Did you know Mimi Tanner, author of "Declutter Fast - How To Get Your Home In Order Almost Immediately" ? I've leaned a lot from here. I wanna share today about one tradition that few people talk about now is the tradition of Spring Cleaning. Once upon a time,Spring Cleaning was expected, and was a matter of pride.
Times have changed, but there are still plenty of us who miss traditions like Spring Cleaning - where the entire house gets aired out and scrubbed from top to bottom, inside and out - and the clutter gets tossed ( it happens in the Philippines when fiesta is approaching)!
Whether you do your Spring Cleaning in the Spring or some other time of year, the idea of Spring Cleaning is that once per year, all the nooks and crannies in your home get a real cleaning - and the really big jobs get done!
Spring Cleaning is a wonderful old tradition which we must keep alive, don't you agree?
Her friend and fellow author, Maria Gracia, shares this love of the once-a-year deep cleaning tradition. She has several hints to share on how to Spring Clean your home:
1. Make yourself a schedule that is comprised of one hour and one task each day. Your schedule may look something like this:
Monday: Decluttering
Tuesday: Dusting
Wednesday: Vacuuming
Thursday: Scrubbing
Friday: Organizing and Rearranging
Saturday: Laundering
Sunday: Decorating
Then, spend 30 minutes to one hour each day doing your assigned task for each room, throughout your house. You'll be amazed at the difference you can make in your home by following this simple system.
2. Be ruthless.
If you don't love it, and/or you don't use it, it's clutter. Make it a quest of yours to be ruthless when it comes to your decluttering efforts. You'll have less to dust, less clutter to look it, an easier time finding thethings you do use and less stress in your life.
3. Donate or sell.
If you have items that you don't use, but are in good condition, they are prime candidates to sell or donate. Gather all of these items together in boxes or plastic
bags. Then, decide whether you would prefer to donate them or sell them.
4. Make your spring cleaning and organizing fun.
Don't think of it as a chore. Instead, think of it as a'feel good' exercise--one that will really help you to feel good about yourself and your clean and organized
environment.
Play some lively, fun, upbeat music. Dance your way through your home or office with your dust rag or vacuum. Get the family involved. Give everyone a task,and then do something relaxing afterwards, like watching a movie together or going to the park for a walk.
Set timers and play 'beat the clock.' Give yourself time limits for completing small tasks, and try to complete those tasks before the timer goes off.
Ask a friend to help, or do a swap. You clean her living room if she'll clean your kitchen.
5. Open your windows.
There's nothing like taking in a breath of fresh air. As you're cleaning, open the windows. You'll be removing musty winter odors, protecting yourself from inhaling
harsh fumes from cleaning products and the fresh air will keep you going.
While you're at it, let the sun shine in. Open curtains and drapes to give yourself plenty of light for an energy boost.
These tips are very helpful for me as we've just moved to a new apartment and I want to organize our new home almost immediately.
Times have changed, but there are still plenty of us who miss traditions like Spring Cleaning - where the entire house gets aired out and scrubbed from top to bottom, inside and out - and the clutter gets tossed ( it happens in the Philippines when fiesta is approaching)!
Whether you do your Spring Cleaning in the Spring or some other time of year, the idea of Spring Cleaning is that once per year, all the nooks and crannies in your home get a real cleaning - and the really big jobs get done!
Spring Cleaning is a wonderful old tradition which we must keep alive, don't you agree?
Her friend and fellow author, Maria Gracia, shares this love of the once-a-year deep cleaning tradition. She has several hints to share on how to Spring Clean your home:
1. Make yourself a schedule that is comprised of one hour and one task each day. Your schedule may look something like this:
Monday: Decluttering
Tuesday: Dusting
Wednesday: Vacuuming
Thursday: Scrubbing
Friday: Organizing and Rearranging
Saturday: Laundering
Sunday: Decorating
Then, spend 30 minutes to one hour each day doing your assigned task for each room, throughout your house. You'll be amazed at the difference you can make in your home by following this simple system.
2. Be ruthless.
If you don't love it, and/or you don't use it, it's clutter. Make it a quest of yours to be ruthless when it comes to your decluttering efforts. You'll have less to dust, less clutter to look it, an easier time finding thethings you do use and less stress in your life.
3. Donate or sell.
If you have items that you don't use, but are in good condition, they are prime candidates to sell or donate. Gather all of these items together in boxes or plastic
bags. Then, decide whether you would prefer to donate them or sell them.
4. Make your spring cleaning and organizing fun.
Don't think of it as a chore. Instead, think of it as a'feel good' exercise--one that will really help you to feel good about yourself and your clean and organized
environment.
Play some lively, fun, upbeat music. Dance your way through your home or office with your dust rag or vacuum. Get the family involved. Give everyone a task,and then do something relaxing afterwards, like watching a movie together or going to the park for a walk.
Set timers and play 'beat the clock.' Give yourself time limits for completing small tasks, and try to complete those tasks before the timer goes off.
Ask a friend to help, or do a swap. You clean her living room if she'll clean your kitchen.
5. Open your windows.
There's nothing like taking in a breath of fresh air. As you're cleaning, open the windows. You'll be removing musty winter odors, protecting yourself from inhaling
harsh fumes from cleaning products and the fresh air will keep you going.
While you're at it, let the sun shine in. Open curtains and drapes to give yourself plenty of light for an energy boost.
These tips are very helpful for me as we've just moved to a new apartment and I want to organize our new home almost immediately.
PS. This is a scheduled post as we still don't have internet
connection:(
3 comments:
that's great. very organized.
wow, this is great. I love this style of cleaning, hahaha! But not sure if I can do it myself...
I definitely learn something from this. Sira ako when it comes to scheduling esp now na nawiwili ako sa blogging. 30 minutes lang per task, yung music ginagawa ko yun and it really works naman di mo nararamdaman tapos ka na sa task habang sinasabayan mo yung music.
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