Love the Moment Challenge September: Spring Cleaning

It’s Spring! I love Spring. I love how nature comes to life and fills the air with a sense of hope.  I’m totally late for this month’s Love the Moment Challenge (I’ll blame going to Thailand for that — so totally worth it)  but I would still like to capitalise on what’s left of this month to do some Spring cleaning.

Does Spring cleaning really fit into the Love the Moment series?  Well, yes, I think it does. There’s a buzz in the air as Spring opens its wings. More than ever, I’m noticing all the gorgeous things around me. What I want to do is set up things here in the home so we can enjoy even more lovely moments outside, without distraction.

Step One: De Clutter

I’m not a hoarder.  I like things simple and uncluttered. However, I find it really hard to keep things simple in the house full of 6 people. It’s nuts.  One of the best ways for me to unclutter is to buy a few packing boxes and have them set up. As I go through my washing, and general housework jobs, I put things we no longer use or need into the boxes to donate to a charity.  You can pick up packing boxes from many Real Estate Agents, packing companies and Officeworks.

{one of my declutter boxes}

For the next couple of days, as I walk around the house, I’m applying myself to get rid of things we don’t need.  Here’s my list:

• Sort through children’s clothes and shoes
• Get rid of single socks
• Sort through toys
• Sort through books
• Sort through husband and my clothes
• Sort through kitchen
• Sort DVDs
• Sort through linen cupboard
• Organise pantry

Links that may help

Organising DVDs

Picklebums: How many clothes do we need

Little Eco Footprings: Six Itmes or Less Challenge

Step Two: Clean

It’s ambitious to think I can have blocks of time to clean (I find it hard to get the housework done!) but I figure if I set myself a few tasks every day, I can get through them by the end of the day. That’s the plan.

• Wipe over desks and other surfaces with a cloth
• Vaccuum under couches and lift up cushions and clean
• Wipe inside bathroom cupboards
• Air quilts on the clothes line
• Wipe over bins, inside and out
• Wipe surface of kitchen cupboards
• Wipe over skirting boards
• Clean fridge

Links that may help

Housework Tips

Spring Cleaning Checklist

Step Three: Organise

I try and keep things organised in the home but sometimes I need to gives things an overhawl. Below is my plan: 

• Take a look at our family calendar
• Meal planning
• Re-organise kids room
• Go through office paperwork
• Memory boxes: I keep a large plastic box for each one of my children, myself and my husband. The idea is to keep special drawings, clothes and other bits and pieces I want to keep. So anything that is special, and I don’t want to donate to charity, I put in the respective memory boxes.

Links that may help

How to fold a plastic bag

Organising Children’s Toys

Facebook Update List

So basicially, I’ve given myslef 3 weeks to give the house an overhawl. I’ll be posting on my facebook page, what I’m tackling each day if you want to follow along. It seems like a lot to me, but I really don’t think it will take up too much time if I concentrate on what I need to get done everyday.

Spring Cleaning Printable Check list

If you want to following along with my Love the Moment Spring Clean, you can use this Spring Clean Check List if you like. Just click the picture for the PDF file.

{click the picture for the Spring Cleaning Check List}

Other Challenges

Love the Moment Challenges