March 8, 2021
WEEK 2: DUST + WIPE
Budget Planner | Citrus cleaning cloth | Glass spray bottle with color coding tape
It’s spring cleaning month with me! This is our first big week of our Spring Cleaning Challenge and we’re going to start off with lots of dusting and mopping the most touched surfaces of our homes. If you have any questions, feel overwhelmed, or don’t know where to start, please contact me and ask for help. I am here to help you succeed!
I have planned my week in Homekeeping planner to correspond with the weekly tasks – I’ll share this method with you in case you want to structure your week that way too. When you do the Clean Mama Routine, you know it’s a holistic approach – assembly line style. Instead of cleaning room by room, we do one task every day – Monday is bathroom day, Tuesday is dusty day, etc. This is more efficient, saves tons of time and keeps your home clean all week.
Monday – WIPER SWITCH PLATES, WIPER DOOR KNOBS (Bathroom day)
Tuesday – DUST EDGES + CORNERS ON CEILING LEVEL + FLOOR LEVEL / DUST VENTILATION DUST / LIGHT FASTENING + FAN (Dust day)
Wednesday – VACUUM BASEBOARDS (Day of vacuuming)
Thursday – WASH THE BASEBOARDS (Day of floor washing)
Friday – START EVERYTHING THAT WAS NOT DONE (Catch-All Day)
Saturday – (Bed linen + towels day)
Dusting + wiping
- Start by wiping down switch plates and doorknobs – I use a microfiber cloth and pour a little alcohol on it. Wipe the switch plates, then wipe the door handles with your cloth, rinse them, and reapply if necessary.
- Dust edges + corners on the ceiling and on the floor – Using a long handled duster with an extendable rod, work top to bottom and left to right. As you go, dust off the top of the door frames as well. If you feel like you are raising a lot of dust while doing this, do a quick vacuum or if you do this on Tuesday, vacuum tomorrow. If you don’t have a long handled, elongated duster, check out my favorites here, or you can put an old t-shirt over a broom and dust off.
- Dust or vacuum vents – I like to use my vacuum cleaner to clean air vents. You can dust them off, or remove them and wash them.
- Wash vacuum edges of baseboards + baseboards – While you are vacuuming on Wednesday, take the extra time vacuuming baseboards. If you wash floors on Thursday, wash the baseboards too. Wednesday and Thursday are going to feel like a lot – you can definitely save up for Friday!
- Dust lights and ceiling fans – Use your duster to wipe your lights and fans. If you do this on Tuesday, all dusty / dusty jobs will remain on Tuesday.
Here’s how to brush in the spring when you don’t have time
Spring cleaning takes time, but so does regular cleaning. It’s maintenance, and if you spend a few minutes cleaning a little each day, you will save all week of time. I know spring is in our home when the kids’ activities start and the schedules are full. If you are cleaning or planning to clean in the spring, how do you take the time? Take a look at your schedule or your day and look for a few time slots to move around in. Do you think you don’t have time? Take a look at your phone usage and I bet you have at least 15-30 minutes to save on most days. Think of the time that you don’t waste time, but cleaning and debugging will save you time in the long run and you will feel better too.
Take your time. Decide when to take the time to do some spring cleaning and write it down. Gone all day and exhausted when you get home? Pick 2-3 days a week to do a task or two before going to work or when you get home. Ask your family members for help. It has been known that I pay in the form of ice cream or a special toy in return for help. There is nothing magical about the days of the week – if you want to set aside Saturday morning for the month of March and tackle the cleansing, go for it. Make up your mind with a little bit at home all day and decide when is the best time for spring cleaning. Be aware, however, that this may not happen the way you intended it to. Be flexible and realistic. If you have preschoolers, make them a spring cleaning bucket (feather duster, water in a spray bottle, and a microfiber or cotton cleaning cloth) and let them help you.
Look at your mindset. Be positive and do your best and most importantly, have fun cleaning. Spring cleaning is a good time – your home is ready for spring and summer, and you will feel better about yourself. Don’t worry about how long it will take you to do the cleanup, do your best, work at your own pace, and enjoy the process.
All contributions to the Spring Clean with Me series can be found here.
Rather than looking at a huge to-do list of all of the things you don’t know when to get around to doing this, think of this as an everyday approach to spring cleaning. Just like with the Clean Mama routine, you will think “something every day”. It doesn’t have to be all, but if you add a task or two every day in March (and April if necessary) you’ll find that you have almost lured yourself into spring cleaning. I love, love, love spring cleaning and I love sharing my tips and tricks with you. I want you to enjoy it a little too.
Here’s your checklist to get you started:
- CONSEQUENCES: Make sure to join on Instagram @cleanmama
- SUBSCRIBE TO: If you have not subscribed to the blog, you can do so by putting your name and email address on the FREE PRINTABLE PAGE
- DOWNLOAD + PRINT: Once you’ve received the password (you only need to enter your email address ONE TIME) check out the Spring Cleaning Checklist on the FREE PRINTABLE PAGE – this is what we are tracking for the month of March.
Do you want to add this list to Cozi + Clean Mama? Click the button below!
ADD TO COSI + CLEANMAMA
You don’t have the Cozi + Clean Mama app yet? Cozi is # 1 in family organization apps. First, sign up for your FREE account. Cozi + Clean Mama adds Clean Mama Daily Tasks and Clean Mama Weekly Tasks to your shared family calendar and sends automatic reminders for all tasks! Click here to learn more and download Cozi + Clean Mama.
TELL YOUR FRIENDS: Spread the word on your social media and tag me so I can share too! Cleaning with friends is always more fun!
VIEW EVERY MONDAY FOR NEW POST: Every Monday for the month of March, I’ll work out the plan for the week, tell you how I’m approaching spring cleaning, and then I’ll have a post or two during each week to help with the tasks for the week. Make sure to check Instagram for DAILY updates from Clean Mama HQ (my house).
SPRING CLEANING IS THE MONTHLY FOCUS FOR MARCH: You can find the monthly focus in the Homekeeping Planner and in the subscription to the Homekeeping Society. If you’re looking to work with a small group, join the Homekeeping Society for assistance!
SPRING CLEANING WITH ME SCHEDULE – I’ll link the posts when we go!
WEEK 1: Preparation week + laundry room
3 DIY cleaners for spring cleaning your whole house
How to clean a laundry room
5 essential spring cleaning tools
WEEK 2: dusting + wiping
WEEK 3: Thoroughly clean the kitchen
WEEK 4: Windows + bathroom
WEEK 5: beds + floors
NEW? START HERE!
Follow the Clean Mama Routine – If you haven’t tried the Clean Mama routine but want to do a spring cleaning, Start with the daily chores and add spring cleaning to these OR set a timer for 15 minutes a day and do what you can. I’ve developed and refined the Clean Mama routine for the past 15 to 20 years – the final improvements you see today are the result of more than 60 hours a week, traveling for my job, the launch of Clean Mama, and the Pregnancy with our third. As the routine helped us keep our home tidy during this chaotic time, when the last thing I wanted to do was clean, I knew I was up to something. You’re too busy not to try – trust me! Here is a post to help you figure out how to do the routine in a busy life.
As you familiarize yourself with the Clean Mama Routine, it will take less time and you will develop habits that will help you keep your home consistently clean. I share my weekly tasks on Instagram every day – follow here: @cleanmama
You can find these downloads on the Free Printouts page. If you need a detailed guide, you can download it:
The Clean Mama routine is also available in the Cozi + Clean Mama app. Here you can sign up!
Are you ready to go I’ll be back later this week with a post on my favorite DIY cleaning recipes for spring cleaning, an in-store sale, and more!