The Seemingly Never Ending Winter Is Finally Ending!
Looking at the forecast over the next week it would seem that spring is finally upon us! I love spring because you finally get to strip of the layers, put on some sandals (or flip-flops) and enjoy some much needed warmth. This year spring didn’t seem like it was ever going to come and I know my house has felt the full force of the long winter. Tucked away for months in my warm home really took its toll on my carpets, windows, kitchen and all the other high traffic areas. So this spring cleaning will have to be especially thorough, but preparing for spring cleaning can be tough. Below we will offer up some suggestions and show you that spring cleaning does not have to be a reason to hate spring!
Create Checklists For Every Room In The House
Checklists ensure that the room is cleaned completely and properly. When making your checklists remember to include suggestions for who is best suited to handle each task and if you will need a professional to help with the task. Also make sure to include what tools will be needed for each of the tasks. After creating all of the cleaning checklists, take inventory on what tools will be needed and if you have sufficient stock to handle the job. By the time you are done you will have all the information you need to begin game-planning.
To help you out with your big spring clean we put together a simple checklist template. Just click the link below to download a pdf version that can be printed out.
Spring Cleaning Checklist Template
Game-Planning
A phrase that my wife uses regularly in our home. It basically means that we are going to have a family meeting to plan out who is doing what and on what timeline. I am typically free spirited and if I see something that needs done, I do it, but this is not always the best use of time when it comes to getting the spring cleaning done! The checklists created in the above step will help out a lot. Having everyone get together to discuss the tasks is also really great for building family unity. Those checklists you created talk about who you think is best suited for the job, but opening it up for discussion makes other people in your family feel that their opinion is valued. Believe it or not, spring cleaning can really be great for family bonding!
Assignments & Accountability
Once everyone has reached an agreement on who is doing what, tape all of the finalized checklists to the door of the room that it belongs to. This ensures that everyone clearly knows what their assignments are and as the tasks are completed they are checked off. If you have children a great idea is to offer some sort of reward when a room that they have assignments in is completed. This also creates accountability for the free spirited members of the family like me.
Reward Yourself & The Family For A Job Well Done
Checking off the last box of the last remaining uncompleted checklist feels great but what feels even better is knowing that there is a big reward at the end of it for the whole family! When sitting down at the game-planning phase of your big spring clean, make sure to set a big reward for the whole family. This could be as simple as a dinner out for everyone, a new item in the house to make things more enjoyable for everyone or maybe a trip to a theme park or favorite family destination. Either way it will make the whole experience more enjoyable for everyone and also prevent kids from dreading the spring cleaning next year!