Spring Cleaning All Year Round

If you have not read my last post on, Playing House – Tips on Chores, you can find tips on weekly chores. This post however is going to show how I organize my “deep clean” that happens once a month. The purpose of a deep clean is to keep your house organized and hygienic. If you really stick with doing this once a month, you will never feel overwhelmed with clutter or grime.

First thing first is planning this weekend in advance. At the beginning or end of each month, take the time to plan your next deep clean. Choose a weekend that is totally open (or as open as it can be), and devote yourself to getting the job done!

Secondly, when it’s about time, round up all cleaning supplies. These are the products I use…

 

 

I also make sure to have a laundry basket which I haul all my supplies in throughout the day. Have trash bags ready and pull your trash cans to the front of your house for easy access.

Day 1

1st strip all beds, round up all blankets, bathroom rugs, table cloths, etc and put them in the wash. You will continue this all day.

2nd get the bathrooms out of the way. My least favorite rooms to clean. Remove everything from them and begin spraying/wiping. I personally do everything – tubs, toilets, sinks, and floors.

3rd closets. Medicine closets, linen closets, clothes closets, any closet. Take everything out, throw old stuff away then reorganize. This particular step will take up the most time today. Put aside clothes that don't fit or you don't wear, bag them up and put in your car to donate to charity. Put the winter coats and wrinkled shirts in a bag for dry cleaning. The key to doing closets before diving into real cleaning is having a spot to put things away. You'll tend to just throw things wherever if you don't have a solid organized closet to start with.                              

4th time to clean! I start in the basement and work my way up. But I always leave the laundry room for last since laundry takes all day. Cleaning includes wiping down all surfaces and dusting. I tend to spray with 409, then scrub with a Clorox cloth, and wipe dry with a paper towel. This seems to really work well! 

Day 2

5th reorganize. Now is the time to move that piece of furniture you've been eyeing or rearrange books on your shelves. Basically put everything the way you want it to be. I like this part :)

6^th Windows. Grab Windex and go to town.

7th sweep, vacuum, mop. Always save this for last because in the shuffle you accumulate dirt and trash. This includes your laundry room – don’t forget about that!

8^th Head to your car and drop clothes off at charities or thrift stores. Purchase any little things you may need, like baskets, boxes or new trash cans. Don’t forget to roll all your trash to the front for pickup!

For a finale, light candles in every room! Now enjoy your clean home!

Thrifty Tip: wear pants with pockets. I like to collect all the money around the house and see how much I made cleaning. Then I take it and spend it on something cute for the house. This month I made $8.00!

Do this deep clean in your own home and take before/after pictures. Post them here!