To make Spring Cleaning a little easier, it helps to prepare a plan of attack. It’s a good idea to make sure you have plenty of your regular supplies before you begin, so start by making a list of everything that needs to be done, so you can get all the supplies you need. It doesn’t hurt to pick up a back up bottle of the products you know you will use the most to avoid running out. Stopping half way through a job to run to the store for more supplies can slow down your progress and may even tempt you to stop cleaning altogether.
Also, grab a plastic divided caddy with a handle, or an extra cleaning bucket. You can find divided containers at the dollar store, or select a specially designed cleaning caddy that fits in the top of a bucket.
Fill it with everything you need to clean your home. By bringing the supplies you need with you into each room, instead of having to go back and forth to grab cleaning products or rags, you can save a lot of time and effort. Keeping supplies in a caddy also keeps the storage area neater. Just grab the caddy when you are ready to clean then pop it back into the cabinet when you are done.
Always keep a few trash bags in your cleaning caddy so you can throw things away as you go, and stock it with wastebasket liners so you can replace them as you clean.
It also helps to start with clean tools, such as a new mop head and fresh, new sponges. Consider purchasing some extra sponges, or pick up some specialty cleaning wipes, so you can toss them when you are done (you might need to add extra cleaning solution to them. Check out Michele’s article “Guess I Should Have Read the Label First”). Even if you don’t normally splurge on cleaning wipes or other handy items, you may decide it’s worth it to get through Spring Cleaning as quickly and easily as possible.