There’s two kinds of people in the world: people who love spring cleaning, and people who don’t. Unfortunately for the latter, spring cleaning is actually a pretty useful and important part of the year. You’re crawling out of the winter burrow and stepping into sunshine and nature and sunlight, which means you have a new perspective on the junk you’ve been surrounded by the past few months.
For many, spring cleaning feels like a daunting task. Where do you start? Whaat needs to be cleaned? How am I supposed to get this all done? Well, worry not, because we’ve compiled a guide to ensure you’re hitting three big parts of spring cleaning.
First: Get Everyone On Board
A lot of us have to share life — and consequently spring cleaning — with a roommate or two. What if your roommates don’t jump on the spring cleaning bandwagon? We’ve all had the roommate who seems to shed trash everywhere they tread. There are a few ways to get them motivated without causing a disagreement. Emphasize that you’re in this together and be willing to understand their situation. Offer a time to work together to get the place clean. Here are a few more ideas.
Now to the Cleaning…
Oven
Cleaning the oven is usually associated with the seemingly near-death, toxic experience of spraying powerful cleaner everywhere. Well, there is a way of avoiding that experience and saving yourself from the likely-to-follow cancer. You just need baking soda and a spray bottle of water. The process is fairly simple. Layer the bottom of the oven in the baking soda, get it wet and let it do its magic. Here are the steps to a sparkling clean oven ready for your cooking masterpieces. Also, it’s all cleared out to make way for any Shrinkidinks you might have left over from the ‘80s.
Fridge
You know that funky smell that wafts into your nostrils every time you open the fridge? That means something in there has gained sentience, and may be mere days away from staging a revolt. It’s time for a preemptive strike. First, take out everything inside the fridge, including the drawers and shelves. As you take out the food, read all of the labels checking expiration dates and tossing out the items that have bit the dust. Throw away any food items that you know you will not consume before it spoils. For example, two-week-old Chinese leftovers are probably not going to be eaten. Next, wash all your shelves and drawers with a rag, dish soap and warm water. Now it’s time to wipe the interior of the fridge. Using a clean cloth, hot water and dish soap, work from top to bottom. Focus on the corners and those nasty spills that were left behind. Then, dry the interior with another towel. Don’t forget the interior doors either. Now it’s time to replace the food. Try to organize your products into groups like condiments in one
area, cheeses in the smaller drawer, veggies in the crisper, etc. To top it off, go through your freezer as well and throw away anything that is frostbitten or expired.
Declutter Your Stuff
As you’re wiping down the shelves in your closet you notice something: You have too much stuff. This is a real problem, both because clutter and disorganization increase stress and because, for Christians, consumerism often conflicts with our ideal values of generosity and simplicity. Now is a great time to cut back on your things. One of the best ways to do this is to utilize the Konmari method and only keep items that “bring you joy.” This means examining everything — your closet, your garage, your workspace, even your digital workspace (here’s some tips for Mac users and PC users). Does your computer really need three copies of the same document?
If you’re not quite sure how to organize this part, let’s think through a closet as an example: First, take out everything. That’s
right, EVERYTHING. (It’s got to get worse before it gets better.) As you take out your clothes, put anything that you know that you haven’t worn in the past year in a separate pile. No exceptions! If it’s out of style or never worn, put it in a garbage bag to give away to a charity or thrift store. Just think, instead of hoarding clothes you never wear, you can give them to someone who truly needs them. Now begin to place clothes according to season. Since spring is finally here, you can likely box up all of those heavy
sweaters and bulky jackets and hide them under your bed. Start placing your clothes on hangers, into the closet by style, occasion or color.
And that’s it! See, wasn’t that easy?
