After winter months, spring brings a fresh promise of rebirth. It’s nature’s do-over. Sprucing up for spring is a great to have your own do-over. It’s time to clear the decks and clear the clutter and celebrate Earth Day!

By clearing the decks, my fellow Savvy Aunties, you can create a comfortable environment for those darling nieces and nephews, particularly those with allergy and asthma issues. You also set an example for your nieces and nephews by showing them how important it is to donate unwanted items, to recycle, and to create a peaceful, clean environment. To quote my own niece Jeanna, “I just love a clean room.”  They can even help you do some of your spring cleaning.

Play some energetic music and get started with these quick and dirty ways to clean. You can do a couple at a time each day or in one weekend. Do what’s best for your energy level and schedule.

Living Room

Recycle the newspapers and magazines. These can stack up quickly. If you have to take your recyclables to a recycling center, load them into your car so you can drop them off while running errands.

Tidy and straighten bookshelves. Pull out any books, CDs and DVDs you longer want for donation.

Dust all the pictures frames. Change out any photos.

Dust the ceiling fan blades.

Vacuum everywhere! Vacuum the air vents, underneath and behind furniture. Pull out chair and couch cushions and vacuum the crevices of the furniture.

Wipe down the remote controls.

Kitchen

Clean out the refrigerator and pantry. Dump the expired foods and wipe down the refrigerator and pantry shelves.

Wipe down kitchen counters, appliances, and the microwave.

Toss the coupons! If you’ve cut out coupons and never use them, it’s okay to let them go.

Organize your recipes. Put those stray recipes you cut out of magazines or off the side of food products into a binder. Just tape the recipes to a piece of paper and slide them into a plastic, three-holed punch sleeve. This keeps the recipes clean when you’re cooking.

Bedrooms

Pack up the winter clothes and take out the spring and summer wardrobe. As you pack the winter items, pull out the pieces you didn’t wear this season or no longer want to donate.  

Take your coats to the drycleaner.

Freshen up your comforter and pillows in the dryer with a dryer sheet, which also reduces allergens. You may need to do this more often if you or your nieces and nephews have allergies.

Turn the mattress. Pillowtop mattresses need to be turned, and other mattresses can be flipped over.

Clean up your bedside tables.

Bathrooms

Refill the soap dispenser.

Toss any cosmetics and beauty items you no longer want or are past their prime. If you give any cosmetics to your nieces, make sure they are unused or have been wiped down with an alcohol swab.

Toss any expired medications. Do not flush the pills. Either put them into a sandwich baggie in the trash or take them to the pharmacy on your next trip for them to dispose of. This will keep medications out of the water supply.

Home Office

Get shredding! Shred those papers you’ve been meaning to shred. You can only use your shredder for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, and then it must cool down. I learned this the hard way myself.  If you are in the market to buy a shredder, there are shredders with safety features to prevent small children from injuring themselves. Older nieces and nephews will love to help you shred papers.

File the papers you’ve been meaning to file. Purge any files that no longer work for you.

Wipe down your keyboard, mouse, and computer screen.

Other Spaces

Change your smoke alarm batteries.

Dust your washer and dryer. Use a special dryer lint brush to remove excess lint.

Run a cup of bleach and hot to warm water in your washer without any clothes. This will help disinfect your washer.

If you have a garage, sweep it out or use a shop vacuum. Trade cardboard boxes for plastic totes. Cardboard tends to attract insects and dust.
 
When you’re all done, relax, take a nice long bubble bath, and toast the spring.