The weather has been not-so-pretty lately, right? Opportunities to get outside are few and far between leaving us feeling trapped inside to only come down with a case of cabin fever.
What I’ve found helpful in beating cabin fever while acquiring the feeling of accomplishment is to start spring cleaning NOW. There are those day to day tasks that need to be completed like laundry and dishes but what I am talking about are things that you wouldn’t normally do.
I started this last month and for an hour or so every night that I would typically spend outside during spring or summer, I find a project that needs completing. Not only does it keep the family busy during these blah days and nights but also, when spring rolls around the corner, we can spend the time enjoying the fresh air and sunshine instead of spending the time inside cleaning.
Here is my list of 25 mundane chores that just may inspire you to knock a few things off your own list as well:
1. Organize your kitchen cabinets and drawers. Take everything out and clean the insides of the cabinets.
2. Go over the grout in the kitchen with a bleach pen to remove stains ( I won’t lie, I got about 1/4 of the way done and gave up!)
3. Scrub the inside of your refrigerator including taking all the drawers out.
4. Clean the inside of your washing machine
5. Organize your filing cabinet
6. Shred old paperwork
7. Vacuum under your couch cushions
8. Go through your DVD collection and downsize
9. Flip your mattress
10. Lint roll all your winter jackets if they need it
11. Mend clothing that needs a few holes sewn up or buttons put back on
12. Polish all the silver you have in your house
13. Organize your jewelry
14. Clean your shoes and replace broken shoe laces
15. Clean your makeup and hair brushes
16. Update your phone with favorites
17. Update your address book
18. Clean your remote controls and phones with cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol
19. Make a list of family and friend’s birthdays and keep them on a calendar that never expires so you won’t have to transfer the dates each year
20. Clean behind your stove and behind your refrigerator. It’s is really kind of gross how much dust collects back there.
21. Get rid of old clothing. Either donate them or if they are in too bad of condition, turn them into rags to clean with later.
22. Rearrange home decor. Switch out picture frames, move your trinkets around. Just freshen things up a bit.
23. Organize and categorize your recipes. Through away ones you weren’t too crazy about and replace them with new ones you’d like to try. (Pinterest is great for this!)
24. Clean up the files on your computer. Delete what you don’t need anymore and put everything away in folders.
25. Go through your music collection. (Hello Backstreet Boys and N’Sync cds!)
What tasks do you normally try and do this time of year? Anything you’d like to add to the list? Comment below!
Don’t forget about your computer! Your home PC can get just as cluttered and slow as your house can, especially if its a Home computer used by the entire family. Defragment your hard drives and go through and download all those software updates you keep ignoring! Its also a good idea to back up your system every once in a while, or even better, setup an automatic backup!
That’s a great tip and something I’m sure we ALL need to do.