Spring Cleaning Checklist: Family Edition

The birds are chirping, the flowers are popping, and that means it's time to do some serious Spring cleaning! This is especially important when you live with children - aka mess monsters - of your own year round. Here are a handful of Spring cleaning tasks that will make a big difference in your home.

1. Wipe down your walls. Move systematically around the house at the height of your kids, and scrub those walls. Pay special attention to doorways! You might not notice it every day, but it's amazing what little fingers can do. Water on a sponge should be enough, but for tougher jobs include some mild detergent. Those walls will be sparkling and fresh!

2. Clean your dining chairs. You know how dirty the floor gets when toddlers eat dinner? Your chairs are collecting their fair share of dirt too. Time to pull each one out and have a good look at them - the back, the undersides. Save yourself from that awkward moment at the next dinner party when a guest's fingers find themselves brushing against a half eaten cheesestick. Get rid of it now!

3. Clear out your medicine cabinet. It's easy to lose track of expired prescriptions or over-the-counter medications. Go through and dispose of anything that is not current, and make a list of items you need to replace (you can look up safe medication disposal sites in your area here). While you're at it, make sure that the cabinet continues to be out of reach of your growing kids.

4. Soak the bath toys. Bath toys - they get so gross, don't they? But they can be cleaned! Try a soak in a vinegar solution for a mold-reducing refresher. If that doesn't work (particularly for the "squirty" toys that are notoriously difficult to clean) this Spring might be a good time to find some new toys for bath time.

5. Sanitize door handles and light fixtures. These areas get a lot of traffic. They are not only germy, but can get sticky and grimy from little hands. Try a solution of hot water with soap, or wipe down with sanitizing wipes.

6. Sort through kids' clothing. Kids grow so fast, it can be hard to keep their wardrobes current with items that fit properly. Set aside time to go through all clothing items and shoes to make sure everything still fits. If an item has been outgrown or is in disrepair, dispose of or donate. Enlist the help of your kiddos in if they are old enough!

7. Sort through kids' toys and books. Every parent knows it can be easy to unintentionally collect an excessive amount of toys and books! It's simpler to keep things picked up on a daily basis if there are less toys and fewer books, and your kids will be able to see what they have to play with more readily. Recruit them to help you go through their toys and decide what they can part with. Donate or pass them along to a friend.

8. Sanitize remotes and all touch screen electronics. Now that most of our electronics have touch screens, they can become pretty darn germy. Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize!

9. Clean out your freezer. I don't know about you, but I can easily forget what is hiding in the back of my freezer. First, take all items out of the freezer. Wipe down freezer surfaces with a solution of water, dishwashing detergent, and baking soda. Then go through all food items before placing them back into the freezer. Jot down an inventory of items in your freezer so you don't forget to use up those blueberries you picked last summer, or those homemade waffles you made a double batch of and froze for easy mornings.

10. Check all smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to ensure they are in good working order. Replace batteries and, if you can find the time, vacuum out the covers before putting back together to get rid of dust and bugs that can reduce the efficacy of the detectors.

Happy cleaning and happy Spring!

Always remember, I am here for you! If you have questions or need help with anything, I am just a phone call, text, or email away. Let's chat!

- Tiffanie ❤❤❤