Spring Cleaning Challenge!

It's Spring Cleaning Month here at Mommy, In Demand and what better way to continue with all our freshening-up-ness than with a challenge?!

Spring Cleaning is oftentimes a hard thing to accomplish; especially when you're already having trouble keeping up on the usual day-to-day cleaning, like dishes and laundry. And the last thing I want is to continue on with this months theme and discourage the very people who are taking the time out of their days to log on and read what I've got to say.

So I got to thinking (and did some digging) about how can I help with this.

I discovered this great spring cleaning challenge at the blog Finely Ground and loved that it fits nicely into an already existing cleaning schedule (like mine) without being overwhelming to the person cleaning.

So here it is!

You are officially challenged to have a spring cleaned home in 23 days!

How do I accomplish this, you ask? Well, let me explain:

You complete one task a day off the following list (which has been compiled in a specific order so that you don't mess up things you've already cleaned previously in the challenge) and by the end of the month you will have cleaned your entire house with out so much as breaking a sweat or interrupting the daily flow with which you live.

1. Dust light fixtures and ceiling fans.

2. Sweep cobwebs in corners and along the ceiling (and by sweep, I mean vacuum the heck out of them).

3. Dust all horizontal surfaces, i.e. tops of doors, picture frames, shelves, base boards, counters...you get the picture.

4. Magic eraser or spot clean the walls.

5. Wipe down circulating fans, wall and floor vents with a damp cloth. The original blog suggested using vinegar but I prefer Green Works All Purpose Cleaner by Clorox.

6. Get a new vacuum filter (or wash yours if you have one of those types of vacuum).

7. Take everything off the bed and launder it, including things you might wash less often like comforters and bed skirts.

8. Sprinkle the mattress with baking soda and let sit for at least an hour. Then vacuum it all up with the brush attachment (you can do this while your bedclothes are in the wash to save time and days!)

9. Vacuum all upholstered furniture and vacuum (or launder) curtains.

10. Clean all rugs and mats.

11. Vacuum the floor REALLY thoroughly before you put the rugs back down (don't forget to vacuum under the couch and other big furniture. We all know that part of the carpet is neglected often).

12. Spot-clean the carpet.

13. Give the kitchen a deep clean, especially the parts you usually skip (drip-pans, anyone?)

14. Check expiration dates in your fridge, pantry and medicine cabinet and bring things to the front (or garbage) accordingly.

15. Give the bathrooms a deep clean, especially the parts that you usually skip.

16. Go through your make-up and throw out anything that smells funny or you never use.

17. Wash windows inside and out. A mix of water and vinegar with a microfiber cloth work great or you can just stick with Windex if you're short on time.

18. Scrub out all window tracks with soapy water and an old toothbrush.

19. Go through your wardrobe and if there's things you never wear or have worn out, either donate them or put them in a rag bag.

20. Bring summer clothes to the front and hide winter clothes in the back of drawers (if you're lucky enough to have the space, I recommend storing last season's clothes in a plastic bin. That way you have more room in your drawers for new things (shopping!!!).

21. If you have a wool coat bring it to the dry cleaners (I know, not cheap! But it's only once a year!) If you don't have a wool coat, be sure to wash and line dry your winter coats (Because, really? How often does that actually get done?)

22. Treat any dingy white by soaking in vinegar, borax, or oxyclean. Might be a good time to do the dishcloths too!

23. Polish and condition wood.

Tada! Done.

Wasn't painful at all was it?

If you follow a weekly cleaning routine similar to mine (or if you are now following mine) a lot of these items pretty much get done every week. But this list is a great way to make sure that the few places we get lazy about cleaning (and yes, we all have them. Don't look under my fridge or oven) get some TLC at least once a year.

Now, I have done the math and according to my calculations there are exactly 23 days left in the month of May (including today). So if you start this list today and complete one task a day for the rest of the month, by June you will have hit some major icky areas of your home. And spring cleaned your way into summer!

So what are you waiting for? Get cleaning!

**Do you have a list you already follow to complete some specific Spring Cleaning tasks? Or any items that you would add to the list to give it a little more impact? Please share in the comments!**