Does the mere thought of spring cleaning make you groan or immediately feel overwhelmed? If you’re like most moms, you want to deep clean your home, but struggle to do so. It seems like you can’t find the time or the energy! Here are my top 10 spring cleaning tips for busy moms to help you make spring cleaning happen.
Notice how I said “to make spring cleaning happen?” These tips aren’t on how to clean different parts of your home. Nor do these tips include cleaning hacks. Instead, these top 10 spring cleaning tips will help you to find time, energy, and focus to clean as effectively as possible when you are a busy mom.
Here are my top 10 spring cleaning tips for busy moms. These tips might seem simple, but they will make all the difference when you use them. You can find a way to make spring cleaning happen.
1| You Don’t Have to Spring Clean in the Spring
My first tip is that spring cleaning doesn’t have to happen in the spring. There may be the expectation that when it is springtime, you spring clean. But there’s no need to put unnecessary pressure on yourself. If spring is a super busy season for you because of kids’ sports or family obligations, then choose another time to declutter or deep clean your home.
You can deep clean your home in the summer before school starts or in the winter before or after the holidays.
Conversely, you can take a year-long approach to slowly deep clean and declutter your home on a monthly basis. There is no set time frame!
2| Schedule Childcare in Advance
If you need childcare, you could swap with friends who also have kids or ask a family member to watch the kids for a bit. Even if you ask your spouse to spend time with the kids, schedule it like you would an appointment.
Setting up childcare is simultaneously setting an appointment with yourself to deep clean or declutter your home. If there’s a set date and time, the chances are much higher that it will actually happen.
If at all possible, choose a time of day when you and the kids will be well-rested to make for a better experience all-around.
3| Go at Your Own Pace
Some people like spring cleaning because it gives them a predictable, set time frame and motivates them to actually clean their home. Do what works best for you. Create a time frame that will motivate you to clean and get the job done without overwhelming you.
For some, knocking it out on a Saturday or a weekend is how they like to do it. You could also take an hour each evening during the week.
READ ALSO: 8 Tips on How to Switch to Natural Products Easily
4| Tackle Something Small First
Most people think tackling the biggest obstacle will motivate them to finish the rest. While this does work for some, it overwhelms most. There are times when you start a project and never finish it. This does not motivate you but rather makes you feel overwhelmed and prone to give up. In order to not feel overwhelmed, be sure to give yourself plenty of time, grace, and encouragement!
When you do the small things first, it motivates you to tackle more. You see a finished project and that you’re making progress.
5| Have a Set List
Have a set list of things that needs to get done no matter what and steadily work through it. This is similar to the snowball approach to paying off debt – and it works for spring cleaning as well!
Make a list of priority areas you’d like to be sure to deep clean or declutter for your spring cleaning. This way, dirt or clutter doesn’t build up too much in a way that it becomes unmanageable.
6| Follow a Challenge
You can find countless decluttering and cleaning challenges online. Sometimes you get so overwhelmed simply because you just don’t know where to start. These challenges help you follow a set calendar to help you clean in a certain time frame. These work great for those who don’t want to make their own list and calendar for cleaning. You can also do it with friends to make it more exciting!
7| Listen to Music
I don’t know about you but listening to music helps me get up and move around. It is one of the best things to motivate me and get me up and cleaning. Create a playlist that makes you dance and blast it while you clean. This will also help you be happy throughout the process!
8| Declutter First
Sometimes all we need to do is declutter. This takes a huge load off of spring cleaning. Try decluttering your stuff first and then deep cleaning afterward. Maybe you’ll see that you don’t have to clean as much as you thought; you simply need to clear out your house.
9| Get Help
If you’re a busy mom with the means, then by all means hire help! Schedule a time when the carpet cleaners come or when a cleaning lady (or perhaps an entire team) can come and deep clean your home for you. Check Care.com or Task Rabbit for local cleaners.
There are seasons in life when time is money, and we’d rather spend the time with our kids and the money on outsourcing the dirty work.
10| Celebrate Your Small Steps
Every little bit deserves to be celebrated. Be sure to recognize all your efforts and accomplishments. This may seem silly, but it does make a big difference. Give yourself little rewards when you clean one area of your house. Or, you can do a big reward when you finish it all.
To Thine Own Self Be True
Those are my top 10 spring cleaning tips for busy moms! Remember to always do what works best for you. Everyone has a different cleaning method, so don’t compare yourself. Go at your own pace, and soon enough, your house will be clean and clutter-free! Hopefully, these top 10 spring cleaning tips will help you make the cleaning happen as a busy mom.
Sage says
Love your tip about listening to music while you clean! I always have my headphones in when I’m cleaning, and it makes it so much more fun! Another thing I’ve added to my cleaning schedule is having my carpets professionally cleaned once or twice a year. My carpets stay much cleaner, and they are easier to maintain.
Andrea says
That’s a great idea, Sage! I definitely need to get my carpets cleaned.