Twin Cities NW Metro Guide to Spring Cleaning

It’s finally starting to warm up in Minnesota and our homes are looking bright and sunny! It’s time for some spring cleaning! Here is our Twin Cities NW Metro Guide to Spring Cleaning and some great resources to get you started!

Here are some spring cleaning steps to take to get started.

1. Declutter

This is an important first step. Years ago, I read something that was life changing to me; “You can’t organize clutter.”  This came from Marla Cilley, “The Fly Lady” who’s blog has been inspirational to me and thousands of other women trying to keep up with their house and family.  More on her later.

Before you start trying to clean your house, make it easier on yourself by decluttering.  It seems that the longer you live in your house, the more “stuff” you collect. If you don’t love it, if it doesn’t make you happy to look at it, then get rid of it.  Go through your house room by room and look for the obvious things that can go and will make your cleaning easier in the future. After that, pick a closet or drawer every day.

Some great resources:

• My blog on Decluttering – Focused on Getting your house ready to sell,  with some good tips for general decluttering.
• 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge – Ann Marie Heasley at whitehouseblackshutters.com has a yearly challenge that coincides with Lent that encourages you to declutter a bag a day for 40 days.  She has printables that you can start any day. She has a lot of other great tips and projects on her blog as well! 

 2.  Get the Junk out of your House Now that you have decluttered – Get the junk out of your house! A lot of cities have a local “Clean Up Day” in the spring where residents can bring items that are difficult to dispose of – old electronics, scrap metal, paint and hazardous materials, to a central place and leave it for a small fee or sometimes for free.  Many of these have been cancelled this year, so check your local city website or click here for the list of NW Metro Clean Up Days. If your city does not have a clean up day, then they probably have some type of recycling or hazardous waste center.

• Go to your local charity or thrift store drop off center.  Many of these are closed right now, but you may be able to box things up in your garage until they open again.
• Computer repair stores will recyle or sometimes even buy your old computers and electronics.
• Some paint stores and retailers will accept old paint cans – call ahead.
• Facebook has Marketplace and Local “Garage Sale” sites where you can sell items. Use your discretion for safe transfer.
• You can get a Bagster at most local hardware stores for around $30. You leave it at the end of the driveway, fill it up with your junk and they will come pick it up for around $100 – prices vary by area so check the website for pricing.

3. Cleaning, how I get motivated:

Once you have decluttered a room, cleaning it is so much easier. I like to focus on cleaning one room at a time, start to finish. This gives you the satisfaction that running through the entire house never will.   Start small. Kitchens and bathrooms will probably give you the most satisfaction from a deep cleaning.

Here are some YouTube channels that I have found to be educational and very motivational to get started cleaning:

Clean My Space – one of my favorite channels for cleaning and decluttering. Melissa owns a cleaning company and gives great tips.

Living with Cambriea – it is strangely motivating to watch someone else clean their house, why is that? Check out this channel for motivation.

4. Do something special.

Once you have things cleaned up a little bit – do something special that will make you smile.

• Make some tea and take a break with your feet up in your newly clean house. Or take a nap!
• Order some new pillows for the couch or a new shower curtain and towels.
• Re-arrange the furniture. I had to make an area for video meetings and I have had fun putting that together.
• Arrange your outdoor deck patio, or front porch to be ready for spring.
• Anything else that will make you happy.

5. Home Repairs and Maintenance

This could be a great time to take care of some of those small home repair projects or painting projects. Most hardware stores are still open and you can buy paint, get your window screens repaired, have glass cut, and more. I know our local hardware store is extremely helpful when I have questions.

6. Back to the Flylady 

Check out the Marla’s blog about Spring Cleaning Dread – The Flylady’s method is that you do a little bit every day/week so that you never have to spring clean.  I have been following a lot of her tips for a long time, it has definitely changed my whole attitude on cleaning and organizing.  There is so much great information there – and all with a non-judging, do what you can, theme.

Check out the Getting Started Page on Flylady.net

If you are thinking about moving in the near future, here are some articles about getting your house ready to sell.

Get Your Home Ready to Sell