Spring cleaning

The flowers are in bloom, the birds are chirping, and the sun is shining brightly -right through your dirty windows.

That's when it hits you. Spring is in the air and it's time to freshen up your home. If the task seems daunting, don't worry; there are ways to make it less stressful and a little more pleasant.

Meg Roberts, a Vancouver Molly Maid franchisee, says there are things to consider before the cleanup starts.

"Get yourself into the right frame of mind, centre yourself and have a plan in place before you begin," she says. "Don't try to tackle the whole house at once, otherwise you'll get frustrated and procrastinate."

Motivation and Organization

Most of us typically find housecleaning to be drudgery, so we procrastinate or get distracted.

However, there are some ways you can turn a chore you dread into a chore you that will leave you with a sense of accomplishment, at the very least.

There are many ways to motivate yourself. Invite a friend for dinner, so that you'll have a cleanup deadline. Buy something new for the task at hand, such as a new cleaning gadget or product that will make the job easier. Light an essential oil candle to make your house smell nice while you are working. Redesign a room, buy new toss cushions or paint a wall, all of which will inspire you to clean a room. Put on some great music while you work.

"Open windows and doors and get some air flowing through the house," Roberts adds.

Then recruit your children to help with the basic cleaning routine. Young children can pick up their toys or put dirty clothes in the hamper. As they get older, children can be given specific chores.

"Although younger children will only last, on average, 30 minutes, try to make it a game and offer a reward," she says.

Tote your tools

One of the best ways to avoid wasting precious time is to make sure you have all your cleaning supplies together. Ensure you have new bags for your vacuum cleaner, and that you have your mop and bucket, rags and cleaning products together.

"Also keep a plastic bag in your pocket for garbage," Roberts suggests.

Purchase microfibre cleaning cloths; they provide a better clean without using as much cleaning product.

"Not only do you save on cleaning products, but these cloths are also eco-friendly," adds Roberts.

Then work your way through the house, one room or one chore at a time, whatever works best.

Window coverings

Spring is a great time to inspect and clean window treatments. Whether you need to wash blinds, send drapes and sheers to the dry cleaners, or throw washable curtains into the washing machine, getting your window treatments clean after a long, dark winter can brighten an entire room.

"Then be sure not to forget to dust down the window casing, wash window sills, crown mouldings and clean your hardware," Roberts adds.

Clean GREEN

Among the best, green cleaners for your hardwood floors are vinegar and water.

"Get a bucket filled with hot water and a little vinegar and wash your floors with a barely damp mop," Roberts says. "Vinegar cuts surface grease and brings back the shine to your hardwood floors."

To wash draperies, companies are coming up with detergents that are kinder to the environment.

"Every little green change we can make helps," says Jillian McLaughlin, senior brand manager with Sunlight. "There has been a barrier in the past for consumers thinking that biodegradable products didn't clean as well.

"Made up of plant-based materials that are renewable, green detergents clean as well as traditional detergents do."

Most local health food stores carry safer, more earth-friendly products that clean just as well. Look at the labels for ingredients such as biodegradable coconut oil, soybean and other nut oils, citrus essential oils, and plant and mineral-based formulas.

If you really want to be eco-friendly, Roberts says, instead of using bleach, choose Borax, an effective alternative.

"Baking soda mixed with water is also great as a cleaner, deodorizer, scouring powder and more," says Roberts.

What needs to be done in each room

One of the most efficient and quickest ways to clean is from top to bottom, and left to right, in whatever room you are cleaning, says Roberts.

Start by moving furniture and vacuuming in each room, including the closets.

Besides dusting and vacuuming, springtime is a great time to wash mattress covers, pillow protectors and duvets in the bedrooms. Hang them outside for that fresh scent.

"If it's raining, throw your duvet cover in the drier with two clean tennis balls," says Roberts. "They act like softening sheets and keep things moving around, so you avoid clumps on your linen."

The kitchen is the epicentre of your home -- it's here we eat, cook, do homework and entertain -- and if we keep it clean and tidy on a regular basis, we'll cut down on the big cleanse.

Clean your coffee machine and dishwasher with vinegar and water, and put it through a cycle. Give the oven a full self-clean; get rid of stale food in the refrigerator and clean the inner lip and seal of the door and frame; wipe all surfaces inside the fridge (including the inside walls and shelves), and clean behind the fridge and stove.

"If you feel really ambitious, take everything out of each cupboard, clean the shelves and put things back in an organized fashion," says Roberts. "That means getting rid of jars of food you haven't used in months."

If they are still good, give them to the food bank.

"It's also a great time to refresh your staples and date them ... spices and oils get stale quite quickly," Roberts says.

If you aren't baking any more, give your pots and pans to a friend or charity, or sell them.

In the living room, family room and dining room, clean the lamps, vacuum the upholstery, clean the mirrors and pictures, polish wooden furniture and clean under the furniture.

"Take your throw rugs to the dry cleaners and shampoo your rugs and upholstery," Roberts says.

In the bathrooms, scrub your bath mat, launder the shower curtain and clean all cupboards and mirrors.

Meanwhile, if your children are too young to help and your spouse doesn't want to, consider teaming up with a friend and helping each other. Two vacuums and four hands will get the job done twice as fast -- and you might actually have fun doing it.

("If it's March, it must be time to spruce up the house" prepared by Michelle Hopkins/Vancouver Sun)