Along with warm weather, longer days, garage sales, and spring break, spring cleaning is a staple feature of the turn of season! While perhaps it’ll feel like you have more time throughout the day and that there’s more hope in the sunlit skies, it doesn’t make the crucial task of cleaning out your home any more fun to do. Unfortunately, it might even be the opposite - who wants to be inside cleaning, dusting, and vacuuming on a beautiful spring weekend?
We understand that (for most people) cleaning is not exactly a hobby, but we’ve found that with a few techniques, you might be surprised how fun it really can be! Indeed, the fun will help make this important task fly by like a spring breeze, getting you back to doing what you love without the anxiety hanging over your head. From the experts at Yost Cleaning, here are 8 ways to make spring cleaning fun.
Spring cleaning isn’t just some new fad or trend, it is steeped in deep tradition. Back in the day when homes were still heated by wood, a long winter season would leave extensive layers of soot on every surface. When spring arrived, it meant that it was time to open the doors and windows to let fresh air in, shake out the dust on rugs and bedding, and scrub the floors, hearth, walls, and windows to restore their original luster.
The tradition carries on to this day, and it marks a time of the year when less-routine tasks can get knocked off the yearly to-do list. But it is more than just tradition as well. Not only does spring cleaning tangibly reduce clutter and impurities, but it is scientifically proven to improve physical and mental health. On one hand, asthma triggers such as pollen, dust, and pet dander will have settled in abundance through the cold seasons of minimal airflow, and spring cleaning removes these and allows you to breathe better, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). On the other hand, your home likely builds clutter through the winter months which can overwhelm your senses and make you feel stressed. Spring cleaning helps remove clutter and brings about order and organization which reduces stress and anxiety. And, like two birds with one stone, spring cleaning can also be a good source of exercise which is beneficial to both physical and mental health as well.
First on our list of ways to make spring cleaning more fun is to create a spring cleaning calendar. By creating a blocked-out and well-ordered list of things that need to be done, spring cleaning becomes less of an overwhelming mountain to conquer and more of a series of spring-green hills to enjoy. Not only will your critical spring cleaning tasks be broken down into manageable bite-sized chunks, but you can have the pleasure of crossing off tasks as you complete them! The literal/ physical act of checking off or crossing off chores from a list will give you a small surge of dopamine, encouraging you and boosting your mood, and it may even encourage you to knock a few more items off the list while you’re at it.
All hands on deck! A great way to make spring cleaning more fun is to include the whole family in the adventure. Turn it into a game or competition for children while giving them their own personal cleaning supplies to make them feel important and independent. Meanwhile, take the rare moment of punctuation in between workweeks and busy days to work with a friend or loved one around the house. Being the only one doing the cleaning is never fun, so enlist your teammates for a well-spent hour or two and a little more fun.
Cleaning becomes stressful when you don’t have the supplies you need to get the job done right. Take the time and make a trip to the local grocery or home improvement store in order to equip yourself with a few chic and useful supplies. Cleaning will undoubtedly be more fun when you have some new toys to play with!
We’ve all experienced the power of music - when we exercise, our favorite songs help push us harder and keep us going, and the same is true for cleaning. Research shows that music helps to increase efficiency in repetitive tasks like cleaning or organizing, the perfect way to boost our mood during spring cleaning. Similarly, consider putting on a podcast to opt for a more entertaining or educational experience.
As we mentioned above, spring cleaning has great potential to help us exercise. Embrace your commitment to time doing physical activity and convert some of your cleaning jobs into a workout routine. Try stretching as you clean the windows, squatting a few times when you pick up cleaning equipment, dancing while sweeping the floor, and even lifting and carrying cleaning equipment up and down the stairs. How many reps can you do?
When it comes down to it, one of the best ways to make a hard task more fun is to reward yourself for completing milestones. This goes for kids and adults, but giving yourself a comparable reward for finishing a chore makes it more satisfying to complete and may even motivate you to get more done. Consider enjoying a piece of chocolate after cleaning all the bedrooms, buying a beautiful woven laundry basket to help keep your laundry tidy, or booking a massage when the spring cleaning checklist is complete.
When it’s all said and done, don’t forget to enjoy the fruits of your labor. From the peace, health, and tranquility that come with a clean and organized home to even a few lost treasures from years past that you discover along the way, spring cleaning really is a fantastic way to breathe new life into your home, readying it for the new year. Don’t just finish your cleaning and carry on like nothing has changed - truly and deeply take the time to enjoy it!
Sometimes the best way to get spring cleaning done is to kick back and watch trained professionals in their element. We understand that between work, hobbies, and other responsibilities, cleaning isn’t exactly high on the must-do list, and that even if you did take it on yourself the results wouldn’t be the best they can be. If you need some extra help for spring cleaning or would even prefer that experts take control this year, don’t hesitate to contact Yost Cleaning today!