It’s spring again: The time of renewal, rebirth, and cleaning your damn house. I mean really cleaning—not just picking up a little, but moving the couch, wiping the blades of the ceiling fan, and getting behind the fridge. Spring cleaning.
If you’re putting effort into it, you can make both the returning Messiah and the Easter Bunny proud, but you’ll need to avoid these common spring cleaning mistakes.
Doing all the heavy lifting yourself
I’m putting this one first because moving the furniture is what separates spring cleaning from regular cleaning. That said, a spotless home is not worth screwing up your back. Like anything else, there’s technique to moving furniture: keep heavy objects close to your body, don’t bend at the waist, lift with your legs. Remember to breathe. Improper technique leads to injury. For a deeper dive on injury-free furniture moving, check out our guide—but the best advice, is “if you think it’s too heavy, get some help.”
Mixing cleaning products
Personally, I can’t understand people who prefer to clean with vinegar, lemon juice, or other wimpy options. It’s not really clean to me unless dangerous chemicals are involved. But dangerous chemicals demand respect: cleaners like ammonia, bleach, and oven cleaners are probably going to be caustic, poisonous, fume-releasing, and otherwise capable of killing you, your pets, or your loved ones if used (or mixed) incorrectly. So read the warning labels carefully, actually follow their guidelines, and have the number of poison control on hand.
Trying to do it all at once (or without a plan)
Honor your moment of sudden motivation, but instead of an “I’m cleaning everything right now” vibe, use your energy to plan first. Break your spring clean into smaller, manageable tasks, or you’ll end the day with all the furniture moved and everything in disarray. Spring cleaning is a project, and like any project, it will come out better if you make a realistic plan. For the specifics, start with taking the advice of professional housekeepers.
Cleaning before decluttering
When I’m cleaning, there’s little worse than spending all day scrubbing, only to have my place still look cluttered. Too much crap around makes me feel like my whole life is disorganized, so I use deep cleaning days as “getting rid of things” days, too. If I haven’t used it since the last time I cleaned, I seriously consider a trip to the local thrift store. Lifehacker’s decluttering queen Lindsey Ellefson has many more tips to get you started.
Forgetting the mattress (and garbage cans)
Even if it isn’t stained and smelly, your mattress is probably disgusting. You spend eight hours a night there sweating, drooling, and shedding dead skin cells. You probably let your dog up there, too. It’s a hassle, but there are a lot of ways to clean a mattress. Don’t forget the inside of your garbage cans either. And the inside of your refrigerator. And your remote controls. I could go on all day—you’re probably forgetting a lot of places you should be cleaning.
Not having the right cleaning supplies
You don’t need a ton of gear to deep clean, but you can’t clean your house with a single old rag either. A basic surface cleaning kit should include all-purpose cleaning liquid, window cleaning liquid, cloth (microfiber, if possible), a scrub-brush, and a hand duster. You also need a mop and bucket, a broom, more garbage bags than usual, and a vacuum with attachments. Optional are things like ivory polish, guitar wax, and other specialized-to-you cleaning supplies.
Want a clear rundown of what you need to take on this annual task and keep your home clean all year long? Here’s a guide.
Relying on a moment of inspiration
I always mean to clean my house. I have the best intentions, but then there’s something to watch on TV or I decide to get some empanadas, and before I realize it, the day is over. But if I’ve invited people over, I’m going to clean, because I don’t want other people to see how I live. Perhaps you can relate. If you’re having motivation problems, nothing solves them like fear of other people judging you. So throw a springtime party. If your house really sparkles, all your friends will silently feel shame for their own slovenliness, and that’s a win-win.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
