Life Well-Lived: Spring Cleaning

What are your favorite spring cleaning tips? Do you have any to add to Alicia’s 10-minutes-or-less list?

I have to laugh that I was assigned this particular part of the Getting Organized campaign.  My first thought was, “Spring Cleaning?!?!  What’s that?  Do people still do that?”

Here’s my two-cents:

1. Do a daily 10-minute declutter (read: fill the trash can) every day of spring break.  I don’t completely understand the psychology behind it, but clutter induces stress.  Additionally, clutter hinders our cleaning.  It’s much easier to clean a surface if you can actually see it.
2. Take all that money you saved from giving up Starbucks for Lent and hire a maid service.  Seriously.  I used to be categorically against paying money for something I could theoretically do myself.  Then we won a silent auction item last year for a whole-house cleaning.  It was amazing.  It indeed took some pre- work (i.e., straightening up) so they could do  a deeper clean in the allotted time, but it was well worth it.  They even scrubbed my drip pans under my burners clean.  If you go this route, make sure to get a recommendation from someone and find a service that will leave a check list of all completed tasks.  Not all cleaning services are created equal.

Anything you have to add to “the list?” If so, head here to contribute to the conversation and don’t forget to enter the new sweepstakes.