Minimalist Spring Cleaning Tips and Tricks for Busy Moms
Spring cleaning is a great time to dig into those big cleaning projects that you haven’t had time for the rest of the year.
Those cleaning projects that are so big that you really only do them once a year.
But you may be wondering, “How am I supposed to get my Spring Cleaning done when I have so many other things on my plate every day?”
Well in this post, we are going to answer that question and show you how you can prioritize these large projects.
And if you prefer to watch instead of read, here is the video:
How to Find Time for Spring Cleaning
So how are you supposed to find time for extra cleaning in addition to doing your regular weekly cleaning, all the meals you have to prepare, and all the other little things that it takes to run a home?
And the answer is that you aren’t.
So the first thing that I want you to do if you are serious about getting spring cleaning done is:
1) Take a Week Off
Now, I’m not asking you to take a week off work or anything like that.
Instead, I want you to take a week off of 3 other things:
1. Your Regular Weekly Cleaning
If you don’t already have a regular weekly cleaning schedule that you use, you can check out How to Create a Weekly Cleaning Schedule in 5 Easy Steps or check out My Simple Weekly Cleaning Routine.
But if you do already have a weekly (or bi-weekly_ cleaning routine, I want you to take a week (or two) off of your regular routine.
I promise your toilets will be ok if you miss a week. They get cleaned all the time!
And instead of doing your weekly cleaning, we are going to take that time to do your Spring Cleaning.
If you have a Simple Weekly Cleaning Schedule as I recommend, you are giving yourself an extra 15-30 minutes per day (except for your day off) that you can work on your spring cleaning.
And if you really want to do spring cleaning on your day off… that’s totally up to you. I personally don’t do that because… I just don’t like cleaning that much! (And I get an automatic day off because of my religion… yes, please!)
But if you want to do Spring Cleaning on your day off, more power to you!
2. Your Regular Weekly Meal Plan
The second thing I want you to take a week off of is your regular weekly meal plan.
You guys know that I love to plan out my meals WAAAAAAAY in advance (like a whole year in advance), but when it comes to spring cleaning, that meal plan goes out the window for the week (or two) or spring cleaning.
Instead, I figure out the 6 easiest meals, plus my leftover day (which is the ultimate easiest meal, so I can’t forget that!) so that I can feed my family in as little time as possible.
This will give me a little extra time for some of those chores that take a little bit longer.
So grab a pen and paper right now and write down those 6 easiest meals… plus your leftover day!… and put them on the calendar.
3. Any Extra Appointments
And the last thing that I want you to take a week off of is any extra appointments.
You don’t want to do your spring cleaning on the same week that you have any doctor or dentist appointments.
You want to schedule your spring cleaning on a week that will make it easy for you to get it done.
2) Make a List
Now, I recommend that you don’t go on Pinterest or YouTube and use someone else’s list because… there are some crazy ones out there. With a million different things that need to be done on them.
So instead I want you to write your own list with the items that you actually think need to be done this week.
Remember when you’re making your list that you don’t need to write down all of your weekly cleaning.
I also wouldn’t down things that need to be done on a monthly basis like cleaning out the microwave or things like that.
This list is just for those large cleaning items that need to be done once a year. And also those cleaning items that take a little longer to do because remember that we are building in a little extra time by skipping our regular cleaning for the week.
3) Prioritize Your List
As you are prioritizing your list, think about the things that will make you feel most accomplished and will make your house feel the cleanest when you complete them.
As you are prioritizing the list, go ahead and rewrite the list in order according to your new priority. Starting with the item that you would most like to do and ending with the things that aren’t as important to do.
4) Get Realistic
Now let’s look at your list and at the amount of time that you have to do your cleaning.
So let’s say, just for example, that you are doing your spring cleaning in one week and that you don’t have any extra time to clean in other than those 15-30 minutes per day that you would normally be doing your weekly cleaning.
In that case, you would only want to choose ONE LARGE PROJECT, like cleaning your garage, to do during that week. Because that is something that you should be able to get done in 15-30 minutes every day of the week.
Or, you could choose 4-6 SMALLER PROJECTS like cleaning the baseboards, or cleaning the windows, or maybe even cleaning the ovens because those projects shouldn’t take as long to complete and you will likely be able to get more done.
5) Use Your Cleaning Time Slot
Now during your Spring Cleaning Week, you want to use your regular cleaning time slot.
We already have a time slot for cleaning in our Daily Block Schedule for our weekly cleaning. And since we are taking a week off of the weekly cleaning, and I want you to use that time for your spring cleaning.
This will make sure that you take time for your cleaning every day and that you stay on track for the week.
6) Get Everyone Involved
I feel like my two favorite tips to give are Make a List and Get Everyone Involved because I have them in so many posts… but they are good tips so I’m going to keep using them!
There are two ways to get everyone involved:
1) Have Everyone Else Keep Up WIth the Weekly Cleaning
The first way to have your family involved is to have your husband or an older child take over the weekly cleaning chores for the week.
This will keep your house clean so you can focus on Spring Cleaning.
2) Have Everyone Work Together
The other is to give everyone the week off from their regular weekly chores and have everyone help out with the spring cleaning.
It’s important for everyone to be involved in some way or other so they can respect the work that you do and help you keep things clean longer.
If you’d like a full breakdown for getting your family involved, be sure to check out my course, Put Your Home on AutoPilot, where I have 3 entire modules dedicated to getting everyone in the family to help out to the best of their ability (without having to nag them)!
Be sure you grab your free Easy Home Management Checklist to see every routine that will help simplify your life.
And if you want to check out my 6 part mini-series How to Easily Manage Your Home, you will see exactly how to set your home up for success!
Ready to Start Easily Managing Your Home?
Ready to Start Easily Managing Your Home?
If you are ready to get all of your routines in place so that your home practically runs itself, check out my course Put Your Home on Autopilot!
In Put Your Home on Autopilot, you will learn how to set up
- A Daily Block Schedule
- A Laundry Routine
- A Kitchen Cleaning Routine
- A Morning Routine for Mom
- A Morning Routine for Each Kid
- An Evening Routine for Each Kid
- An Evening Routine for Mom
- A Weekly Cleaning Routine
- A Chore Routine for Each Kid
- And More!
In just 8 weeks or less you will go from feeling overwhelmed to in control. And if you have any questions along the way, I’m only an email away!
I hope to see you inside the course!
(Or if you are more of a do-it-yourself kind of gal, you can check out my DIY Resources for Creating Your Routines.)
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(Or if you are more of a do-it-yourself kind of gal, you can check out my DIY Streamlining Resources!)
