Spring Cleaning: A Checklist and More

Spring Cleaning_ A Checklist and More!

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Spring Cleaning

Do people still do spring cleaning or is it an old fashioned idea that really isn’t relevant anymore?

For me, spring cleaning is still a thing, and I have a checklist (and more) to prove it!Spring Cleaning_ A Checklist and More!

Actually, I do both spring cleaning and cleaning in the fall. Why didn’t fall cleaning ever catch on?

My thinking is that after your home has been shut up all winter, and maybe people have had colds or the flu, your house needs a good cleaning and airing out! I even do this in the middle of winter sometimes if I feel like we’ve been trading the same germs back and forth.

Cleaning and ADHD

I know that cleaning may be an odd thing to write about on a blog about ADHD, but this is a blog about women with ADHD, and guess who’s doing most of the cleaning the world over?

Women – ADHD or not!

So those of us with ADHD often struggle with housekeeping in general.

My mom (who had ADHD) never taught me; she was probably struggling on her own too much as it was.

Some of you may have had moms who managed to keep a spotless home effortlessly, and yet you never learned.

It’s hard – no matter the subject – for someone who doesn’t have ADHD to be able to teach us things sometimes. It’s not their fault, or ours – we just process things differently.

So, yes, absolutely – women with ADHD need to know how to spring clean too – and how to do it as easily as possible!

When You Have the Whole House, Where Do You Begin?

There are two approaches when it comes to spring cleaning:

  • Room by room or
  • Task by task.

And really, you can do a little bit of both. Sometimes I find that easier.

So when you clean, you always start at the top and work down. (I forget this every single time I clean the microwave and stove. I clean the stovetop, then do the microwave and watch all the stray crumbs from the microwave land on my clean stovetop.)

So, with spring cleaning, I’d start with the cobwebs and corners and do them all at once.

Get your dust mop out (or a broom with a rag wrapped around it and secured with whatever you have) and clean off the cobwebs from the ceilings, corners, and in my case, some of the walls.

I’ve never seen walls collect dust the way the ones in this house do. Isn’t it funny how every house you have is different when it comes to cleaning?

So that, by the way, is task by task cleaning. Doing one task throughout the house at once. You might do the same with cleaning the windows or the floors.

On the other hand, you may choose to do the bathrooms and kitchen individually. That is, do the whole room at once.

Totally up to you.

Did I Mention I Have a Checklist?

I do.

I have a checklist of things to do to spring clean your home, as well as some more specific notes, and even some recipes for DIY cleaning products!

It’s not that I prefer making my own products, but that by doing so, I’m using things that are less harmful to me and my family (and the environment).

And they work – or I wouldn’t use them!

They’re also cheap, which is just another bonus.

So where are these checklists and recipes?

They’re in the Resource Library on this site, along with some more pretty cool stuff.

Just fill in the form below to get the password.

Some Last Minute Notes on Spring Cleaning

  • No one says it has to be spring to do a deep cleaning. Any time you’re in the mood is fine.
  • You don’t have to do every room. This is your house. Do what you want and what needs it.
  • Don’t clean until you’re exhausted or sick. A little at a time. Anything you do is better than nothing at all, right?
  • You’ll notice that nowhere on my list does it mention closets. Spring cleaning is about clearing out the dirt and dust from the winter and airing the house out! You can clear out and declutter some other time.
  • There are outside tasks on the list. Wait until the weather is nicer.
  • Don’t get overwhelmed. Just because the list says to take all of your curtains down and wash them doesn’t mean you have to if that’s too much. Putting up and taking down curtains is a job. Maybe you want to do this room by room, and one at a time.
  • The only thing that requires taking everything out and putting it back in is the refrigerator, and you don’t even have to do that. I’ve cleaned my fridge plenty of times by moving stuff from one shelf to the other.
  • Remember, anything you do is better than nothing at all.
  • Bottom line? If you can’t do much, or you’re overwhelmed, get the bathrooms and kitchen in decent shape and then work on dusting, vacuuming, and airing out the bedrooms.

And hey – did you know that Pandora has a cleaning station? Cool!

 

Picture of Lacy Estelle

Lacy Estelle

Lacy Estelle is the writer of Lacyestelle.com and the Podcast host for An ADD Woman.

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