Spring cleaning is a colloquial term that really just means a deep, thorough clean. In theory, you can do a spring clean anytime of year, but it is kind of nice to have a designated time to get your place together. Plus, spring is about starting fresh and embracing new beginnings – so why not apply that to your space?
At the halfway point of the semester, you’ve probably accumulated lots of things that you haven’t had a chance to organize. Or you might have slowly dirtied up your once-clean floors, sheets, sinks, etc. It’s tough to take care of all this while juggling friends, classes, work, organizations, etc., so spring break is the perfect time to get going.
You can pick one day to power through all of these tasks, or you can space them out over multiple days – your call. However you decide to break it up, here’s a step-by-step guide to spring cleaning your room:
1. Wash everything.
Slow pile-ups are pretty common in college dorms and apartments. For some people, it’s their dishes — they won’t actually wash them until the sink is filled with toppling glassware. For me, it’s clothes. A lot of the times the clothes on my floor aren’t even dirty — I’m just too lazy to pick them up and re-hang them. It then becomes so difficult to tell what’s clean and what’s not that I’m forced to wash everything again.
If you’ve encountered a similar pile-up, just go ahead and wash everything. It’ll give you a fresh start, and from here you can actually put things where they belong. Wash your sheets, towels, even your shoes if they’re made of fabric. (Throwing my Converse in the wash does wonders for the stains.) When you’re finished, you’ll have clean everything, and this will make you more likely to keep it that way!
2. Vacuum/sweep/mop
I am queen of eating in my room and not realizing I’ve left crumbs on the ground. They’re so small, too, that I don’t consider them extremely problematic. Over time they start to build up, and at this point I switch mentalities to “well, the floor is already dirty so I guess I don’t have to be as careful.” (Can anyone else relate?)
Don’t be like me, guys! Give your floor the cleaning it deserves. Mop your bathroom floor, sweep up all the crumbs in the kitchen, and vacuum any carpet. You’ll be left with a noticeable difference and will want to be more careful with your new, clean surface.
3. Dust
Dusting is weird because I don’t know too many people in college that frequently consider it part of their cleaning routine. But not dusting can lead to some gross accumulations as well as clumps that contribute to bad allergies.
Polish up your room by going through the blinds, desk drawers, the blades of the fan, tops of bookshelves, windowsills, etc. with a feather duster or Swiffer dust cloth. Your room will be sparkling clean and you’ll probably breathe a little easier, too.
4. Pick up everything
I’m also good at justifying why something is on the floor. “It’s just a backpack, I’ll need it for class tomorrow anyway. Why should I hang it on the back of the door?” Again, a slow spiral into messiness.
Once one thing isn’t quite where it belongs, it’s easier to feel comfortable leaving something else on the floor saying “I’ll get it later.” My textbooks slowly don’t make it back to their bookshelf. I’ll try something on in the morning and quickly throw it on the floor, telling myself that I’ll pick it up later. This doesn’t happen when everything is in pristine condition.
Take the time this break to put everything away where it goes. (And if it doesn’t have a place where it goes, designate a spot for it.) Vow to keep this up. If you make a habit out of putting things away, your mind will eventually prevent you from even considering cluttering the space.
How do you spring clean your room?
These are just a few of my cleaning suggestions and what I plan to do this spring break (maybe there’ll be a rainy day). Do you have any other ideas for spring cleaning? Are you planning to just let things be? Let me know in the comments!