As winter ends and spring approaches, it’s time to do some spring cleaning and tidy up your home. But when you see all the cobwebs under your furniture and overstuffed closets, you might want to avoid cleaning altogether.
Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be a tedious task. It can be a joy. It can also be a great opportunity for you and your family to get rid of old things, bless others with your abundant possessions, and live a more minimalist life.
Here are five ways to make spring cleaning more fun.
Delegate rooms to each member of your family
It may seem tedious and overwhelming to be responsible for cleaning every room in your house, but assign every member of your family to help. For example, children need to clean their rooms. Set a small goal and help with cleaning with that in mind. For example, give them two trash bags and a box. Tell them they can’t leave the room until you’ve packed two garbage bags with the junk you want to get rid of and a box with toys you want to put away for later.
Similarly, let your spouse handle household chores that are difficult to do on your own. Set a timer and tell your spouse that you will both clean until the timer goes off. Set the timer for 60 or 90 minutes. You’ll be surprised how much you can accomplish in a short amount of time.
One reason spring cleaning can seem so overwhelming is that people often want to clean their entire home at once. However, if you do it a little at a time, tackling each closet or room on its own, and then enjoying other activities, it will be less taxing and easier to complete.
play music or tv
If this is not a distraction, play music throughout the house. Allow your child to listen to their phone with earphones and play music around the house. Help us remember that when we work, it is an act of worship. We must remember that we are working for the Lord, not for others.
Make it as fun as possible. Don’t clean your house in silence. Instead, use the resources you have to stream music and other entertaining visuals while you clean.
celebrate
We pledge to celebrate your accomplishments as a family. Once you can clean and pack the bags and boxes in a reasonable amount of time, promise to do something fun as a family activity. Go to the movies, eat out at your favorite restaurant, or promise your kids extra TV shows.
This will help children look forward to finishing their work. This will also give you a chance to move forward with your work. Remain firm and prevent them from performing the activity until the cleaning is complete. Not only is it achievable, but by doing a little bit each week, you can enjoy more time with your family. And at that point, there is no going back.
Let’s decorate the room together
Once you’ve finished cleaning, start decorating your room with different colors and themes. Take your family to the hardware store and pick up some new paint and wall decorations. To make this space even more personal, have the kids choose specific wall art, rugs, and other accessories.
You can start by allowing you to redecorate your own room, or you can choose a small room to redecorate. The bathroom can be cleaned up and used at any time. Decide on a theme together and try recreating it in your bathroom.
You can get something silly or something functional depending on your needs. If money is no object, consider buying new knobs for your kitchen cabinets, new drawers and additional organizational space, or new furniture to replace old, chipped parts. I hope you and your family enjoy making your home more of a space to call home.
Not only will children enjoy the cleaning that comes with it, but they will also enjoy the benefits of making the space their own, learning skills such as painting, decorating, and choosing decorative items that will help make the house not only a livable environment, but a safe space to call home.
If you have a family that loves the beach, consider a beach theme. Purchase dark blue paint, stickers of fish and other marine life, and photos depicting calm seascapes. Be a little lenient with your decorating skills so you can have fun when your guests come over.
have a yard sale
Once you’ve finished your spring cleaning, it’s time to go to a yard sale. Sell all the junk you can save for later. This will not only help you tidy up your room, but it will also give your family a little extra pocket money to spend together. No matter how much you have a yard sale, it may take some time to clean the items, mark the appropriate sales, and reserve space for the sale on Saturday, but the money you make may be worth it if it allows you to go out with the whole family, eat at a special restaurant, or go see that movie you’ve all been wanting to see.
Adding incentives to chores that already feel like a chore will not only make them more enjoyable, but also encourage everyone in the family to contribute as a family.
Tell the kids they can keep a portion of the items they sell. You can save that money and put it towards your new favorite toy, give it away on a mission, or save it for a rainy day. Whatever your child does, having a yard sale not only helps you get rid of excess clutter and junk, but also helps teach your child valuable responsibility with money.
You can also delay spending the money right away. Keep a glass jar at home and put extra money into it every week. Add that to the amount you earned at the yard sale. Count your money at the end of the year and see how much you earned. Decide as a family what you want to do with your money. Would you like to spend a luxurious vacation? Why not buy items that the whole family can enjoy?
Enjoy the fruits of your hard work throughout the year. Children prefer not to spend money right away, delaying instant gratification and saving money for larger possessions that they will use over and over again. You can create a game room, girlfriend cabin, or man cave for your teens. The possibilities are endless!
Spring cleaning is a chore that everyone has to endure. Whether you do it in the spring or during the cold months of winter, you’ll be cleaning, tidying up, and making your space more than just a home. Invite your child into this process. If we do that, we may realize that we too have built a home.
Photo credit: © Getty Images/Rawpixel
Michelle S. Lazurek is an award-winning multi-genre author, speaker, pastor’s wife, and mother. She is a literary agent with Wordwise Media Services and host of The Spiritual Reset podcast. Her new children’s book, Hall of Faith, encourages children to understand that God can be trusted. When I’m not working, I enjoy drinking Starbucks lattes, collecting 80’s memorabilia, and spending time with my family and dog. For more information, please visit her website www.michellelazurek.com.
