The Busy Parent's Guide To Spring Cleaning

All busy parents know the mad rush it can be to simply get the family through the day. Finding time for a thorough spring cleaning might seem downright impossible. But if your days are so filled with organising the kids and running the household that you can’t even begin to consider cleaning the house beyond the everyday tidy-up, this post is for you.

Here we share the busy parent’s guide to spring cleaning, so you can tackle the big jobs and enjoy a clean home without needing more hours in a day.

Do a Little Each Day

While it may not be realistic to put aside an hour or two each day to roll up your sleeves and scrub, you’d be surprised how much you can get done by dedicating just half an hour or even 10 minutes a day to housework.

The key is to identify small gaps in your routine where you can fit in a dash of cleaning. It could be the spare minutes you have each morning between sending off the kids and getting yourself ready for work. Or it might be the 5-minute ad breaks during your favourite TV show. Either way, small daily bursts of tidying will add up, and you could see a real difference in just a week.

Here’s a handy list of some great 10-minutes-or-less cleaning tasks. You may even like to display it on your fridge for daily ideas.

Organise a drawer in your dresser
Thoroughly vacuum one room in the house
Clean out the microwave
Bin out-of-date products from the fridge and pantry
Wipe dust off the windowsills
Wipe dust off the ceiling fans
Scrub the bathroom vanity
Clean the mirrors in the house
Clean the door handles and light switches in the house
Remove cobwebs from ceiling corners
Vacuum the sofa

Focus on One Room at a Time

A great way to ensure you are being thorough is to clean just one room at a time. For example, if there are 7 distinct areas of your house, allocate one to each day of the week. This way, you can clean the space from top to bottom and know you haven’t forgotten anything. Spring cleaning is also a far less daunting process when you break it down to 1 room at a time.

Check out our list of must-do maintenance for each room below. If you can tick off just one task each day, the whole house will feel like new in a matter of days.

Bedroom

Wash sheets
Wash curtains or wipe dust off blinds
Reorganise wardrobe, throwing away or donating items you no longer wear or use

Bathroom

Scrub vanity, bath and shower
Polish chrome fixtures
Wash walls with sugar water to remove watermarks

Kitchen

Scrub oven
Vacuum and mop floors
Disinfect bench surfaces

Living Area

Dust and clean all bookshelves, cabinets, lamps and knickknacks
Cover carpet and rugs in baking powder and vacuum
Polish timber floors

Get the Family Involved

Many hands make light work. Get the kids involved in the cleaning and make a fun family activity of it. Challenge the kids to pack all their toys away before the end of a song, or make it a friendly competition to see who can put their clothes in the right drawers the fastest. Be sure to reward them with their favourite treat as an incentive.

Cull the Clutter

Stumbled across some items you haven’t used since last year’s spring clean? From stacks of old magazines to clothes you’ll never wear again, gather the items you no longer need and make a plan to either donate them to charity or make a trip to the rubbish dump. For seasonal items and things too special to part with, consider hiring a self-storage unit. Clearing your home of the belongings you don’t use on a regular basis is a great way to keep things organised and tidy, making it easier to clean your home.

Struggling to get on top of your spring cleaning? You don’t need a magic wand to clean your home. Even time-poor parents can embrace a tidy house with our busy parent’s guide to spring cleaning. Try our helpful tips today to be on your way to a spotless living space.