Table for Four or More

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The foyer is the first place most of your guests will see when they enter your home. It is also the place where backpacks, lunch boxes, shoes and work bags pile up.

Have a designated place for everyone to put their school and work belongings. Not only will they be out of the way, you’ll always know where they are. In addition, make sure there’s room in your hallway closet or mud room/laundry room for everyone to hang-up their coat and keep their shoes. We use a plastic mat in our laundry room and next to our back door to keep shoes. This prevents dirt and germs from being spread throughout the house and helps to preserve the carpet.

Now that you have a place for everyone’s belongings, let’s start the cleaning. But before we get into specifics, let’s discuss what it means to “deep clean.”

What is Deep Cleaning?

The term “deep cleaning” is used to describe cleaning that goes beyond what is normally done during a regular weekly cleaning. I use the term deep cleaning and spring cleaning interchangeably as I see no difference between the two. However, this depends on who you ask.

Deep cleaning takes place once every six months compared to regular cleaning that takes place once a week or even once a month. Deep cleaning involves ridding of dirt and dust that has collected over the course of six months in places not normally cleaned, such as the top of the cabinets or behind appliances.

I do not include any cleaning behind appliances because I am not a fan of moving large items connected to gas or water lines for obvious reasons. However, there are plenty of other deep cleaning chores that are included that are not part of a regular daily, weekly or even monthly cleaning regimen.

Now that we’ve covered what deep cleaning means, let’s get started.

Dust the Ceiling & Walls

All of my spring cleaning posts start here. It’s simply the best way to prevent unnecessary work since the dirt and dust settles on the furniture and flooring below. I’m all about keeping a clean house but I really don’t want to do anything twice.

Begin by dusting around the room where the ceiling and the wall meet. Pay attention to the corners of the room, this is where dust tags tend to form. Work from left to right to avoid cleaning areas you’ve already cleaned (this works well if you tend to get distracted during your cleaning).

I use a long-handled Swiffer to reach up high and work my way down the wall. Be sure to give those air vents on the wall a thorough dusting while you have the Swiffer.