Spring Cleaning

This was posted by accident Friday; I'm re-posting it, but some of you may have already read it.

AAhhh.... the smell of the Easter lilies on my countertop are heavenly. So are the fresh smells of the daffodils now blooming like crazy in my yard. And the warm breeze...delightful. But my house is a wreck! Dusty, dirty, neglected during sickness (i.e. the whole month of February), stale-smelling, cluttered. There are even old Christmas cards still lingering on the kitchen counter because I might decide that we need to save them forever. Does this sound familiar?

The Time Has Come

There's something about the new spring air, the fresh flowers, and the extra daylight that's inspiring; seize the moment. If you're super organized and have been following a system such as the Fly Lady's, then your need for spring cleaning will be greatly reduced. But, if you're a wee bit behind on your cleaning, now's the time to plunge in! Easter is over, and it's time to get to work....

Spring Cleaning 101

Real Simple magazine has a great website where you can find many of the past articles from the magazine. I recommend checking out their cleaning guides; this handy Spring Cleaning 101 guide has links to all the best articles on cleaning. Check out their "Quick Solutions for Every Room" in the left margin. In addition, they list cleaning products, ideas for organizing, and many, many more resources.

Make a Plan

For me, the plan involves two high school girls who help me clean my house for extra spending money; they came Friday for 4-5 hours, and they helped clean this place from top to bottom (they did baseboards, windows, bathrooms, vacuumed and mopped all floors--including scrubbing the kitchen floor by hand, dusted, and cleaned our fans!). I realize that this is a luxury many people don't have, but you'd be surprised at how reasonable it can be--particularly when you hire middle or high schoolers. Many would love to earn some extra spending money, and they can certainly help you make a dent in your house cleaning. They might not be "professional," but neither are you! If you can't afford any extra help, enlist your children's help in anything they can do. You can also plan a Spring Cleaning Day. The garage/basement is often in need of as much decluttering as your home. Perhaps you and your husband can tackle the home one weekend and the garage/exterior of your home the next. It will be worth it!