My Spring Cleaning Top 5

Today is officially the first day of Spring! It is my favorite season for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that spring is the time for new beginnings. Samantha is literally beginning anew in a new house. I, on the other hand, have been living in my house for almost 5 years now. The urge to completely redo everything is sometimes overwhelming. But before I go on a shopping spree and redecorate, I need to spring clean. I know a little elbow grease and Windex will go a long way to make my home feel fresh and new again.

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I like to give my house a thorough going over, cleaning it literally from top to bottom, twice a year. If you do not have the time or the inclination to do that, don’t worry. Even a little cleaning will make your home more appealing if you do it right. Here’s my spring cleaning top 5 to-do list:

1. Let in the light and fresh air To make it feel like spring has sprung in your house, open up your windows and air everything out. While you are doing that, grab some Windex and paper towels and wash your windows. Clean windows make it much easier for you to appreciate spring's beauty when you are inside.  If you are feeling especially energetic, take down your curtains and throw them in the dryer (on low heat) with a dryer sheet. It’s less expensive than dry cleaning and just as effective.

2. Wash your bedding If you’re like me, you’ve spent practically the entire winter huddled under your blankets or duvet. Make your bed feel new again by throwing your duvet cover in the wash, or taking your non-machine washable blankets to the dry cleaner. If that seems like too much work you could try just hanging your blankets out on a clothesline, if you have one, to air them out. Don’t forget your pillows. Most are machine washable; just be sure to wash them two at a time so your machine is balanced.

3. Dust your baseboards and clear out the cobwebs One cleaning tool that I think everyone should own is the extendable Swiffer duster. It is three feet long at its full extension, which makes it great for eliminating any cobwebs that might be hanging out on your ceiling or light fixtures as well as any dust bunnies around your baseboards.

4. Clean out the fridge There are several great reasons you should clean out your refrigerator on a semi-regular basis. Aside from the fact that it just feels better to eat food that comes out of a clean fridge as opposed to a grimy one, you might have expired food that you don’t even know about. I can tell you from personal experience that you don’t want to find out your maple syrup is moldy after you’ve already poured it over your waffle.

5. Reorganize your closet I find it really difficult to figure out what to wear this time of year. But I know that as soon as I reorganize my closet, putting away all my heavy winter clothes and bringing out my lighter items, I’ll discover things I forgot I even had. Of course, I will also find things I haven’t worn in years that I need to donate or resell. It’s a win, win, win: rediscover great pieces you already own, possibly make some money on items you don’t use anymore, and free up space for anything new you want to add to your wardrobe. After going through everything you’ll have a much better idea of what you need to buy. One of the easiest ways to improve the way you feel about your home, not to mention the cheapest, is to clean it. I hope you are all inspired to get cleaning!