30 Minute Spring Cleaning

Happy Monday! Hope you had a wonderful Easter! We are in full spring break mode this week and have a lot of fun planned. However, my kids have come to expect that, while on break,  there will be a few chores sprinkled in with all of our play! As they say, “Many hands make for light work”.

I have a short attention span when it comes to deep cleaning. My kids especially don’t enjoy lengthy cleaning tasks! So, this week, I’m breaking down our projects into 30 minute spring cleaning intervals that we can easily accomplish between fun activities! Today, I’m sharing my first 30 minute spring cleaning checklist list plus talk about an awesome mop I used to make our cleaning easier!

Spring Clean Your Entryway or Mudroom

The entry way of the home receives more foot traffic than any other area of the home! Yet, this is an area most of us don’t think about deep cleaning! I certainly straighten the area all the time, but I only do a deep clean every few months. Over the weekend, we got our mud closet and entryway all cleaned up for spring!

Earlier in the year, I decluttered this closet as part of the Clear the Clutter Challenge. So, although this spot had been organized recently, it still required some attention!

Getting Kids to Help Spring Clean

When I received the new Bona Stone, Tile and Laminate Mop, I considered which of my kids would like helping me on try out this product. My eight year old was a perfect fit for this task! I really pumped him up and let him know that I knew he would be a great helper in this project.

I asked him to help me create a to-do list that we could use to keep track of our project. Find a way to make the cleaning task fun for your kids and you are less likely to get resistance. If I had approached him and told him we had a not so fun job to do, I would have never gotten him to agree. But, by letting him know I really needed his help and that he would be perfect for the job, he embraced this challenge!

30 Minute Spring Cleaning Checklist

So, once I got the buy-in from my helper, what all did we do? Here’s our list to get our entry area spring ready:

Remove All Winter Clothing and Accessories

While we might still get a flurry or two in April, it is safe to say we will not need our snow pants and snow boots anymore! So I took all of the snow gear out and put it in the washing machine. We put all of the boots and other gear in storage.

Every season, I swap the items in our lower baskets with our upper baskets. So, the winter gear moves up to the top shelf and the spring and summer gear moves into the lower cubbie baskets.

This a good time to decide what will definitely not fit next year! I was able to save on storage space by donating old boots, snow pants, etc NOW instead of the beginning of the next winter!

Wash Rugs

My rug is machine washable so it also went to the washing machine. If you rug can not be thrown in the wash, then shake it outside and give it a good vacuum.

Vacuum Cubbies, Baskets and Baseboards

I used the hose attachment on our vacuum to get into all the little corners and crevices. It is amazing how much dust and dirt build up in these spots!

Mop Floor

We removed everything off of the floor so we could give the area a good wash! This was my son’s favorite part! He got to be the first one to test out our new Bona mop! I wish I would have taken a video of him using it! He had the best commentary and was showing me how the mop worked!

This Bona Tile, Laminate and Stone Mop was amazing at getting our tile floors sparkling clean! We marveled at how quickly the floors dried after washing! Winter has been rough on our floors especially our entry way! Even with our doormats outside and inside our home, we still track in salt and snow.

My guy was having so much fun! He loved pushing the button on the mop to spray the solution onto the floor!

This mop came in 3 pieces and took seconds to assemble! I was so relieved that I could put this mop together on my own:) The solution comes ready to use and requires no mixing! Plus, Bona cleaner has the GREENGUARD GOLD certification so it is safe to use for your family!

One of my favorite features of the mop is that the cleaning cloth is machine washable! I immediately threw it in the wash after use so it is ready for our next mop session!

The mop head pivots so we can get in those tough to reach spots!

Wipe Down Doors and Walls

I took a damp rag and wiped down all of the cubbies, baseboards and walls in our entryway. Again, I could not believe how dirty these areas had gotten. You think you do a good job cleaning until you get up close to all of these spots.

Add Seasonal Touches

This is a bonus to-do if you have the time and desire! I swapped out our winter decor and added a couple of spring touches!

Printable Checklist

You can really accomplish all of this in thirty minutes! I set the timer for thirty minutes and we finished in closer to 25 minutes (not including the wash time for the rug). Even if you have a large entryway or mudroom, it shouldn’t take you that long to get through this checklist! I’ve included a little PRINTABLE Spring Cleaning Checklist for this area if you are like me and want to check things off the list! Checklists are perfect for kid helpers too. It makes it easy for kids to understand their expectations and to know when they are done!

Mom Hint: If you cover the checklist in clear contact paper, you can use a dry erase marker to check off items on the list. Save the checklist for next year!

 

Printable Spring Cleaning Checklist

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I don’t get stressed out about spring cleaning. We focus on some areas of the home more than others and try to do as much as time allows. I try to find little chunks of time to get things done and I don’t sweat about what doesn’t happen!

If you are looking for more organization and cleaning tips head to my FAMILY ORGANIZATION PINTEREST BOARD!

https://www.pinterest.com/coffeepancakesdreams/family-organization/

How do you approach spring cleaning? I’d love to hear your ideas!