Thursday, June 18, 2020

Spring Cleaning Checklist For Busy Parents ♥

I've recently been spring cleaning the house from top to bottom, spurred on by a mixture of being sick of all the clutter and from being at home for weeks on end. I've been wanting everything to be mess-free and spick and span, just to make life less chaotic for us all and to live in a house that's easier to clean. I always feel that once you have a good deep clean and clear out the daily cleaning tasks are much more manageable and that's just what a busy parent needs.

Since we had our sons, our possessions have grown two-fold and our house just isn't big enough for all the stuff, plus, having toys and other knick-knacks everywhere makes it impossible to give the house a hassle-free clean - there is always stuff in the way!

As a busy parent, I've been spring cleaning the house in the most convenient and thorough manner that I possibly can and I thought I'd share my checklist with my fellow parents out there who are sick of the clutter and are wanting to give their home a good airing whilst the brighter and warmer seasons are upon us.

If you simply don't have the time to dedicate to cleaning your home each week due to work commitments, etc. then hiring a maid service, such as baton rouge maid service, is a good way of taking the bulk out of your cleaning and leaving you with quick every day tasks to complete, such as loading the dishwasher, wiping down surfaces, etc.

The easiest way to clean your house, in my opinion anyway, is to focus on the cleaning and de-cluttering room by room. This makes the task seem much more manageable and seeing your efforts materialise in one finished room really does spur you on to do the rest. Here is what I've done room by room -

Bedroom
This was one room that has needed a thourough clean out for quite a while now as the cupboards and drawers were full of products I was never going to use and clothes I was never going to wear - which I'm sure is the case for a lot of people out there!

1. Clean out cupboards/wardrobes - throw out any old beauty products, etc. and donate unwanted clothes and shoes to the charity shop or charity bins, if in good condition of course.
2. Flip your mattress and apply fresh bedding - some people choose to invest in some new bedding once springtime arrives and we've bought some new sheets and pillows.
3. Clean underneath the bed and re-organise - also check if there is anything you can bin or donate to free up some more space.
4. Dust fixtures and fittings, clean bedroom mirror and give the bed frame/headboard and good clean too.
5. Wash soft furnishings such as blackout curtains, rugs and scatter cushions - we've just washed our curtains and rehung them, it really does give the room a new lease of life.

Bathroom
Bathroom spring cleaning is something that we were very much need of and since cleaning out the room we've also given it a new lease of life with a fresh lick of paint too.

1. Sort through your toiletries unit/cupboard and throw out any unwanted or past their best products. Re-organise unit/cupboard.
2. Clean and dust fixtures and fittings.
3. Thoroughly clean and bleach the toilet, sink and bath.
4. Clean or replace shower guard/curtain - ours is made of glass so a deep clean with some glass spray really helps to get rid of the soap scum.
5. Clean tiles in bath/shower area - apply fresh grout if needed.
6. Wash bathmat and any towels on display as these can gather dust quite quickly.

Kitchen
The kitchen really needed a good tidying up and organising and thankfully my lovely other half tackled this at the weekend. Here's my *top tip* for the kitchen - if your hob or any of your appliances are stainless steel, pop some baby oil on a piece of kitchen cloth and rub it on them to give a great shine to the surfaces.

1. Clean out cupboards and drawers, throw out any food past its best by date and any broken or unused crockery.
2. Remove fridge drawers and shelves and give a thorough clean. Also de-frost and clean freezer if needed.
3. Scrub inside of the microwave.
4. Clean oven and hob.
5. Wipe down and disinfect all surfaces and cupboard fronts.
6. Deep clean sink, washboard and dishwasher if you have one.
7. Take out rubbish bins and give a deep clean with some disinfectant.
8. Scrub and mop floor.

Living Room
This is the most used room in our house so it gets the most wear and tear, as well as the majority of the dirt. Our living room was in need of a good spring clean and now that it's been tackled the room is brighter and much nicer for us all to enjoy.

1. Wash curtains and any soft furnishings such as rugs and cushion covers - I've taken the opportunity to change the cushion covers and throw out the old ones which had been well worn.
2. Dust all fixtures and fittings.
3. Clean and organise any shelves or cupboards - we've donated the majority of books that were on our bookshelf to the charity shop and there's now space for us to display photos, etc.
4. Clean/vacuum the sofa and underneath it too.
5. Dust skirting boards, mantelpiece and windowsills.
6. Vacuum/mop the floor.

Children's bedrooms/playroom
We're not fortunate enough to have a playroom so the majority of our sons toys are in a basket in the living room and in his room. My *top tip* for children's bedrooms is to invest in some storage bags to store cuddly toys and the like. I've gotten some cheap ones in Penneys for my son for as little as €6, but he also has a lovely personalised one which I've reviewed here. They're perfect for keeping the room tidy and keeping clutter off the floor.

1. Organise and throw out/donate any unwanted/unused toys - we've donated a lot to the charity shop recently and it's been great for freeing up space in the rooms.
2. Wash curtains and any soft furnishings.
3. Clean and organise under the bed/cot.
4. Clear out wardrobes and donate any unwanted or outgrown clothes to the charity shop/bin.
5. Wash bedding and pillows.
6. Shampoo and vacuum carpets.

Entire House
We live in quite a small house, but that means our hallway, storage cupboards and stairs are used a lot, meaning they can get grubby and messy quite quickly. My *top tip* for areas in the hallway is to be as creative with storage as you possibly can be. Our hallway was always scattered with shoes as we take them off as soon as we enter the house. We've recently gotten a shoe holder which now sits at the end of the stairs and has made the space much more organised. Hooks, shelves and cubed units are also great for storing items in hallway spaces too.

1. Shampoo and vacuum all carpets - especially on stairways.
2. Wash all windows, inside and out.
3. Dust all skirting boards, radiator covers and any other fixtures.
4. Wash all area rugs.
5. Change batteries in all smoke alarms.
6. Clear out and re-organise the shed to make space for new things you may wish to store.

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13 comments

  1. Because of our impending move, I haven't done any spring cleaning yet. But once we've moved, will definitely have to do one. Will think of your list then ;) x

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  2. Very detailed lists and spot on! I have no idea how I'll do my spring cleaning if I'm ever a parent as I like it clean and tidy all the time and do it a particular way... (OCD much?) haha

    Alina | home and lifestyle blogger UK

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  3. This is such a good list! I actually did my spring leaning just a few days ago, and I love it, my mind feels so much tidier and I enjoy cleaning so much sometimes, takes my mind off things!

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  4. We've just done our spring clean. The bathroom was insane! We had 8 bottles of shampoo with a tiny amount in them! Bonkers!

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  5. I really need to work my way through this list! My house could definitely do with a spring clean.

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  6. This is great! I just can't help but feel how much easier (and quicker) spring cleaning before I had children (and without a toddler 'helping') haha.

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  7. I break mine down to half an hour a day, seems to work for us

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  8. Great tips, my house was always immaculate when I was nearing my due date as I went on a huge cleaning spree xx

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  9. This is a great list and one I need to definitely copy and get on with x

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  10. I agree although a spring clean takes a lot of time and effort it does make cleaning easier in the future. Looking forward to bubba's arrival!

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  11. I regularly clear out tooms and go through the toiletries to make it easier to keep on top of. Very excited to see the new baby soon x

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  12. Our house is so due a thorough spring clean. I am just waiting for a spell of warm sunshine to get going.

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  13. This all looks good in theory and I agree it's all necessary. I just don't think I have the discipline to do all of this! Our living room is basically just a large toy story for the kids.

    I do agree in the importance of keeping the bed clean, mattress slipped and new bedding. Such a small thing for such a bit luxury!

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