The warm weather and longer daylight hours give me two desires- 1: to be outside soaking up the sunlight with my kids and 2: to freshen up my house with a little spring cleaning. Now, I’ll be the first to admit enjoying the sunshine trumps this busy mom’s spring cleaning. But there is something about fresh air filling the house, crisp sheets on the bed, and knowing the winter clothing has been sorted that brings a little happiness to my heart.
How Busy Moms Find Time for Spring Cleaning
Most moms I know are busy. Whether they have one child or six, work outside the home or stay home with their children, take their children to public school or homeschool them. The fact is moms have a lot on their plates, before adding in spring cleaning. So how is a busy mom supposed to find time for spring cleaning? Here’s what I have found helpful:
Gather the Supplies
When busy moms finally find the time to do some spring cleaning, good intentions derail when the supplies aren’t handy. Before you intend to start, make sure you have plenty of trash bags and your favorite cleaners. I keep my rags in a basket and the few natural cleaners I use together so I can grab them easily. There’s no sense wasting time looking for supplies when I could be cleaning.
Make a List
Or just grab this one I use.
I even left space to add your own tasks. My list is organized by types of cleaning, not just by room. I find it more efficient to do all of one task at a time instead of switching tasks often. For example, if I am dusting, I like to dust the whole house instead of the living room one day and the bedrooms another day.
Whether you use my list or write out your own, make sure to include all the tasks you hope to accomplish. In reality, busy moms often don’t cross every item off their spring cleaning list, but having a list help prioritize which tasks matter most.
Clean in Small Chunks.
Rarely do busy moms get a whole day to do all of the spring cleaning tasks. Instead, we get small chunks of time here and there that if used wisely can add up to a lot of cleaning. Look at your list. Some tasks take longer than others. Mark a few you can do in little chunks of time. Cleaning all the appliances may take an hour, but the front of the dishwasher can be wiped down in the time it takes that afternoon coffee to brew.
Another way to utilize small chunks of time is to set a timer. It is amazing how much we can accomplish when we only have a set small amount of time to do it. I usually use 10 or 15 minutes, but sometimes, I will even do 5 minutes. After all, a little bit is better than nothing.
Keep Your Machines Running
Whether we are spring cleaning or just normal cleaning, we moms need to put the machines to work for us. I go into much more detail on what I mean by putting the machines to work for you here. Whether it is running dirty snow pants, the next size of clothing, or the dirty cleaning rags, the washing machine can be working while you do something else. And your trusty crockpot can be making a meal giving you more time to clean.
Declutter as You Spring Clean
No matter how hard we try, we can’t organize clutter. If you don’t need something, let it go. Then rejoice at the fact that you will never have to pick it up, put it away, or move it every again. One less thing to clean. I recommend keeping a box for items to donate and a bag for trash handy whenever you are cleaning.
Work in Order
Remember that list you prioritized? Work on the tasks that matter most to you. Each of us has a different family and different circumstances. Washing the windows might be highly important to someone, but the ring on the toilet bothers me more. So I would prioritize the toilet and conquer that before the windows.
Work around the house or room in a way that is efficient and helps you keep track of where you are. We all know busy moms get sidetracked while spring cleaning, or doing anything for that matter. Work top-down, left to right. Dirt falls down so it makes sense to clean from the top down. Knock the cobwebs out of the corners. Then dust. Finally, do the floors. When we work around the room and house left to right we can start back where we stopped instead of having to try to remember which parts we have done and which we haven’t.
Get Your Children Involved
One of the biggest mistakes we as moms make when it comes to spring cleaning or any other cleaning for that matter is not involving our children. Yes, I know it takes longer to show them how to do something than just do it yourself. But in the long run that extra time pays off. Your children will be able to do some of the tasks on their own, and they will be better prepared for life after your home.
Some of the jobs even young children can do:
- dust
- wipe cupboards or appliances
- run items to other rooms
- wipe baseboards
With a little teaching and a little patience, your children can turn into great helpers who make spring cleaning go faster.
One Last Thing about Spring Cleaning for Busy Mom
You know your family, your home, and your standards. In all honesty, I won’t get everything on my spring cleaning checklist done. The important thing is that your home is homey to you and your family and that you maintain your relationships with your family members even while spring cleaning. If those baseboards get skipped (again) this year or you don’t get the snow pants washed and put away until July, take a deep breath and remember in eternity it won’t matter. But relationships and pointing your kids to Christ always matter, even when busy moms are spring cleaning.
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