Top 10 Spring Cleaning Tips

Find a Temporary Storage Area

You will probably be getting rid of a lot of unwanted items as you go through the cleaning process. Before you really get down to the nitty-gritty, find an open space in which to temporarily store and sort these items. A garage, if you have one, would be a perfect space to use. A spare room or sunroom will work, as well. Once you have found your storage area, clean it out first before placing anything else there.

Work Room by Room

Try to structure your cleaning schedule in a way that lets you focus on one room at a time. If you have family members or friends you can enlist to help out, assign them to their own rooms to clean. As you go through the rooms, place items that need to be thrown out or you're unsure what to do with in your designated storage area.

Clean from the Top Down

Don't make the mistake of mopping the floors before you've cleaned the dust off of your ceiling fans. As you approach the cleaning process, try to dust and clean the higher portions of the room first -- areas such as wall cabinets, ceiling molding and the tops of appliances. Make your way down the room until you eventually get to the floor, where all of the dust and grime will have accumulated. It should be easy to vacuum or mop it all away at this point.

Seal and Buffer Hardwood Floors

To maintain their glimmering beauty, hardwood floors need more than the occasional mopping. If your home contains hardwood floors, use this time of thorough cleaning to give them a new application of sealant, or at least a good buffing. You'll want to carefully move any furniture that may be covering them in advance, which is a good time to clean out areas normally covered up or hidden by furniture.

Invest in a Quality Storage System

As you are going through the messy interior of your house and placing everything in your designated storage area, you will probably see a need for a consistent method of storing it all. Your local home improvement or container store should carry large, covered plastic bins and banker's boxes to use as storage. When it comes time to find something during the course of the year, you do not want to have to dig through multitudes of unmarked cardboard boxes, so remember to label your storage as much as possible.

Store Winter Bedding and Clothing

If you have already implemented Step 5 and have an efficient storage system in place, it's time to store your heavier winter clothing and bedding, as you probably won't be needing it for a while. Wash everything thoroughly and put it in plastic bins. Places like storage closets or under your bed are perfect for keeping them safe until next winter.

Turn Up the Music

Nothing gets you in the mood to sweat and move quite like lively music can. As you go about your house, mopping and dusting, scrubbing and rinsing, take a boombox along with you. Turn it to your favorite radio station or play your favorite CD's and watch how quickly the time flies.

Wash Your Linens

It's important to regularly wash linens like bedding and blankets. But when was the last time you washed your curtains or tablecloths? Use this opportunity to wash everything, including table runners and pot holders.

Consider Donating

Instead of just throwing away items that you don't want, such as old clothing or unused furniture pieces, consider donating these items to a worthy charity, such as Goodwill or a homeless shelter.

Rearrange Room Layouts

Since you'll be moving everything around anyways to properly clean, why not use this opportunity to place your furniture in a fun and unfamiliar new layout? You might be surprised how moving a piece can reinvigorate your room.

Use some or all of these tips to give your house a breath of fresh air, just in time for spring.