Your Ultimate Spring Cleaning Guide
It’s almost that time of year.. the days are getting longer, we have more sunshine, and things are starting to warm up.
And currently I am feeling the urge to start all the spring cleaning (or maybe it’s that pregnancy nesting starting to kick in). Either way, I am ready for some more organization, cleaning things out, and making space physically, mentally, and emotionally for all that the rest of the year will bring.
This post will tackle why spring cleaning can be beneficial to your health, the steps to make cleaning and organizing so much easier, any my favorite non-toxic cleaning essentials! Let’s get into it.
The Importance of Spring Cleaning for Your Health
Tidying up your space has so many important health benefits, including:
decreased anxiety and stress hormones
improved mental health and clarity
better sleep in a clean bedroom
improved immune strength
releases feel good endorphins
Plus, it has been shown that when we are in a cleaner, more tidy space our productivity levels increase! So if you have been feeling in a bit of a slump, or are struggling to actually make progress with your to do list, tidying up your environment may be just what you need.
My Method for Spring Cleaning Made EASY
I remember times when I have been really ambitious and set aside a full weekend to “clean everything” and a few hours in I ended up overwhelmed and inevitably just giving up. Because if you’re anything like me, when you start to clean and organize, oftentimes things get a whole lot messier before they get any cleaner or you feel like you are making any progress.
So I finally figured out a method that works far better for me personally, and I end up getting so much more done and feeling a lot more productive!
First - Instead of picking a room and deciding to clean the whole thing, I break it up into sections. For example, if I am wanting to tackle our master bedroom I break it up into these sections : walk in closet, dresser, master bathroom, bedroom. Each one of those can be a big task in and of themselves, and trying to cover all of them in one day can just seem overwhelming.
But if I tackle one smaller project each day I keep from feeling overwhelmed and continue making progress. Plus, if I clean out our full dresser and organize it and then still feel the energy to tackle something else I already have intentional jobs lined up.
Another example would be the kitchen. Instead of trying to get everything done in one day I might break it up like this: One day i’ll clean out and organize the fridge, the pantry the next, and the cupboards the last day.
Second- Once I have picked my smaller project to tackle, I start by cleaning everything out. By removing everything I have the chance to clean all the hidden surfaces and it sets me up for getting rid of more things that we no longer need or love.
Before putting each item back I do a little Marie Kondo action and ask myself these questions:
Is this something we still use often?
Is it in good repair/ works appropriately?
Do I have multiples or duplicates that I don’t need?
Is there something else we own that can do the job of this item?
If it checks out and is a valuable item for us, then I put it away! To keep things nice and organized I love these plastic containers off of amazon. Another Amazon find I love it this pot and pan organizer and tupperware organizer. They make such a difference and help to keep everything in their own tidy spot!
Spring Cleaning Checklist
I have always been a checklist person. Each morning I wake up and write out todays to do list and I get such a sense of accomplishment when I get everything checked off! It also helps me to stay organized and remember everything that I need to prioritize that day.
I made this printable so that you can write out each room and then underneath it, have it broken down into smaller, more manageable projects! There is also an “extra” section for all those random things around the house that may need to be done. For example:
changing your air/ water filters
changing the battery on your smoke or carbon monoxide detectors
turning on your sprinklers
flip and rotate your mattress (this helps lengthen the life of it!)
cleaning out the freezer of any old/ unused foods
Get the free printable download!
My Favorite Amazon Finds for Spring Cleaning
These plastic organization bins! I have them in my fridge for condiments and random jar organization, my pantry for snacks and baking goods, and under my sink for cleaning and products and tools.
These drawer organizers! Similar to the plastic bins above, except these are smaller and shorter and fit inside your drawer. I use these mainly for our bathroom drawers to organize all our different health and beauty products. I have several small bins that organize my makeup items from my oral hygiene stuff, and another bin for my random hair ties and clips. I really love that they are all clear and open so you can easily see where everything is, and they have silicone tabs on the bottom to keep them from slipping and sliding all over the place!
Bra, underwear, and sock organizer! These fabric organizers were a game change for me and helped to keep all my undergarments easily seen and organized. I also bought another set of these for my daughters clothes when she was a baby and they make the perfect organizer for all the tiny baby clothes and accessories.
Food storage container lid organizer. Does your food storage container seem to always be the messiest cabinet in your kitchen? Mine sure was and then I found this nifty organizer for all the lids and now it is so much easier to find the right size I need!
This floor steamer! We bought this about a year ago and were shocked we went so long without having one of these! Our flooring is currently a mixture of laminate and tile (we literally are ordering new flooring this week and planning to get it installed before our second baby comes) and nothing would them clean as well as this steamer (especially our grout lines!).
I love that this steamer in particular has a detachable head with an actual scrubber. It makes getting off any weird gunk or spots on your flooring so much easier!
My Favorite Non-Toxic Cleaning Products
We are a huge fan of Thrive Market in our house and I love that everything is delivered right to my door and often on sale or already cheaper! So most of these items I purchase directly from them and some I even have on auto-ship when I know I am going to go through it every few months. But if you don’t have an account you can get them from amazon as well.
Also, if you are new to non-toxic products, I love using ewg.com to look up different products and learn about why I might want to avoid certain chemicals in our home. It is also really convenient because they give each product a grade A-F so it is easy to see how “clean” a product is. It is not about fear, but knowledge and when you know better, you can make a better choice to support the health of you and your family!
Laundry
Molly Suds Unscented Laundry Powder- we have used this for the last 2 years and love that it doesn’t leave a musty smell like some other natural detergents. It also last us so long and is really affordable compared to other detergents!
Did you know dryer sheets are one of the household cleaning products that emits the highest amount of chemicals? A great alternative are these Molly Suds dryer sheets, or even better is these wool dryer balls!
Miss Mouth’s Stain Remover- This thing works magic. Berries, coffee, wine, grease.. I haven’t had a single stain that this spray hasn’t been able to get out! And the best part is that it is rated “A” on the EWG site, which means there are no concerning ingredients for your health👏 Truly shocked by this product…
Kitchen
Ecos Free + Clear Dish Soap- This dish soap also comes in a few different scents and depending on which ones, they are rated either an “A” or a “B”. So whichever fragrance is something I would be comfortable using in my house, personally! But I have only myself used the non-scented one so far.
All Purpose Cleaner- I have tried several that work well! Aunt Fannie’s Vinegar Cleaner (this is half the price on thrive market than it is on amazon!) and Rosey All Purpose- A Thrive Market exclusive (their products are not yet searchable on EWG, but if you individually look up each ingredient they are rate in between 1-3 which would be the equivalent of an A-C depending on which product it is) are two that I have recently used and like! I am experimenting with just making my own vinegar cleaner with orange and lemon peels and seeing how that works, so we will see 🤷🏻♀️
Bathroom
Seventh Generation Toilet Cleaner- This brand has been known to greenwash their products a little 😬 but this one is actually great without any concerning ingredients and it works well!
Glass Cleaner- recently I have been using the Rosey brand off Thrive Market for this and it’s been working well!
There you have it! My favorite non-toxic household cleaning products that actually work! I try to keep my products pretty minimal, laundry stuff, dish stuff, an all-purpose cleaner, a mirror/window cleaner, and something a little heavier-duty for toilets. You really do not need 270893 products to keep your house clean.
If you are feeling all the spring cleaning energy like I am, make sure you check out this post How to Spring Clean Your Health+ Wellness! And as always, reach out if you have any feedback or questions. I’d love to hear from you!
Kaelyn
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