Is your mudroom in need of some serious attention after a long winter? If you’d like to get all the advantages of a deep spring cleaning without spending hours tackling chores, you’re going to need a plan. The first step is putting together a list of must-do chores and the order you’d like to accomplish them – such as decluttering before starting to clean.
While some tasks will naturally take longer than others, there are a few ways to race through everything on your list.
- 10-minute bursts. Choose a chore and a room and give it everything you have for a short period of time. This breaks down larger chores, making them easier to manage while keeping you motivated and on task. For example, set your timer and dust the bedroom. After that, the next 10 minutes can be focused on baseboards. Then spend 10 minutes wiping down all the light switches and door handles.
- Enlist help. Make spring cleaning a family affair. Gather the troops, divide the tasks and get the work done in a fraction of the time. Even young children can help by putting away their toys, sweeping or trying their hand at the vacuum.
- Get competitive. Keep the cleaning going by adding an element of competition. Turning cleaning into a game or competition is a fun way to stay on task. Whoever completes the most tasks correctly gets their choice for dinner or the next family movie night.
- Stay entertained. Have your favorite playlist going in the background and clean to the beat or put on a pair of headphones and listen to a podcast. Keeping your mind engaged while cleaning is a great way to keep up the pace and help the time pass by.
If you’re looking for a podcast series, The First Sixteen explores a variety of topics from mental health to food waste and food security, women in agriculture, climate change and more. Find it where you get your podcasts or at agriculture.canada.ca/first-sixteen-podcast.
Photo. Yvonne Huijbens
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