This past weekend was all about hardcore spring cleaning, a huge milestone to The Spring Project that I happily crossed-off on my list of things to do. I’m one of those strange people that actually likes to clean (my own messes only – sorry, I’m not for hire :)). It’s therapeutic for me. You put on some music, zone out, and get the job done.

By nature, I’m a total neat freak – everything is always in its place, I rarely leave dishes in the sink, or let my place get too rowdy in general; but one always needs a good scrub down in the bathroom, an intense dusting session all over, floors need to be mopped, and the fridge cleaned out.

While I was completely exhausted after a day’s work, I’m already seeping the rewards (and the annoyances) of intense spring cleaning. Sure everything feels completely refreshed in my apartment right now, but it also upsets me how quickly the dust is settling back onto my furniture tops, and seeing small specks of dirt on my once immaculate hardwood floors…only hours later. 😦

I still have another phase to get to in my big project and that’s the purge portion. It’s time to delve into my closets, drawers, and shelves and say goodbye to what is no longer serving me. And I think this will feel even better than the “no germs” portion. Out with the old, and in with the new!

When approaching my big cleaning session, I had five basic principles that I thought I would share:

1. Work on one space at a time. It’s best to focus on one room at a time. It keeps things streamlined and less overwhelming. For me, I liked starting with the bathroom. It’s my least favorite place to clean and I’m likely to give it my all because I’m pumped and have tons of energy at the onset.

2. The iPod must be ON, LOUD, and playing all your favorite tunes. Yes, I’m totally admitting that I sang and danced…basically had a private concert with a mop and sponge in my hand.

3. No distractions. I became a hermit for the day so that I could focus. Once I’m in the zone, I just want to keep going. My thought is if you stop to take a phone call for 45 minutes, you lose motivation and momentum. Just push through it!

4. Wear gloves. I don’t know about you, but I HATE the residual smell of chemicals on my hands even after you’ve vigorously washed them. We want to keep our hands soft and sexy at all times!

5. Treat yourself after a job well done. Spring cleaning takes a lot of time and energy. Once you’re done, you deserve something special. I bought myself a gorgeous bouquet of bright flowers that enhanced my newly cleaned home AND treated myself to some take-out. Admittedly, the take-out treat was two-fold. One, I didn’t have the energy to cook or even push buttons on the microwave after I finished the big scrub down; and two, there was no way in HELL, I was going to dirty even a spoon after the day I had and ruin my pristine kitchen.

Happy spring, happy cleaning, happy spring cleaning! xx