Schedule cleaning sessions.
Most people tackle spring cleaning by making a long list of tasks they want to get done. The problem with that approach is that you will be cleaning well into the autumn if the list is long enough. You want to make most of your spring cleaning, but keep your expectations to a manageable level.
One way to make things easier is to schedule two or three cleaning sessions. Set aside a few hours on different days. That time is going to be spent solely on spring cleaning tasks. Make arrangements to keep disruptions to a minimum and be prepared for the task before it starts.
You should have a small list of must-do tasks to tackle in your cleaning sessions, but don’t over do it unless you want to spend the rest of the year cleaning.
Prepare your cleaning gear.
You don’t want o spend half of your spring cleaning sessions gathering or purchasing supplies. A week or so before you scheduled your first cleaning session, take inventory of the cleaning gear you have on hand. If you need to replace worn out equipment or replenish your cleaning products, you have plenty of time before your first session starts.
Hire a skip bin.
If you are doing a thorough spring cleaning job, you may have plenty of rubbish to remove. A skip bin can make that much easier for you. All you need to do is load the bin with your household waste. Then, the skip bin hire company will remove the bin and take it for tipping or recycling.
Hiring a skip bin will save you time and frustration. You won’t need to package the rubbish and take it to the tip or dump. You won’t have to wait in line or deal with the process. The skip bin company will handle it for you.
Keeps waste organised
During a renovation, you will produce a lot of waste. It is important to sort out the waste as it comes out of the building. Some materials will go directly into the skip bin. Others may need to be set aside for special handling. If you are producing a lot of different materials, the skip bin hire company may recommend having more than one skip, each handling a different type of material.
By having a skip bin on site, you can keep the materials organised. That makes it easier to get the materials off site and properly disposed of.
Tackle the biggest jobs first.
What is the biggest cleaning project you want to tackle? Maybe sorting out the garage or deep cleaning the fridge or freezer. No matter what the task is, that is the one you should start with.
Tackling the biggest project first will give you plenty of time to get it done. Plus, when you get it done, you will have a huge sense of accomplishment. You will be ready to tackle the next item on your spring cleaning list.
Delegate and participate.
Unless you live alone, there is more than one person making the mess. And it is not fair for one person to be in charge of doing all the deep cleaning. Get the rest of the family to participate in the spring cleaning fun.
Older children can clean out and organise their closets. Younger children can help you sort out which toys they currently use and which ones they have outgrown. Adults in the household can definitely move furniture and hoover behind it.
Put off regular cleaning.
You do your regular cleaning tasks first thing on Saturday morning. You have scheduled a three-hour spring cleaning session for early in the afternoon and decide to clean out the main closet.
You pull everything out and then deep clean the closet, before putting everything back in organised and de-cluttered. You turn around and see the rest of the room. It is covered with dust that came out of the closet. There are bits of paper and debris on the carpet from items you pulled out. It looks like you didn’t clean it at all.
When you are doing deep cleaning, debris and dust will spill out into other spaces. Put off doing your regular cleaning until after the deep cleaning session. It will keep down the amount of rework you need to do and the frustration that would accompany it.
Donate, recycle and reuse.
As you are deep cleaning your home, you may come across things that you can no longer use. What do you do with those items?
- Donate where appropriate. Providing donations to worthy organisations is a great way to extend the usable life of items in good conditions.
- Give them away to friends and family. The clothes that no longer fit you may work for a sister, mother, daughter or best friend. Your niece or nephew might be able to use the toys your older kids have out grown.
- Reuse if appropriate. Old shirts and towels make great cleaning cloths. A coffee tin can become storage for a child’s art supplies.
- Recycle if possible. If you cannot find a new use for or donate an item, try and recycle it. Glass, aluminium, steel, and some forms of plastic can go into the recycle bin.
Reward yourself.
Almost no one likes to do spring cleaning. It is one of those things that people avoid because they don’t like the hard work and dirty feeling involved. But, deep cleaning is necessary to keep the home clean. One way to push yourself to do spring cleaning is to reward yourself.
The incentive you use depends on you and your family. You can schedule a day at the spa for yourself. You might treat your family to a movie or a meal at a favorite restaurant. You might give your child a new video game or book, whichever is most desirable.
A bit of planning and some hard work will really transform your home. As the weather warms for summer, your home will look neat and smell like the spring flowers. When you need to hire a skip bin, give us a call here at Action Bins. We have skips the perfect size for a spring cleaning, renovation project, or garden clean-out.