Spring cleaning is a time to refresh your home, by letting the dust of winter out the window, while restoring the clean luster of your home. It’s also a time to start packing away old seasonal winter items and breaking in new spring ones. Though with all this cleaning, and swapping things into or out of storage, it’s all too easy for things to get disorganized. Especially if old man winter decides to rear his ugly head for one last snow storm right in the middle of your major transition.

Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to hedge your bets and get your home fully transitioned to spring without a lot of the typical chaos that comes with spring cleaning.

Tip #1 Assemble Your Arsenal Of Cleaning Supplies

Having the right tool for any job is one of the best ways to hedge your bets for success. So, before you move anything out, make sure you have all your cleaning supplies ready for action. That way if you do happen to encounter an unforeseen mess or even just a sinister dust bunny, you are ready to tackle it head-on.

Some of the typical spring cleaning supplies to make sure you have on hand include:

  • Laundry soap
  • Dish soap
  • Floor cleaner
  • White vinegar
  • Baking soda
  • Plenty of paper towel rolls
  • Dusting wand
  • Hydrogen peroxide
  • Lemon or air freshener
  • A spray bottle

Tip #2 Set Up Air Filters

If you don’t already have some air filters in your house, you should invest in one or two. If you do already have air filters, make sure to give them new clean filters. This will go a long way toward capturing the dust that is inevitably released when you start moving things and opening windows.

Tip #3 Consider Your Storage Solutions

Some people can pull out spring items and store winter items back in the same totes and boxes. Though for the rest of us, this ends up being a little bit like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Take the time to come up with a list of winter items that you want to store away. Then consider if the items on that inventory will fit into the boxes that you are bringing older spring and summer items out of.

Chances are good you can fit some, but probably not all of the winter items into the freshly unpacked spring boxes. So, it helps to buy a few new stackable tote bins to have on hand. That way you can pack winter items away, without having a pile of them waiting for a new home.

Some of the best storage solutions for packing away old winter items during spring cleaning include:

  • Stackable heavy-duty tote bins
  • Reinforced packing boxes
  • Narrow sliding totes for under the bed storage
  • Overhead storage bins for the garage
  • Free-standing basement shelves

If you have existing storage space caused by small boxes or totes fitting onto large shelves, you might want to try installing adjustable shelving rails or shelf dividers. They’re generally inexpensive and can usually be installed onto existing wooden or metal shelves in a matter of minutes.

Tip #3 Make Sure To Remove All Old Seasonal Items Before Cleaning

The temptation is to move things around as you clean. Though this rarely works out as expected and will likely leave you disorganized in the process. It’s best to remove all your winter seasonal items and store them away before bringing out your spring items.

This gives you the cleanest slate as well as giving you a clear understanding of just what needs to be cleaned and where. You also have clear lanes to pull things out like area rugs that can stand a good beating in the fresh spring air.

Tip #4 Have A Garage Sale

Children outgrow clothes and lose interest in old toys. Not to mention there’s bound to be odds and ends or pieces of furniture that no longer fit your concept of what you want your interior to look like through the spring and summer. A garage sale is a great way to get rid of outgrown and disinterested items. If anything it gives you an excuse to get out in the air.

Tip #5 Consider Donating Unused Or Outdated Items

These days thrift stores are more than willing to take donated and outdated items. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure. So rather than finding new ways to store unwanted things consider donating them. This is another alternative to the garage sale idea, especially if sitting around staring at your old things isn’t how you want to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Tip #6 Swap Out Linens & Curtains

Linen items, curtains, and area rugs can all gather dust or take a beating throughout a long winter. Swapping them out for new or freshly laundered items is a great way to clear the air and freshen up the look of each room in the house.

Tip #7 Develop A Cleaning Strategy

There are a few nuts and bolts things to keep in mind when spring cleaning. For instance, dusting before you vacuum tends to yield a better result than if you do it the other way around. While you are at it, make sure to spray out any screen and wipe down your windows. This might even be a good time to swap out the scents of your room deodorizers and scented candles. After all, pumpkin spice and vanilla don’t exactly feel like springtime scents.

Tip #8 Change Or Move Art Objects & Display Items

Holding onto family photos, art objects, and other important display items is a must for most households. Though there is no hard and fast rule that says everything needs to stay in the same place year-in and year-out. Moving frames, changing up display items, and altering the visual flow of your rooms not only help freshen things up but can also reveal areas that need a little more dusting and spot cleaning.

Tip #9 Give All Flooring A Deep Clean

Spring cleaning is a time to move out the old, but before you bring in the new, you have the most unfettered access you are going to ever have to your floors. Renting a carpet shampooer and giving hard floors a meticulous cleaning with a new coat of wax ensures that your flooring is ready to handle everything spring and summer have to throw at it.

Tip #10 Remember The Garage & Basement

The garage and the basement tend to be storage dumping grounds for a lot of homes. To the point that some families end up parking their cars every night in the driveway simply because there is so much disorganized storage in the garage. While you are packing things away and taking new things out, give yourself some extra hours, or perhaps a full weekend to really get after the garage and basement. Having an organized garage in these areas will buy you a lot more functional space in your home.

You might want to also invest in some new storage solutions to help keep things organized in the garage and basement. This includes things like:

  • Installing a peg hook system
  • Installing adjustable shelving
  • Investing in heavy-duty free-standing shelves
  • Installing overhead storage items
  • Transforming the garage attic into functional storage space
  • Workbench storage