Spring cleaning is easier in a small home, because there are fewer rooms to do. The challenge is the lack of space for the tools and for the things you pull out while you work. This checklist covers the steps in order, plus the few products that make each one faster, so you can finish in a few weekends instead of a few weeks.
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How to run it
Work one room at a time, from top to bottom and back to front. Declutter first, clean second and organize last, because organizing things you plan to throw away is wasted effort. Keep the supplies in one caddy so you do not walk back and forth, and finish a room completely before you start the next.
Declutter first
A donation bin
Keep a fabric bin in the hallway or closet and drop into it anything you no longer use. When it is full, take it out of the home the same day, so it does not become a new pile.
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Vacuum storage bags
Winter bedding and bulky sweaters can be packed away at the end of the cold season. The bags shrink them to a fraction of the size and tuck under a bed or on a high shelf. Avoid long-term storage of down and wool, which can lose loft.
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Fabric storage bins
Bins keep what is left in order and stack neatly on a shelf. Label the front so you know what is inside without opening it.
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Clean
A cleaning caddy
A caddy with a handle holds sprays and cloths in one place and carries them from room to room. It turns cleaning into a single trip.
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Microfiber cloths
A stack of cloths covers dusting, wiping and polishing, and they wash and reuse. Keep a few colours for different rooms so you do not mix them up.
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Scrub brushes
A few brushes of different stiffness handle the sink, the grout and the floor in a fraction of the time it takes by hand. Keep them in the caddy.
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Shelf liners
With the shelves empty and clean, add a liner. It protects the surface and stops things sliding when you open the drawer.
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Organize
Clear pantry bins
Group pantry items into clear bins after wiping the shelves. You can see what you have and stop buying duplicates.
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An under-sink shelf
The cabinet under the sink gets messy fast. A two-tier shelf that works around the pipes gives your supplies a place to live.
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A label maker
Labels hold the new system in place and help everyone put things back where they belong.
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Keep it going
Aim for one room a weekend and a short daily tidy afterwards. A small home stays fresh with five minutes of effort a day, far more than with one massive clean once a year.