Spring Cleaning Challenge

I love the simple little pleasures in life. Like opening all the curtains every morning, turning down the beds at nighttime, changing the calendar on the first day of the new month, and opening up the windows on the first warm day. 

via 702 Hollywood

Spring cleaning is sorta like that, too. Or, at least, it can be if I pace myself and have a plan and just do the best I can. 

Which is why I signed up for the Spring Clean Challenge from I Dream of Clean and Clean Mama and others. You can sign up too, here. Lots of great prizes including a $1,000 closet makeover. The greatest benefit, though, is having a space that is a little bit more ready to welcome spring than it was before I started.


Here's their schedule with my notes in green. A big bonus to their plan is how easily it starts off. I also really like the catch up days on the weekend since more often than not life intervenes with my plans.

• April 1 – Prepare your supplies and make your own plan
  Windex, Clorox wipes, Magic Erasers, sponges, paper towels, Swiffer sheets (dry and wet), my vacuum, microfiber duster, fabric shaver, and dusting pole (similar here)
• April 2 – Bedrooms
  Dust surfaces, swipe for cobwebs, make a plan to wash bedding, vacuum floors (15 minutes max for each room)
• April 3 – Closets
  Cull through my closet for items to donate & winter clothes to store because halleluiah! it's spring
• April 4 – Dining Room
  Swipe for cobwebs, declutter paper, mop floor
• April 5 – Kitchen
  Work on ORC room for next week
• April 6 – Catch up day
  LAUNDRY and Office (dust, declutter, Swiffer floor)
• April 7 – Bathrooms
  Wipe counters, Windex mirrors, clean toilet, scrub tub, swiffer floors
• April 8 – Living Room/Family Room
  Just TV side: use fabric shaver on sofa, dust surfaces, put away games/DVDs, vacuum
• April 9 – Kid Stuff
  Other side of living room and landing: put toys back in their own containers, dust surfaces, vacuum, wipe down walls, move bookshelf to hold more toys
• April 10 – Laundry Room
  DUST! Declutter
• April 11 – Windows
  This is my whole purpose for doing this challenge. Our windows are filthy. It was a hard, long winter. For now, though, I only plan on doing the windows that I can reach without a ladder. I'd like to get a squeegee like this one, but Kraft paper or newspaper and Windex work amazingly well, too.
• April 12 – Catch up day
  That's a pretty ambitious list of items to accomplish during my kids' spring break and when I have my biggest work event of the year...
• April 13 – Floors
  Since I'm addressing the floors as I go through the rooms, I'm switching this one up to get the entry which wasn't on the original list and the kitchen which I swapped out for my ORC room. Entry: dust/swipe for cobwebs, wipe down front door, organize top shelf of closet. Kitchen: wipe down cabinet faces.
• April 14 – Finishing Touches
  Tidy up anything that has gotten out of place.
• April 15 – Last day to finish the challenge!
  Buy flowers to celebrate and go for a walk if the sun is shining.

If this cleaning challenge isn't for you, perhaps you would prefer this one from the Flylady.

Do you have any good April Fool's jokes planned for today? Please share. I could use some ideas! ;)