Spring has sprung which means you are probably thinking about that annual, thorough cleaning of your home often referred to as Spring Cleaning. Spring cleaning has traditionally been a way to prepare yourself, your home, and family for a fresh start in the upcoming months. If your spring cleaning is looking a little different this season, you are not alone. With the whole family being home all day every day, your spring cleaning could be more like a weekly ordeal or even daily depending on the status of your homestead.
A typical weekend of spring cleaning is often in preparation for a garage sale… something that will cease to exist this Spring. If you are struggling with what to do with your household items or clothing that are so last year, right now is the perfect time to give back to your community and donate- after a good washing/sanitizing of course. If you are in the southwest part of Missouri, there are plenty of places still open accepting donations. The Salvation Army, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks, and many more. You can find the complete list on 417 Magazines site.
It is safe to say that this spring is looking a little different than those in the past. No sporting events, craft fairs, a limited outdoor activity. This probably means your whole family is home a lot more than usual, which may put a halt to your spring cleaning. In an article on Clean My Space, titled: How to Get Your Family to Clean, it explains helpful tips on how to get your whole family on the same level for cleaning. You are not alone if your kids are expressing their constant boredom all day every day. To combat this apathy, try out some of these tips.
So, your whole family is home, why not get everyone cleaning instead of tiptoeing around them? This is a more systematic solution if you feel like you have been constantly cleaning since the Stay-At-Home order went in to affect; it could even leave some time for you to do your real Spring Cleaning.
The author of How to Get Your Family to Clean, Melissa Maker, identifies several important elements to get your family up and cleaning. Melissa states that identifying the most important areas of your home is a good place to start. It prevents you and your family from trying to cover the whole house every single day. These important areas are places that are special to each family member. Having everyone pick their place that they would always like to see clean is a good motivator. Once everyone’s areas are selected, the whole family is aware and respectful of these spaces. Hopefully, leading to the picking up of more messes and keeping these Most Important Areas cleaner.
Maker goes on to assign different tasks depending on who likes to do what. “There’s no sense in assigning a cleaning task to someone if its going to make their blood boil. When you’re having this conversation figure out if there’s anything that needs to be done, and MIA or cleaning task, that someone in the household actually likes doing- or doesn’t detest” (Maker, 2020). Yes, cleaning will always be a “chore” to kids. But I remember being assigned chores that I did not mind and chores that I loathed, working with your kids and figuring out the best system could get your home cleaner more often.
The article does note the issue of challenging routines and being able to work around your day to day schedule. Jokes on them because everyone is subjected to staying at home as much as possible. Of course, a lot of us are working from home and doing school online, however, we are still finding that we have more free time than ever. So, there should be limited excuses on finishing housework. But being a spouse, parent, etc. it is important to note that everyone is under a little more stress than usual. Scheduling jobs/ chores around work and schooling is a great way to work with everyone and not add any extra stress to everyone’s day.
Now that you successfully have your whole family cleaning and helping a little more around the house day-to-day you may find yourself with extra time on your hands. Now you can take the extra time you would spend on everyday mess-pickup and focus on the real, thorough Spring Cleaning your home is begging for.
Kicking off Spring Cleaning can often be difficult with the main issue being ‘Where do I start?’. Where to begin all comes down to your main goal of Spring Cleaning. Preparing for a future garage sale? Start in the kids’ room and/or playroom. Gather clothing, toys, and miscellaneous items you know your kids have outgrown and will not be needing once they are gone. Boxes and storage bins are my preferred method of organizing but a good ole trash bag always does the job. Garage sales may be put on hold for the indefinite future, as I mentioned earlier, donations are a great way to get old and unused things out of your home. Right now is an especially important time to donate due to layoffs and the state of our economy.
Once your home is free of all the things your family no longer uses, this is a great time to do inventory on your important household items. If your home, and items in it are insured Spring Cleaning is a great time to look at the items in your home and add or take off anything on your itemized insurance list. Updating this list annually will ensure that your most valued items are protected from any unfortunate occurrences.
This post was intended to give you clarity for cleaning to enable clarity in your household. Do not forget to give back to your community in this time of need. Please stay happy, safe, and healthy during these crazy times.
From: Emily at Scott Loveland Insurance 😊
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