Spring has arrived, and brought with it more sunlight, new flowers shooting up from the ground, and a pretty noticeable layer of dust, dirt, and grime in the corners of our apartments. Yes, in addition to it being time to begin drinking on rooftops and bringing home colorful bunches of tulips, it’s also time for spring cleaning. Depending on who you are, spring cleaning may be just as sweet as the sunshine and flowers. But for others, it can be enough to make you want winter to stick around forever.
No matter what your cleaning tolerance, it may be comforting to know that seasonal chores can be easily accomplished with checklists tailored to your specific needs. We recently spoke to Melissa Maker, host of the CleanMySpace YouTube channel and founder of Clean My Space, a Canada-based housekeeping service, about spring cleaning tasks for every kind of cleaner. "The tasks aren’t going to change much person to person, it’s just the amount of the task that they’re going to do," Maker explains. "Your low-key cleaner is going to do like 20 percent. Your midway cleaner is going to do about 50 percent, and your hardcore cleaner, who like, schedules this stuff into their calendars and can’t wait for spring because they love cleaning — they’re going to do everything."
With Maker’s help, we created three different spring cleaning checklists for three different kinds of cleaners. If you’re committed to deep cleaning, if you want to do the bare minimum, or if you’re somewhere in-between, we’ve got a checklist for you. Take a look ahead, to find which list of tasks fits your needs. Then print it out and keep it handy while you tackle your spaces this season.
Type-A cleaners, this checklist is for you. According to Maker, this type of person likely already keeps their home clean, so they’re going to want to concentrate on nitty-gritty tasks. That means, thoroughly dusting often-forgotten spots like light fixtures, vents, and appliances, as well as wiping them down with all-purpose cleaner. They should also take a peek under the sink. You won’t need checklist for the most obvious tasks because you’re already on top of those.
If you absolutely cannot stand cleaning, that doesn’t mean you can’t do it well. Don’t believe us? Just ask Maker. "I’m the 20% person. I hate cleaning… I can tell you what to do, but generally, I have to have some really good motivation to do all those 100% things on the list," she told Refinery29. Her advice to people in this category is, "if you don’t like cleaning, find the smartest way to clean." That could mean using this once-a-year opportunity to tackle the big spots in your home, like the bathtub and oven. To help with those somewhat scary tasks, consult a video tutorial on how to clean your oven racks and how to clean your tub and shower.
For your in-between person who doesn’t want to get all down and dirty with their spring cleaning routine but would like to tidy up a bit, Maker recommends doing a mix of broad tasks and nitty gritty ones. Like the type-A cleaner, you can wipe down areas behind and underneath your kitchen appliances, but you don’t necessarily need to give the appliances themselves a deep clean.
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Source: Refinery29 – Olivia Harrison