This time of year is the perfect time to prepare and get organized for spring cleaning. The kids are busy with their playtime on the outdoor playground equipment and you can be worry-free by choosing foam padding for play surfaces to keep little ones safe. So the month of February and the mild weather is the time for you to get rid of the unwanted clutter in your house and organize the things you want to keep and the things you want to give as gifts. You can donate the unwanted stuff or sell it or throw it away if it’s completely useless. But before that can be done, some planning and preparation is needed. It can be a chore concentrating on sorting and cleaning things in your home. It might also seem like a burden with additional overhead costs of money and time. However, here are some of the ways to help you achieve this spring cleaning without any of the massive expense and without the mental pressure.

Make a schedule and stick to it

The first thing to remember is to stay committed to the task. All you need is a cleaning schedule and then stick to it for the best results. Your schedule should be made to allow for one or two rooms to be cleaned per month to allow you time and peace. This also makes the cumbersome task spread out over the entire year, which phenomenally reduces your workload and also allows you to keep an eye on your things.

start with the kitchen

To make things easier, you need to start with the kitchen. It is the most used room in the house and has the most clutter that needs to be cleaned up. Also, since it is ground zero for your nutrition, it has to be clean and tidy at all times. Once you’ve conquered this room, the rest of the house will be a piece of cake for you.

Some tips for this room would be to have a “command center” compartment in the kitchen. Since you’d be spending a lot of time in the kitchen anyway, it would be best to keep your schedules, phone book, and other to-do lists in this command center in the kitchen. To make daily life schedules easier, add a white board in the kitchen where you can make daily to-do lists. Bills and important papers should also go in the command compartment. To add some fun, get different colored markers for each family member to categorize tasks. As you set up this command center, get rid of all extra paper and used stationery. That will be immensely useful later. Also make it a rule to take your shoes off outside the house when your kids come back for a glass of juice after playing on the outdoor playground equipment. This will prevent mud on the floor and keep your kitchen clean.

Next are the cleaning products, the garbage bag and the fridge. All spray bottles must go under the sink. If you’re short on space, add a shelf or hanging line or tension rod for these bottles. A metal or plastic magazine rack inside the cabinet door in the kitchen would organize items like aluminum foil, tissues and plastic wrap, etc. The refrigerator should be cleared of all expired food and stacked with baskets or small organizing kits to separate vegetables from meat and ice cream from milk.

now the bedroom

This room should be the second in line to be organized. Start with your closet. The task that would probably take the most time is deciding which clothes to keep and which to throw away or give away. The easiest way to do this is to collect all the clothes you haven’t worn in the last two years and take them out. Clothes that no longer fit you must also go. Once the clothes are decided, hang all your hangers on the same side. Once you’ve put on a dress, if you hang it up again, hang it the opposite way. Once they are washed and come back, hang them the first way again. That way your wardrobe will stay organized all year long and you won’t have to do it over and over again. This will also allow you to keep track of the clothes you no longer wear and make it easier for you to handle them.

After closing come the sheets. Fold the top and bottom sheets and tuck them into the matching pillowcases for quick organization. This will also take up less space in your cupboards and prevent a sheet from a cushion cover etc. from being misplaced.

Then comes the turn of the bathrooms

Start by organizing your hair accessories and other things. Super strong hooks are available to hang everything from blow dryers and curling irons to ponies and clips. For smaller items like toothpastes and facial scrubs, you can also use trays. Baskets and bins under cabinets should be the place for towels and wash cloths. For smaller bathrooms, you can add shelves and install bins to create space without cluttering the entire area. Laundry hampers will take care of clothes and old shoe boxes will keep your rooms free of extra wires and cables.