Tips and tricks for an effective spring cleaning

No, you can't do everything in two days

Even if you'd surely like to get this heavy task done quickly, it's unfortunately impossible, and will only lead to exhaustion. Instead, spread the project over a period of about three to four weeks, focusing on only one room or area each week. 

Breaking it down into small tasks

To avoid getting discouraged, first try to break down the big clean into several small tasks. Here's an example of a weekly game plan, to be adapted, of course, to the time you have available and the type of home you live in.

Week 1 – Kitchen and dining room

• Empty and clean the refrigerator
• Sort the pantry (throw away expired food, clean, and reorganize)
• Clean the oven and microwave
• Wash cabinets (inside and out)
• Dust light fixtures
• Clean baseboards, walls, and windows

Week 2 – Bedrooms

• Flip mattresses
• Wash all bedding (including duvet and pillows if washable)
• Sort wardrobes (download our small tip to help you!)
• Clean under beds
• Clean baseboards, walls, and windows

Week 3 – Living room and common areas

• Clean behind and under furniture
• Clean sofas
• Sort magazines, books, and toys
• Dust decorative items and frames
• Clean baseboards, walls, and windows

Week 4 – Bathrooms and forgotten areas

• Descaling showerheads
• Clean joints and grout
• Empty and reorganize the medicine cabinet
• Wash rugs and shower curtains
• Clean often-neglected areas (tops of cabinets, fans, light fixtures, etc.)

The 15-15-15 rule

For each room, divide the work into sessions of a maximum of 15 minutes. For example, for the kitchen:

• 15 minutes: refrigerator
• 15 minutes: pantry
• 15 minutes: oven and microwave
• 15 minutes: upper cabinets
• 15 minutes: lower cabinets

This approach helps avoid discouragement when faced with an overwhelming task and fits more easily into the family schedule. Thus, you can simply allocate 15 minutes to cleaning before starting dinner, 15 minutes while the children play outside, and 15 minutes when they are asleep.

Involving the whole family 

Spring cleaning shouldn't just be a job for parents! Here's how to divide tasks according to your children's age:

3 to 5 years old:

• Pick up toys in each room
• Clean baseboards with a wet cloth
• Sort and put away children's books

6 to 8 years old:

• Dust surfaces at their height
• Empty small trash cans
• Clean mirrors at their height
• Completely tidy their room 

9 to 12 years old:

• Vacuum 
• Wash windows within their reach
• Clean bathrooms
• Sort their wardrobe (suggest this small tip to help them!)

Teens:

• Take charge of cleaning their room 
• Clean a common room
• Help with physical tasks (moving furniture, outdoor cleaning, etc.)

The game plan

To ensure you stick to the established plan, create a list and display it prominently; simply check off each task when it's completed! Do you want a list that's easy to modify and accessible to every family member? Create it on our Octave app, which also allows you to concretely assign each task, so everyone pitches in!

Accepting imperfection

Your house will never be as perfect as those you sometimes see on social media, and that's completely normal! The goal of spring cleaning isn't to achieve a perfect level of order and cleanliness, but rather to create a cleaner, better organized, and thus more pleasant living space.

If you only manage to accomplish 80% of your list, congratulate yourself! And if some weeks you lack motivation or your schedule doesn't allow you time to stick to the established plan, don't worry; spring is here to stay for a few months! So, take your time, go one bite at a time, and celebrate each small victory! 

Do you prefer to do a deep clean throughout the months rather than all at once in spring? Discover our "One Room/Month Challenge", which offers a concrete game plan and practical tools to help you clean and declutter one room of the house per month, over a full year.