Get Organized // Spring Cleaning

you know what made me laugh this week?  so, my caribou coffee has a chalkboard.  they ask a question every week and people write their answers.  a couple weeks ago, the question was 'what will you do on the first day of spring?'  and the answers cracked me up because it said 'run in my underwear' and 'take off my coat' and 'dance in the grass.'  well i have news, folks.  the first day of spring?  it's march 20th.  9 days away.  and you live in chicago.  the first day of spring has never been weather in which you can remove your coat and dance in your underwear, because there's usually still snow on the ground.  and there will be this year, so settle down.

but anyway, the point is yes, it's almost here.  i'm not a big spring fan because i don't like pollen or bugs and my order of favorite seasons tends to be the exact opposite of everyone else.  winter, fall, spring, summer.  i'm a snow baby, what can i say?  but even though i don't love it, i embrace spring for one very important reason: spring cleaning.  just call me danny tanner because spring cleaning time is a highlight of my year.  (except for vacuuming.  death to vacuuming.)  i do clean and declutter all year long but i like spring cleaning because you can open the windows and do the deep cleaning jobs like washing the blinds and baseboards.  yep, that's a thing.  and yes, i do like doing it.  and then i like sealing up my house and letting no one in and touching nothing for a month just keep it so pristine...

alright you probably don't love it like i do.  i realize it's a little weird on my part.  but you probably are planning on doing it, right?  i know a lot of people are, because i've seen an influx of spring cleaning tips and tricks and checklists on pinterest.  which i've been re-pinning, of course.  i do a decent job of cleaning year round.  i keep it to a 15 to 30 minute task each day, with one day off (i.e. dusting on wednesdays, cleaning the bathroom on thursdays.)  but there's a lot of deep cleaning tasks that really only get done once or twice a year.  they're aren't the most enjoyable, but hey - it has to get done!  like cleaning the things you use for cleaning - the vacuum, the washing machine, the dishwasher.  it still makes no sense to me that you have to wash the things you use for keeping your other items clean, but it is what it is.

i just have a tiny apartment, so i can get it done in a weekend.  for a house, it would take a week.  i stock up on all my supplies like cleaners and trash bags, prepare a food plan (because i'm not cooking or worrying about food while i'm busy cleaning my kitchen!), and make a schedule so i'm sure i don't miss anything.  it's easier if you have a plan, i promise!  personally, i love free this checklist.  it's two pages and contains everything i could possibly need to do, and then some (because i don't have a garage or yard.)  if you need a lot of help, there's also an $8 kit that contains every single printable you could need, like schedulers and supply shopping lists.

obviously i'm a little busy this coming weekend what with st. patrick's day and all.  but i'll get my spring cleaning the weekend after that.  just in time for the first days of spring!  i'd show you before and after photos but you probably wouldn't even be able to tell a difference.  i tell ya, having less stuff is the way to go.  less to clean!

what about you?  are you spring cleaning this year?