I have to admit, this topic is not one of my favorite. I can think of one hundred activities I would rather pursue than cleaning. I’d much rather organize something, or even do laundry! I like to have a clean house though so my only option is to get to it – with the help of the family of course!
Now that all the de-cluttering from last month is complete, the cleaning will be that much easier.
This has been a long, long winter for those of you in the northern states. It’s time to throw open the windows, purge the winter germs and get a fresh start for spring.
Tips to Make Cleaning Fun {well, you know what I mean!}
1. Make it a family affair – all of us are more motivated when we are working together. Decide what works best in your family, does everyone go their separate way to a separate task, or does everyone stick together? I’ve found that as the kids get older they can go off and work on projects without getting too distracted, the younger kids can hang around and help mom or dad.
2. Turn up the music – I have been known to turn up the Frozen tunes in order to get some extra willing hands. This tactic works best on my girlies, but my boys have been known to belt out a tune or two from Frozen. That’s just between you and me of course 😉
3. Make an enticing offer – everyone likes a little reward or acknowledgement for their hard work. After a day in the trenches it’s fun to watch a family movie, play a game or some other special treat.
4. Order take out – after a long day of hard work it’s nice to not have to think about dinner. Ordering pizza or take out is a great option and cleaning up is a snap.
Cleaning Tasks
1. Change bedding – take off the flannel sheets, launder and store for the fall. Break out the cotton sheets and make up fresh beds. Wash the mattress pads too. It’s a great time to wash comforters as well.
2. Re-arrange furniture – it makes me feel like I got the house really clean if I have moved stuff around! Perhaps you have a three season room that will become more functional as the weather warms. Consider sticking some book baskets out there filled with nature/bird books. The same could be done by a front or back porch/deck.
3. Switch out clothes – this is a great project for Lent. Go through all the winter clothes, discard, purge, donate. Pull out the spring/summer clothes and start a list of clothing that your children will need for the new season.
4. Clean the garage – this seems to be a weekly task for us with six kids and six kids worth of sports gear and outdoor stuff. The garage gets dirty! It’s helpful to have it clean and organized. It’s easy to drag the dirt from the garage into the house, and that just causes more cleaning in the house.
My Pinterest Spring Cleaning board is full of cleaning check lists and how to’s – no excuses now, time to get to work!
Uuuugghh. That’s all I am saying. I need to do all of this so badly and now here you are encouraging me. :-/ Good ideas, though. A little Frozen and the promise of a sweet treat might motivate some helpers around here.