The birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and the days are longer. There is something about spring that always fills me with joy, no matter how down I’ve been previously. The springtime is often a great time to reset and refresh as well.
Some people do this by changing their hair, or some may decide to take up a new skill or hobby. A common occurrence for most people around this time is what is known as spring cleaning.
In this post I’ll be sharing the many benefits of spring cleaning, examples of what to do, and I’ll end by giving you a few resources if you’d like to take your cleaning even deeper.
There are also two free spring cleaning checklists available! Download them below!
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4 Benefits of Spring Cleaning
I believe that spring is the best season for your health, in my biased opinion.
When you think about it though, seasonal depression starts lifting, the warmer weather lets you spend more time outside, and overall people seem to be in a better mood.
When you add in a clean home filled with fresh air flowing through clean windows, the benefits only get larger.
Improves Your Mental Health
When your surroundings have less clutter, your mind will be less cluttered. In fact, Psychology Today states, “research shows that every hour of cleaning you do each week is associated with a 53% boost in happiness.” Imagine how big of a boost that is when you are doing a deep clean with the ultimate spring cleaning checklist!
Improves Your Physical Health
Cleaning your entire house is a great way to get some movement in your day and burn calories. This can get your endorphins going.
Then who knows, maybe you’ll want to add even more movement into your day? Therefore, cleaning benefits your physical health.
Prevents Illness
The cleaner your house, the less germs that are present. This can help prevent you from getting sick. Allergies are enough of a downer for your health in the springtime.
The less other illnesses we get exposed to, the better. You can even prioritize your cleaning to-do list based on activities that will help prevent illness.
Healthline suggests tasks like cleaning your most used items and the most trafficked areas in the home more often.
Improves Focus
It can be hard to be focused on important tasks, or even family time, when you are surrounded by clutter.
When you take the time to clean your space you may notice more feelings of productivity, clarity, and more. It gives you space to focus on the more important people and things in life.
Spring Cleaning 101
There are a couple of different ways that you can approach your spring cleaning tasks. The most popular ways are by room or by task/project. One isn’t better than the other, in my opinion, it comes down to personal preference.
This is where having a spring cleaning list comes in handy. It is a great idea to keep you focused on what you’ve accomplished, and what still needs to be done.
Plus, once you’ve gone through the deep cleaning checklist you can divide it into a weekly cleaning checklist.
Don’t forget to claim your free printable spring cleaning checklist. The good thing? There are two free printables for you to choose from.
By Room
This is probably the most common way to spring clean. Cleaning your entire home all at once is a daunting task.
Instead, it’s a good idea to take your whole house and divide it into rooms – for example, you can do two rooms at a time like your laundry room and living room or just focus on one.
It works well if you only have time to do one or two rooms. Then you can just pick up the next day with the next room. After a long winter it will feel good to go room-by-room slowly but steadily!
With this method you’ll be doing both big and small tasks together. I recommend getting the big tasks out of the way then moving to the smaller ones.
In the printable “by room” printable you’ll see that I’ve got two columns for each room. The first one lists all the activities and the second one is blank. This gives you a space to create your own routine so that you can create a plan of action.
By Task
For the people that don’t thrive in perfect organization, I’ve got a spring cleaning checklist printable for you too. In this method you are doing your cleaning by task.
For example, you could start by organizing your closet but then head to the kitchen to clean out the pantry and fridge.
I like to think of this as a plan for the non-planners. It gives you the structure to know what you need to do, but the freedom to decide what you want to do when.
You’ll also find two columns on this printable. While most tasks are divided by room, The blank column has no separated sections, just a checklist. You can either write out the order you want to clean ahead of time or plan as you go.
Before You Start Spring Cleaning
Before you start getting into cleaning mode, there are a few things to keep in mind. You’ll also need to prep as well.
Plan Out Your Time
Regular day-to-day cleaning can take up time on a normal day. Deep cleaning will definitely do it as well. This means that you’ll need to do some planning.
Are you breaking it up into smaller segments over a week? Or maybe you have the extra time and you’re going to block out the whole day, maybe two? This is something you’ll have to consider before you start preparing to start your spring clean.
Gather Your Supplies
If you are going to be doing some deep cleaning, you’ll need to stock up on cleaning supplies.
You can either buy it all from the store, or make the cleaners yourself. If you choose the buying option, you can still get great products that are eco-friendly and safe for your family.
It’s all about doing the research and making the best choice for your home.
Speaking of supplies, here are the cleaning items you’ll want to have on hand.
Did I miss any? Let me know in the comments.
One of our favorite places to buy eco-friendly and non-toxic cleaning supplies is Thrive Market. They have so many options at a really great price point.
This link gives you 40% off your first order and a free gift worth $60 – that’s a huge savings and a great way to get all of your supplies at a massive discount.
Get Ready To Clean!
Now that you have all your supplies, your printable spring cleaning checklist, and solid spring cleaning plans, It’s time to start cleaning. If you aren’t sure about this whole spring cleaning process, I totally get it.
That’s why I wanted to end this post by giving you a few more resources you can check out to learn more.
3 Additional Spring Cleaning Resources
For more information, techniques, and spring cleaning tips and tricks, check out these resources.
Marie Kondo Netflix Special & Book: Her book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up became a hit when it was released in 2014. The Netflix special is equally as great. Choose whichever one you want or check them both out.
Spring Cleaning Reading: This list includes some Marie Kondo, plus more authors sharing their best tips with you.
Clean With Me Videos: Sometimes It can be helpful to see what others are doing before attempting it yourself. Watching some Clean With Me vlogs will give you the inspiration you may need to get started.
Don’t forget to download your free printable checklist for spring cleaning. Let me know if you’ll be doing some spring cleaning in the comments below.
About the Author
Kelly graduated from Liberty University with a degree in Advertising and Public Relations and a minor in Journalism. Even though it took her a little while to find her career path, she was always meant to be in Communications. She remembers writing poems and songs when she was a little girl and pitching to my parents the reasons why I should have a cell phone when I was a teenager. She currently has a blog (budding-joy.com) where she talks about her weight-loss journey, mental health and personal development. Her hope is to encourage and inspire readers and let them know they are not alone. Reading blog posts like that are what helped her in tough times and she wants to pay it forward. She loves dance fitness, listening to music, and creating layouts in her bullet journal. She’s a big fan of planning, especially when cute notebooks and pens are involved.
Her dream job has changed so much over the years; right now she’d love to co-own a dance studio.
Website: budding-joy.com