3SpringCleaningHacks (004)

Now is the perfect time to hit spring-cleaning hard and make our homes the safest and most enjoyable places to be.  We’ve collected our tried and true cleaning hacks to help kick it into high gear to help get you checking off your spring-cleaning list in no time.

1. Get Motivated

• Get Inspired: Set a 10-minute timer to screenshot or pin a few dream kitchens. You can find a plethora of dreamy ones here on our Pinterest boards. Now look at your kitchen.  How does it compare?  Does it have piles of papers and dirty dishes scattered across all horizontal surfaces? Let’s not get carried away, now is NOT the time to start demoing walls, it’s the time to make your current kitchen as clean and clutter-free as that dream kitchen (without any new construction).
• Pump up the Music: I can’t think of anything that has a greater capacity to change your mood (strong narcotics aside) than music. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been cruising down the road to a fun, pump-it-up song and realized, “holy buckets I’m driving like a speed demon!” Or been in a playful mood and heard a melancholy song that brought up difficult memories and voila, playful mood vanished, welcome somber one.  Music is so powerful. Let’s utilize it to our advantage.  Collect some of your favorite songs that give you energy and excitement and create a cleaning playlist.

2. Declutter + Delegate

• Clear the Clutter: my favorite starting place is the outside of my fridge. I remove all magnets and papers cluttering up the outside. If there is a must-keep paper, tape it inside a cabinet door that closes.  It’s now out of sight but still easily accessible. Or, simply take a photo of it on your phone and toss it in the recycling bin. My Instagram friend, Allie Casazza, has been inspiring me for years on this topic.  She has tons of online courses to show you how to regain control over your crap.  I cannot tell you how much happier I am when I actually listen, take action, and stop wasting time (and money) organizing and reorganizing ALL THE THINGS.  I love her simple and loving explanations that resonate with my motherhood experiences.  She offers tons of free information to help you cleanse your life of the unnecessary stuff that is taking up so much of your time.  She is a must-follow.
• Delegate: If your life resembles mine, you’re probably not the only one contributing to the chaos that you call home. I’ve got five kids who have their own piles of papers and unmatched socks filling up their space. It’s only fair that we join forces and tackle this project together.  Not only will it be more manageable (strength in numbers), it will help them stay-the-course as they leave the nest.  The old mantra “teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” clearly applies here.  These de-cluttering skills will follow them to college (one can hope) and their roommates will surely thank you.
• Baby Steps: Taking on your entire house will surely incite bouts of hyperventilating. It’s just so overwhelming! Which is why we highly suggest assigning one room to each day of the week. Start big (kitchen) or start small (laundry room) but either way, get started.  Progress over perfection is our motto when it comes to spring cleaning.

3. Utilize Peer Pressure

• Set a Deadline: It’s uncanny how quickly I can clean my house when someone announces they’re stopping by in 10 minutes. Its highly annoying that if there is no time limit, I will take an entire week to clean my house.  Obviously, a week-long cleaning and a 10-minute cleaning aren’t in the same realm but honestly, putting a deadline is always a good idea.  I sometimes invite people over solely for the deadline it provides. Also, it’s pretty much the only time my kids will participate in the cleaning process sans tantrums.
• Use Social Media: One time I posted a BEFORE picture of my bedroom before I had any motivation to clean and organize it. I just hit “post” and typed a big “BEFORE” as my caption.  Guess what happened?  I was not about to leave that before pic up without sharing the “after” pic very soon.  So, I got to work.  I made the bed, hauled the laundry out, and went through my never-ending pile of papers.  Once, that was done I felt much better and instantly inspired, “what if I tried the bed against this wall, and switched out these pillows, what if I added a few pictures here above the nightstand?” By the afternoon, I had a dazzling “AFTER” picture to showcase my newly cleaned and re-designed bedroom.  Peer pressure can be a highly motivating factor when used properly.

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