Do you know where the tradition of Spring Cleaning comes from?
When homes were heated by wood or coal fires the houses were kept shut tight during the Winter months to keep the heat in. When Spring arrived it was time to open the windows and let the fresh air in and clean the homes of soot and dust.
With modern heating we don’t need to keep our homes locked up tight during Winter and very few are heated by open fires so there’s less need for a big Spring Clean.
However, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t certain larger jobs around the home that should be done once or twice a year.
How to tackle your Spring Cleaning
Getting started may be a little daunting and you may not know the best way to tackle all those jobs. So I find it easier to break it down into a list of simple tasks which makes it so much easier to tackle.
And remember you don’t actually have to schedule all the big cleaning tasks at once you could spread them throughout the year. You may find it much easier to manage and you’ll always be on top of things.
What jobs should go on my Spring Cleaning List
Now that you’ve decided to make a Spring Cleaning Schedule you need to decide what jobs your going to include on it.
Here’s a list of some of the things you may want to think of adding:
Bedroom and Living Rooms
- Pull out furniture and beds and vacuum behind.
- Clean and Freshen Mattress
- Clean and Freshen Carpets and Rugs
- Wash / Dry Clean Curtains and Blinds
- Washdown paintwork, including skirting boards
- Clean light fittings
- Declutter cupboard, wardrobes and drawers
- Clean remote controls and electronics
Kitchen
- Deep Clean Fridge and Freezer – that includes pulling it out and cleaning behind
- Deep Clean Microwave
- Empty Cupboards and drawers, declutter and clean. Don’t forget to sort the “anything drawer”
- Deep Clean and Reseal Chopping boards and wooden utensils
How To Create Your Spring Cleaning Schedule
Everyone will have a slightly different schedule as everyone’s lives are different. If there’s only two of you in a small flat your cleaning tasks aren’t going to be the same as a family of 5 in a large house.
Start planning your own “Spring Cleaning” schedule by making a list of all the large / non routine cleaning tasks in your house that need to be done, use the list above as a prompt to think about what you need to include.
Once you have the list you can then decide how often you want to do them. For instance, you may want to wash the curtains once a year but you may want to wash under / behind the fridge twice a year.
It’s up to you how you plan your cleaning tasks as everyone is different. Some people like to blitz it all in a few days, others will be happier spreading the tasks over different months.
Remember it only takes 3 steps to create your own schedule:
- Walk round your house and list out all large / non routine cleaning tasks.
- Decide how often you want to do them.
- Complete the cleaning schedule template for a handy reference.
And, don’t forget you don’t have to do them all yourself. Keeping the house clean and tidy should be a joint family responsibility.
How to Spring Clean Your Home
Now that you have your Spring Cleaning (or monthly) schedule and you know what you are doing when, it’s time to talk about how.
With most of the cleaning tasks you can just use the normal natural cleaning solutions you would use everyday. For instance you can use the 50:50 citrus infused vinegar and water general purpose cleaner for washing down the paintwork. And for washing the floors under and behind the fridge just use the natural Floor Cleaning solution recipe.
You can find all the normal natural cleaning recipes for General Purpose Spray, Oven Cleaning, Floor Cleaner, Wood Polish and Window Cleaner etc in my Home Cleaning section.
However, here are a few specific tips on how to freshen up your home room by room when Spring Cleaning:
Bedroom and Living Rooms
Mattress – strip the bed and sprinkle some bicarbonate of soda onto the mattress, you can add a few drops of essential oil as well. Leave for a couple of hours then vacuum off. If it’s a nice day throw open the windows while you’re waiting to let some fresh air in.
Carpets – make sure you vacuum right under the bed and a great way to freshen up the carpets is to do the same as with the mattress. If you use essential oils and have pets or children make sure you use oils that are safe around them.
Kitchen
Fridge – empty your fridge and give it a good clean with a solution of baking soda dissolved in a bowl of hot water.
Microwave – squeeze half a lemon into a half a cup of water and place in the microwave. Run the microwave for 2 minutes and leave for a couple of minutes, open the door and wipe down the inside.
Cupboards – empty cupboards and wash inside and out. Cupboards in the Kitchen can get quite greasy from cooking so use some washing soda dissolved in hot water to cut through the grease, remember to use gloves as washing soda can irritate your hands.
Chopping boards and wooden utensils – clean with salt and lemon, rinse thoroughly and dry. Once dry oil with fractionated coconut oil.
I hope this helps you to start your Spring Cleaning and help make it a little less daunting
And, don’t forget the best natural cleaning aids are fresh air and sunshine so it’s still a great idea to throw open those windows and let the clean Spring air help with the job!
You may find these schedules useful, click on image for a downloadable printable version
