.
- Make tasks that you dislike sound exciting to your children. My three year old, for example, loves to wipe down the base cabinets, and I detest getting down on my hands and knees (of course, she’s at a perfect height for that job, which really helps!)
- Buy a new CD (or two) in advance of the cleaning, to help make the experience a bit more pleasant. Soothing music may make the cleaning experience less grueling, or tunes with an upbeat tempo may be a wonderful accompaniment to a rigorous physical chore. No matter what your musical preferences are, breaking up the boredom with music is a perfect way to make spring-cleaning a much more tolerable endeavor.
Posted on March 7th, 2007 by Sari
Filed under: Household Management
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