Cleaning Routine & Spring Prep

It's the second day of spring and we're having a snowstorm. Go figure. But, hey, it's spring! And it's still exciting that this new season has come! I'm looking forward to the freshness & newness of another season. You too? 

HAPPY SPRING

Since spring has arrived, I thought I'd share my recently established cleaning routine & a little spring prep that you can start ASAP. Because we all know that spring = cleaning. 

One of my goals for the year was to get our family on a routine, while leaving room to be flexible. Part of the routine for me was to develop a schedule/system for weekly house tasks & cleaning. Since becoming a mom many days I've found myself wondering how in the world our house gets so messy. Some days I just can't seem to get ahead, and that's normal. However, now that we're out of the newborn stage I'm finding it much easier. And to make it even easier on myself, I've created a schedule to help. I'll be the first to admit that the task of the day doesn't always happen, and some days are a complete write off. But I've found that creating a schedule helps keep me on track; and it's great because I don't do everything on one day!

Here's a look at our weekly cleaning routine:

I've actually printed out the above list and placed it on the fridge to help keep me accountable. For real.

As you can see, we always have the obvious daily tasks. And yes, sometimes we fall behind with those too. But for the most part I try and do everything immediately. It can be really easy to fall into the habit of saying: I'll do that after. So we really try to do things as the come. For example, once meals are done: dishes in the dishwasher/wash, wipe down highchair, clean up counters. It's really easy to just place dishes by the sink to deal with later, but doing an immediate quick clean up helps us to stay on track. Aside from our everyday tasks, I try and do one larger cleaning task a day during baby E's nap time or just after she goes to bed. Let's face it, I like having my evenings free :)

And that's our current cleaning routine/daily tasks list. To make these tasks a bit more enjoyable I've been turning on some podcasts or music. I've been listening to Jamie Ivey, but I'd love to know of other podcasts some of you like to listen to! 

If you're feeling extra motivated now that spring has officially arrived, below are a few ways you can lighten up your home after the long winter & prep for spring. 

{find original post here}

• Organize & Purge. If you take a look around, you'll always find something you can purge. Create that outbox.

• Get your spring cleaning on. After a long winter it is essential to give the house a deep clean. It's really quite lovely how much a deep clean can make your home feel completely refreshed. Something to work away at.

• Make a bedding swap. It's time to put away the heavy linens. Lighten up in weight & colour too. If there's still a chill in the air leave out an extra blanket or two.

• Add some pattern or colour. Think of adding a patterned or colourful pillow for your sofa or bed, a lighter throw blanket, etc. You can also do this through accessories like vases, bowls, and even books. You don't have to go wild, it can be through the little things. Remember, little things can make a big difference. First things first, always shop the house. 

• Change it up. Sometimes refreshing your home merely consists of rearranging. Try rearranging the furniture in your living room or bedroom, or moving photos and/or art around to different rooms. You can also try using current items you have in different ways; for instance, placing a dresser in an entry for extra storage. Doing any of these things can completely refresh your home and even make it feel like a whole new space. So don't be afraid to swap the lamp that's in your bedroom with the one that's in the front hall. Try it, you may like it. Best of all, rearranging doesn't cost a thing! 

• Bring in something living. Whether it's a nice bouquet of flowers every now and then, a house plant of some kind, or some herbs on the windowsill. A little green can really help bring some life to any room. I'm still loving the life this ivy plant brings to our living room. 

What does your daily/weekly cleaning routine look like? Are you sporadic or do you generally have a plan? I'd love to hear what things work well for you. And, share your spring prep! I'm bound to be forgetting something! 

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