Spring Cleaning
/Y’all, I have started SPRING CLEANING in my house.
I don’t know about you, but my Spring Cleaning isn’t your “standard cleaning.”
My “standard cleaning” looks like this:
Pick up (the easy part)
Do a light dusting (sometimes)
Sweep the floors (or have Rhonda…our Roomba…do this for me)
Swiffer WetJet (if time allows)
Laundry (I don’t mind doing it, but gosh do I despise putting it away)
Bathrooms (AKA use that Toilet Wand)
I am no longer one who gets on all fours to deep clean each week (I used to do that until I learned to "bless the mess” — More about that here!). And I definitely am not using much, if any, elbow grease. Half the time, I’m only doing a couple rooms at a time. It’s a miracle if my ENTIRE house is GLOWING all at once. Because let’s be real, that’s not reality.
If you’re a mama, your kiddos have probably already destroyed one room as you’ve move onto the next. (Trust me, I remember doing it to my Mom — My bad, Ma!) In my case, @MannyTheDoodle has usually gotten into his toy bins and has left a trail of toys across the house. Or worse, he’s tracked mud in from outside, right after the floors have been swept + mopped. And we can’t forget the men, or significant others, or roommates in our lives. Love them to death but that blanket you’ve folded? The clean sink? Yep, no longer.
Spring Cleaning takes your weekly (or who I am kidding, monthly) cleaning to a WHOLE NEW LEVEL. It’s something that happens once a year (maybe twice, if my house is lucky) and it involves all the “standard cleaning” items above, but also:
Thoroughly going through the STUFF in EACH ROOM of the house
AKA - if you don’t use it anymore, toss it or put in the yard sale pile.
In the kitchen, you’re checking expiration dates. In the bathroom, you’re swapping out the moldy shower liner for a clean one. In the office, you’re filing or pitching (or better yet, recycling) the mail that’s stacked up from the past half year. In the toy bins, you’re going through unused or broken toys and clearing house!
The light dusting? Yes, let’s rename this to INTENSE SCRUBBING.
We’re getting off the crud that’s built up on the….shower, sink, cabinets, fridge, walls, baseboards, etc.
Yes, I said baseboards. They will no longer look gray from the dust coating them. Their white paint will soon come back to life. Oh and the windows? Who knew how much black stuff came off those bad boys until you spray them down with Windex + take a cloth to them. A black handprint will show on your towel and you will feel real grody. But good. Grody good.
The fun part: REORGANIZING + REARRANGING
At least in my eyes, this is the FUN part. It’s my cup of tea. Once the room is starting to shape up, you can “change it up” a bit by moving things around. It can be BIG changes, like moving furniture. Or it can be MINI changes, like putting away your toaster + blender (since you haven’t used them in awhile) to give yourself some more counter space.
Before you turn off the lights from the room you’re working on, you’ll get a real sense of pride! It’s spotless! It couldn’t look any better! Onto the next….
And then you repeat this for…
Every. Room. In. Your. Home.
Spring Cleaning is a LOT OF WORK, as you already know. It’s not something you can do in one day (unless you’re Superwoman… or have a ton of help!) And even then, getting it done in a weekend is stretching it. At least for me. If you think otherwise, though, can I hire you? :)
My Dad always taught me, “If you’re going to do a job, do it right or not at all.” More about that here! So with Spring Cleaning, I like to take my time in each room of the house to make sure I’m doing it right!
However…the thought of “EVERYTHING I MUST DO” really started to stress me out. This coming weekend is the neighborhood yard sale, and I am in no way / shape / form ready for it. The last couple year’s, I’ve have my house spotless and clutter free. I’ve taken all my “junk” that others may consider “treasures” and sorted it on tables, for them to rummage through at the garage sale. That’s usually the “deadline” I impose on myself for when my Spring Cleaning needs to be wrapped up. Before the community sale!
This year, though? It may not happen. It may happen. But probably not.
(The clock is ticking, it’s two days ‘til Friday and I’ve got 2 rooms + a bathroom + a garage to sort through).
But you know what? I’m totally fine with it taking longer. And after some thought…
My mindset shifted from:
HOW AM I GOING TO GET ALL OF THIS DOWN BEFORE MAY 3RD?
To:
WHY DOES IT NEED TO GET DONE BEFORE MAY 3RD?!?
And here’s the kicker:
IT DOESN’T!
If there’s anything I’ve taken away from my 2019 Spring Cleaning adventure (other than a couple clean rooms, so far!), it’s to enjoy the journey. (Who says cleaning can’t be fun?!) Enjoy going through each room. Just like you should enjoy each and every day of life! If you have something else going on a day during the week, or over the weekend, it’s OK to take a break. Breathe! Go at your own pace. It will all be there tomorrow!
The only “deadline” you have is the one you set for yourself.
Drop the deadline! Your house doesn’t mind. Your sanity will thank you!
