5 Spring Cleaning Tips After a Year of Lockdown

A generic spring cleaning checklist can offer you some guidelines to help you get started. Use what works for you and try not to get caught up or anxious about checking off all of the boxes on the list. Having the proper mindset is key. Try creating your own individualized spring cleaning checklist.

1. Gather your favorite spring cleaning supplies and keep them in a central location.
Brenda G. is a mom of five and a business owner. “The best thing I did for our family, was to purchase a few large cleaning caddies and place my favorite sprays and cleaners in it. I also included microfiber cloths, sponges, and tattered t-shirts in the container,” she explained to Mom.com. “This way, everything is in one place and I’m not running around looking for this or that when it’s time to clean.” Keep supplies tucked away in a cleaning closet. This makes delegating cleaning to your partner or children simple since everything is in its place ready to go.

2. Implement cleaning strategies from pros
If you’re stuck on where to begin, look to the pros for assistance. Professional organizer Hellen Buttigieg shared with Mom.com how to deep clean your bedroom, since she believes that cluttered and disorganized spaces can hinder our ability to relax. “Start by clearing the tops of your night tables and all other flat surfaces. Keep just the essentials out — a lamp, a clock, and the book you are currently reading. Everything else can be stored in a drawer or kept in a basket nearby,” she suggested at the start of lockdown last year.

Chances are your kitchen able has had to do double-duty in the last year. Not only is it a place for meals and snacks, but it’s also become a virtual learning workspace or remote office. After a year of lockdown and making home ‘work’ for everyone in the family, it’s time to spring clean those heavily-trafficked areas that have gone unattended.

3. Recycle paper clutter
You may be surprised at how much paper you’ve accumulated over the last year. Without direct access to the recycling bin at the end of the hallway at the office, the stacks can add up. Parents who found themselves homeschooling or facilitating online virtual learning, have likely been inundated with more paper than they know what to do with. Here are some easy ways to deal with all of it.

• Scour your local Facebook bank and neighborhood pages for paper shredding organizations drop-off events
• If your local trash pick-up provides recycling services, invest in some bins and keep them tucked away.
• If you’re crafty and up for saving some of your paper trash, try upcycling. During lockdown, so many of us found new hobbies and interests to occupy our time. While some tried their hand at baking, others took to journaling or mixed-media art. Hold on to some interesting scraps of paper and create something beautiful.

With everyone home all day, chances are you’re doing a lot of laundry. There are more spills, more time spent outside, kids changing every hour for dress-up play — your laundry room washing machine and dryer are likely in need of some TLC.

4. Take care of surfaces first
Dust and wipe down each surface from top to bottom and vacuum cabinets, corners, and crevices. While there are plenty of products available in the store, you can get the job done with simple supplies like baking soda, vinegar and water.

5. Spring clean your appliances
Simply fill the washer with hot water, add vinegar or bleach and let the machine run its cycle. Once complete, use a mix of baking soda and water on a brush to clean around the top perimeter and under gaskets. Wipe clean with water. Often there’s a tub-clean setting on machines, but if not you can simply run the largest setting with bleach or vinegar and wipe everything down when the cycle is complete.

While it may feel therapeutic to get back to ‘normal’ in the coming months, it’s important to remember that we’re not the same people we were back in February 2020. It’s ok if everything on your spring cleaning to-do list doesn’t get done in the timeframe you want. What truly matters, and what is most meaningful in life, are relationships and time spent with family and friends, not the state of your baseboards — despite what your inner dialogue is telling you.