It’s starting to feel as though spring is surfacing…and all of a sudden, we’ve been bit by the spring cleaning bug! As much as we love getting our homes back in tip-top shape, we never quite know where to start. Since it looks like our house could use some serious freshening up, we’ve decided to kick things off with these eight don’t miss spots.

1. Organize Under the Bed

Having trouble sleeping? Maybe it’s all the dust bunnies partying under your bed. Brave those bunnies to sort through and clean out your under-bed storage. It’s a task that’s easy to put off, but finally doing it may help you sleep easier.

We found this idea on Pinterest for an under-the-bed Lego tray. It keeps Lego organized and keeps Harry Potter and Batman from joining forces with the dust bunnies (which will have less room to party as well).

A great product for cleaning under beds and other furniture is a Swiffer Sweeper Vac (the bunnies won’t know what hit them!).

2. Clean Out the Linen Closet

We’re used to organizing the pillow cases and towels that we’ve piled high on the shelves, but how often do we take everything out, fluff and re-fold it? Remove the contents entirely and throw out old towels and wrong-sized bed sheets instead of neatly tucking them away again. Or better yet — donate them to a local animal shelter.

The Queen of Clean, Martha Stewart has some simple tips for organizing your linen closet. We love the tip of storing sheets inside their matching pillow case – so perfect!

Since you’re taking everything off the shelves, why not give them a good wipe with Seventh Generation’s All-Purpose Natural Cleaner? It’ll make putting everything back neatly even more satisfying.

3. Clean out The Hall Closet

Soon it will be warm enough that you can go through, clean and pack away things like snow pants and heavy coats. Keep at least one hat and few scarves out for chilly, rainy mornings and you should have a clutter-free closet in no time. Pull to the front things like rain coats, umbrellas, spring jackets and rain pants for the kidlets.

Are  you constantly losing all the small things you like to keep in your closet like spare keys and tennis balls? Why not add a few baskets, bins or totes to the shelves?

4. Tidy and Purge the Pantry

We love storing goodies in our kitchen pantry, but sometimes, we forget about them until they’re long expired. Start sorting through cans and packets (and check those spices, too!), so you can recycle and compost anything that’s past its prime or donate still-fresh items that you doubt you’ll ever use.

Why not stock up while you’re cleaning as well? Order things like baking supplies, coffee & tea, and even canned goods.

5. Clean out Your Makeup Bag

It’s time. That almost empty, dirt-encrusted lipbalm and your older-than-you-can-remember mascara need to go. All those hair pins and clips need to be organized and perhaps you should green your makeup bag at the same time — implement a few natural products to celebrate spring…?

A few of the natural makeup products we swear by are Pacifica’s Stellar Gaze Length & Strength Mineral Mascara, 100% Pure Lip Caramel, and Pure Anada Pressed Mineral Cheek Colour Pan. Those make for a super green, super clean makeup bag!

6. Clean Up Your Hard Drive

Clean up what is on your home laptop/computer/tablet/smart phone. Get a hard drive and back up photos and important files there. It may seem like a trivial task compared to the physical cleaning that needs to be done, but trust us, it’s vital. You don’t want to lose those photos if your computer crashes, do you?

7. Wipe Behind the Fridge & Stove

Crumbs can’t help but slip through the cracks, so take a look at the space between your kitchen fridge, behind your stove, under counters, and beside walls. Cleaning out the fridge is a good idea too – make room for all those great veggies and fruits that will soon be coming home from the farmer’s markets.

Here is a great top-to-bottom list of what and how to clean when cleaning out and around the fridge. Printing it out and posting it on the fridge might encourage someone else to do it…

Our fave super hero cleaner for kitchen grime on granite is the Method Daily Granite Cleaner. It smells amazing and cleans like a tough guy. Just what you need to get all that grease gone.

8. Clean Carpets and Floors

Those rugs we’ve been wiping our feet on all winter long? They’re probably over due for a good cleaning. Now’s the perfect time to clean washable rugs, scrub those hardwood floors and either steam clean it yourself or have other carpeting professionally cleaned.

For tough stains and odours, we’ve become addicted to Nature Clean Oxy Stain Remover.

Pinterest is a great resource for tips on how to DIY steam clean and tips for getting red wine and even nail polish out of carpets.

 

And of course, we’ll be sure to keep this Spring Cleaning Pinterest Board close at hand for other ideas (and solutions)!