Spring is just around the corner, and that means it’s almost time to get started with the cleaning and organizing you’ve been avoiding all winter. If you’re like me, it takes more than just some unsightly windows and cluttered drawers to motivate myself to tackle a big cleaning project. That’s why I’ve created this weeklong spring cleaning challenge.
In this challenge, we’ll cover different cleaning projects each day. Don’t worry–each day’s work won’t take more than an hour or two to complete, so even the busiest among us should be able to find time to fit the whole challenge in. By the end of the week, it will all be worth it when you look around your house and see the sparkling surfaces just in time for spring.
Day 1: Kitchen
On the first day of our spring cleaning challenge, we’ll start with one of the most grueling places to get it out of the way early. If you’ve been cooking indoors all winter, odds are grease and cooking oils have made their way into your oven, microwave, toaster, and cooking surfaces. Today is all about the degreaser and elbow grease.
For a homemade degreaser, mix a few drops of lemon or citrus with white vinegar and water and put them together in a spray bottle. For spots that are caked on, spray first, let them soak and sprinkle with baking soda while you clean the rest of the kitchen. This will loosen the grease so you can go back and scrub it off later.
Day 2: Bathroom
While we’re tackling the tough rooms, let’s head to the bathroom on day two. A thorough bathroom cleaning doesn’t just include the sink, toilet, and tub, but also their drains. It’s also a good time to change curtain liners or clean your shower door. Spraying Rain-X on the door after cleaning it will keep it from getting foggy for a couple months.
Today is also a good day to go through your medicine cabinet and get rid of anything that’s expired. Then, make a list of supplies you need to restock.
Day 3: Bedrooms
Today let’s take a break from scrubbing. Head into the bedrooms and change the sheets. Clean mirrors, vacuum, and then dust all of the surfaces (in that order–you don’t want to kick up debris from the carpets once you’ve already dusted).
The last task for today is to declutter. It’s a good time to go through drawers and pick out clothes you no longer wear to donate. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself if you wore it in the last year or two. If not, odds are it won’t be missed very much.
Day 4: Living Room
The living room is the area of the house people like to keep most presentable, and therefore usually doesn’t appear dirty at a first glance. However, since it’s also the room that gets a lot of foot traffic, you’ll likely find that the carpets, sofa cushions, and curtains could use a good cleaning.
Day 5: Windows
This one is pretty self-explanatory. But it’s useful to do them all in one day so you don’t have to keep pulling out the paper towels and Windex.
Day 6: Refrigerator and Pantry
Get rid of expired condiments, and toss out or donate canned foods that have been sitting in your cabinets for over a year. If you need to de-ice your freezer or change water filters in your freezer now is the time.
Day 7: Car
For the last day, let’s head outside and clean your vehicle. If this day doesn’t apply to you, it could be a good time to clean out the garage or wash outdoor furniture.
To help you out, print out this checklist and stick it on your refrigerator until you’ve completed the challenge.
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