Making Better Decisions: Clean Up Your Spring Cleaning Habits

Spring Cleaning

Making Better Decisions: Clean Up Your Spring Cleaning Habits | Naturepedic Blog

I am not sure what causes the biological urge to clean in the springtime, but it’s a very real thing for me. At the first sign of warmer days and singing birds, my house’s windows are open to let in the fresh air and I start to clean up and declutter the house. Maybe it’s about the renewing energy of spring, or maybe it’s that I am officially out of excuses for why I can’t clean out my car. Either way, spring is finally here, and it’s time to clean up.

Unfortunately, it’s really easy to get burnt out when you’re doing a whole house’s worth of spring cleaning, and most people don’t have efficient cleaning habits. This blog post will help you clean up your spring cleaning habits to stay efficient and on-task, as well as environmentally-friendly!

Plan Your Project

I am a person who needs a list, a plan, and maybe even a binder before I get started with a project. Start your spring cleaning with a to-do list so that you don’t get burnt out and give up halfway through. You might be able to get most of your spring cleaning done in one day or over a weekend, or you might want to spread it out and just work a few hours at a time.

As you are preparing your spring cleaning session...

1. Conserve Energy: Turn off the air conditioner and open up your windows. This will keep fresh air circulating without spending extra energy in your home. You can even turn off the lights if you get enough sunlight.

2. Conserve Water: Arrange your cleaning to-do list so that all water related chores are handled efficiently. Don’t run the washing machine or dishwasher until you have a full load. You can also wait to do the mopping until you can do it all at once, rather than filling your mop bucket up for each room.

3. Reduce Your Footprint: Arrange to drop off your decluttered items to a local charity shop or secondhand store. If you can, wait until you have a full car load so you only have to make one trip. You’ll save gas and time!

4. Avoid Waste: As much as possible, recycle, upcycle, or donate items that you don’t need instead of just throwing them away.

5. Prepare Your Cleaning Supplies: Review our tips on organic cleaning supplies.

Ready, Set, Clean!

Spring cleaning can be an overwhelming project, but all it takes to get started is one small task off your to-do list. I like to handle my spring cleaning with a “category” approach, meaning I do a similar task throughout the whole house instead of moving room-by-room. I also build in breaks to keep my energy and focus on-task. Here’s how I do it:

1. Dishes, Laundry, Trash: Move through the whole house and gather all of the dirty dishes, then take them to the kitchen. Do the same with all of the dirty laundry and take it to the laundry room. Finally, do the same with trash and recycling. Just getting things in the place where they belong is half the battle of spring cleaning, and moving by category is much more efficient.

2. Schedule Breaks: Build in time to take regular breaks, or you will get sidetracked and lose focus. If you can clean and stay on task for 45 minutes, go with a 45/15 ratio (45 minutes of work, 15 minutes of rest). If you find yourself losing focus, go in 30 minute sessions with a 10-15 minute break. Building the rest time into your schedule helps you stay motivated when you’re working because you know a break is coming soon.

3. Use Music: Put together a playlist of fast-paced songs that make you want to move. This will help you stay motivated and move through your cleaning projects with enthusiasm and terrible dance moves.

Do a Deep Clean

Spring cleaning is more than just a general clean-up of your home. It’s the perfect time to dig into the big projects you may not remember all the time, like cleaning out the fridge and freezer, vacuuming underneath the couch, rotating your mattress, and cleaning your air ducts.

Here are some ways you can continue to reduce your carbon footprint and improve your natural lifestyle after your spring clean:

1. Shop the Pantry: When you clean out your pantry and freezer, you’ll probably find a ton of food you forgot you had. Save money and reduce food waste when you implement a no-spend week (or month) and eat what you already have! It will save you a trip to the store and you can spend your grocery shopping time cooking new recipes with the family.

2. Buy in Bulk: When it’s time to replenish your stores again, shop in bulk! Bulk shopping helps reduce cost and waste, and if you plan it right it will even reduce trips to the grocery store, which means less carbon emissions from driving your car around. Even the big bulk stores like Costco offer organic and natural groceries.

3. Improve Air Quality: If you haven’t changed the air filter in your furnace or had your ducts cleaned recently, buy a new filter and make an appointment for your ducts. These small changes will improve the air quality in your home, which is especially important for children.

Let’s Get Started!

Which spring cleaning tips will you implement to make your spring clean more efficient this year? What project are you most looking forward to finishing?


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