Spring Cleaning * Part I

Hello...yes I'm back! Ugh I feel terrible...these little spurts...one blog here one blog there...I act as if I have a life or something. Soon...very soon...I should be able to get it together I believe. I feel like I keep saying that.

Today brings me to spring cleaning. Mostly because it's sunny...yesterday was 70 degrees out. Even though today it's not supposed to be over 45 Spring is on it's way. I think this will get split into 3 blogs. It'll be easier than one solid huge long post! :)

Here's the thing about spring cleaning. I hate it. So instead of waiting once a year to go through and throw stuff away or get rid of it or donate it...I do it many times throughout the year. I hate clutter. But it's a simple thing to handle once you decide to do it. I'm going to give you my tips and you can do with them what you want. I'll also give you some tips to help keep the clutter down during your spring cleaning times. Personally I strive for at least 4 times a year of purging. This also helps when you have kids...mainly because they're constantly getting new stuff...and so we cycle through everything to make sure everything is either getting played with or someone less fortunate is able to have something to play with.

First. Pick a room. Not the biggest...not the messiest...not the most cluttered. You don't want to get bogged down. I like to start in the kitchen. It's the easiest to clean and the fastest. Basically I make sure the dishes, stove top and oven are spotless and dishes are put away. Once that's finished I tackle the tupperware. This is one of those things that irritates me beyond belief. Mostly because I mean hello....no one puts it away properly. This spring I'll be cycling out the excess bottles since Hadleigh will soon be starting on a sippy cup. I still need a few because she still is breastfeeding and still needs a bottle...she's only going on 6 months. Tupperware is the hardest to keep straight. People just don't put it away the same. On top of that every house hold is plagued by the Tupperware Monster who comes and eats pieces leaving a rogue piece somewhere. So I organize and make sure everything is matching. If it's not. Trash. I clean out the fridge of all the leftovers I know we aren't going to finish and organize the cabinets (another place that no one does like me...it ends up messy!) Once that's done, I sweep and mop. The kitchen is done!

During the spring cleaning if you are behind on laundry...I normally do a few loads. I strive for 2 loads of laundry a day start to finish. However once you're all caught up it's hard to have full loads. I however don't mind small loads. It keeps down the hassle. When doing laundry as soon as it's done in the dryer I fold it and stack it on the dryer while it's drying the next load. Once the load is folded or hung everything gets put away. It's the easiest way to keep up with laundry. Laundry makes clutter. However I do have to say I skip days. I regret it the next day...or the next day. But sometimes you just want to be lazy.

Now that your kitchen is done...move to the bathroom. It's one place that's easy to accumulate junk. I go through my under sink area. Reorganize and get rid of random stuff that gets shoved under there! Trash goes out and the sink, toilet, tub, walls & floor all get scrubbed! It's one of the easier rooms to get done. Mostly because I scrub the tub once a week. The toilet, sink & floor are all done daily (something you MUST do with a house full of little men!). This room shouldn't take you long at all!!!

Alrighty...you've now completed at least 2 rooms...(might take you a bit longer when you've got a ton of bathrooms...but generally they're a quick clean!

Check back tomorrow for your living room & dining area....

Happy Cleaning!