Spring cleaning can be a daunting undertaking, but it’s necessary to maintain a happy, healthy home. I wanted to help make the job easier and more fun for your family this year, so I asked Molly Gold, president and founder of GO MOM! Inc., to share some tips. Molly has been married to her college sweetheart and best friend for 22 years. She’s also the busy mom of three awesome children who range in age from 6 to 14-years. She loves to run, garden, and spend any time she can at the beach. With GO MOM! Inc., she’s helped busy moms make positive mothering a daily reality for 10 years.
Spring cleaning can seem like an overwhelming task to begin. When and how do you begin? How do you divide tasks among family members?
As in all things at GO MOM!, we view projects through our “Schedule. Organize. Grow.” glasses. When it comes to spring cleaning, some of the tasks you need to accomplish will take more time than you might naturally allocate for chores in a given weekend. First things first, make your list of what needs cleaning and then schedule time to tackle each task. For this step, we recommend grabbing a clipboard, pen and paper, and your family wall calendar to chart your course. Next, make your hit list of tasks using a check list like our Spring Cleaning list to give you ideas about what's both seasonal and important for your home’s upkeep. Then go back through prioritizing that list, picking your top five must-dos, and then estimate the amount of time needed to complete each task.
Don't overlook that many hands make light work. Include your family in the process to cut down on the overall cleaning time. And finally, block time on your calendar for each of the five must-dos, remembering that spring lasts a while depending on where you live. Don’t wipe out every beautiful weekend with daunting chores.
To make sure things go more smoothly, take inventory of your supplies to make sure all the necessary items are handy for a seamless execution every time.
How do you tackle key areas?
When you make your list of five must-dos, it will likely include the key areas. How deep you clean will depend on how often you clean all year round.
I prioritize first by location—outside or inside. Next, I estimate the amount of time needed to accomplish each task, and then I block time on our family calendar. No one in my family gets spring fever more than I do. I live for warmer days with buckets of sunshine and longer evenings to enjoy family time at the end of our busy days.
Finally, I watch the weather. If we've lined up a weekend of inside tasks and by Wednesday it looks like we've got sunshine galore, we switch gears. I bring an outside task to the top of the list and then check inventory and make any necessary arrangements so we can spend our time outside. Being flexible like this gives everyone a boost, allows for frequent breaks to play in the yard or picnic, and in the end, everyone's contributed to what can be a pleasant and productive day.
What are some steps that we can take throughout the year to make the process easier next year?
The most important thing you can do throughout the year is to stay on track with seasonal cleanings throughout the year. Every season has its own set of priorities, and you'll find that if you stay current on those big things, you'll be more likely to get into a routine that ensures these tasks don't dominate your life. If you follow a regular home cleaning schedule for dusting, bathrooms, and de-cluttering as well, you'll dramatically reduce the possibility of ending up overwhelmed and just walking away before you finish what you started.
Check out www.gomominc.com for year-long seasonal checklists and other helpful organizational tips and tools from Molly.
