Spring Cleaning Tips

Top tips from housekeepers with 20 years worth of housekeeping knowledge from Care.com 

1. Take It Slow

Spread the job out; it doesn’t all have to be accomplished in one afternoon. Schedule a week or a couple of weekends to complete spring cleaning. Break the tasks up into small chunks of time to make it more manageable and to decrease the chances of ending up tired and quitting before the job is finished. To be more productive, consider hiring a babysitter to get the kids out of the house for an afternoon. 

2. Make a Room-by-Room List

Go around the house and make a list of jobs for each room. Then number each task by priority for every room. Don’t focus on frequent tasks like laundry, but tackle more intense work on your list that you usually avoid or do once a year by marking those as number one on your list. 

3. Prioritize Your Tasks 

First determine your priorities. Is it scrubbing the bathroom from top to bottom, getting rid of items you never use or organizing shelves? It’s important not to forget the following deep cleaning tasks and put them on the top of your checklist. 

· Pull out all appliances and clean behind and under them · Clean the fridge, including dusting the coils, defrosting the freezer and scrubbing all shelves and compartments · Clean inside the stove · Vacuum and flip mattresses · Clean pillows and comforters · Wash all windows and clean window sills and hardware · Clean drapes and blinds · Wipe and dust walls and ceilings · Organize closets · Vacuum behind and under furniture and flip all cushions · Deep clean your child's playroom · Empty, clean and reorganize shelves and bookcases · Change the batteries on your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors · Clean outdoor furniture · Wash off patio, deck, driveway and any outside areas 

4. Inventory Cleaning Supplies

Now you know what needs to get done, make sure you have the right tools. Go through your to-do list and cleaning products to make sure you have everything you'll need. Make a trip to the store to replenish expired or almost empty products. This will save you time and frustration. 

5. Try Green 

Why not consider green cleaning products? While re-stocking your cleaning supplies think about giving environmentally-friendly products a try or as you go through your to-do list, think about how you can clean without using chemicals. 

6. Give Away What you Don’t Use

Spring cleaning is the perfect time to sort through toys, clothing, electronics and sporting goods. If you haven’t used something in the past year then consider donating to local groups or organizations. As you clean a room, remove and box up items you no longer use. Then put the boxes directly into your car once they’re filled to ensure you get them out of the house. This way you’ll have less to clean next year. 

7. Be Realistic 

Don’t expect to complete everything on your list. Focus on getting the first items checked off then move on to the next when you have time. Post the list on the fridge so it’s harder to ignore. 

8. Consider Professional Help

Do you feel that your list is more than you can handle? Does your busy schedule or finicky baby make it difficult to find time to clean? Sometimes you can’t do it all yourself. Instead of putting off spring cleaning, consider hiring help from a housekeeper through a site like Care.com. 

Launched in the U.S. in 2007, Care.com (www.care.com) is now the largest online care destination in the world with 8 million members spanning more than 16 countries, including the United Kingdom and Canada, as well as Germany through the acquisition of Berlin-based Besser Betreut, now a Care.com company. Care.com enables families seeking care to connect with millions of care providers, share caregiving experiences and get advice. The company helps families address the unique lifecycle of care needs they go through - child care, including special needs, senior care, pet care, housekeeping and more. Care.com is also unique in the scope of services it offers its members. Through Care.com HomePay^SM, members have access to the nation’s largest provider of comprehensive household payroll services, and through its recent acquisition of Parents in a Pinch, families and corporations can utilize the expertise of a recognized leader in in-home back-up childcare and adult care. Care.com also provides tools and resources to help families make safer and more informed decisions throughout the search and hiring process, including monitored messaging, background check services, recorded references, and an online safety guide. Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions, technology companies, and professional services firms offer Care.com memberships as a benefit to employees through its Workplace Solutions program.