5 Tips for Efficient Spring Cleaning [Free Checklist!]

Growing up, my dad did all the cleaning in our house. He is a certified clean freak! Now being a new wife, I’m always using the elbow greasin’, deep cleanin’ skills he taught me growing up.

Throughout the year, I clean just to get it checked off my list and create a relaxed environment for my little family, but spring cleaning is different because I actually find it enjoyable! There is nothing more refreshing than deep cleaning our home while finally basking in the fresh spring air and jamming to my favorite playlist while my furbaby, Muenster, trails along.

This past weekend I kicked off my annual spring cleaning routine with a new set of cleaning supplies with Albertsons’ exclusive Open Nature™ brand. When it comes to cleaning supplies, I made the switch to safer products a few years ago. When S and I adopted our Muenster we made this switch. His cute little paws walk everywhere we clean, so I want to be conscious of the products we use to clean our home and use the safest we can find.
I feel comfortable using Open Nature household cleaning products in our home because they are dye-free, fragrance-free and perfume-free. They are also a certified Safer Choice by the US EPA. Plus, all Open Nature products are never tested on animals, are biodegradable and their paper products are made with 100% recycled paper. And guess what? THEY WORK! Win, win, win.

With testing the Open Nature products over the last few weeks, I have some favorite to share for other spring cleaning wifey’s out there.

-Open Nature All Purpose Dye Free Lemon Scent Cleaner: I use this all over our home from our countertops, bathroom floors, window sills, shower, stove top and even removing scuffs from our walls. This cleaner was glued to my hip while cleaning, moving room to room because I use it for basically everything except windows. Plus, the lemon scent it so, so good and refreshing! This is the cleaning product that I want to ensure is non toxic in case it gets on my baby Muenster’s toes!

-Open Nature Glass & Window Cleaner: Just as a normal glass cleaner, I used this to scrub down our windows, sliding door and mirrors. This is a friendly reminder to gut and clean those windows, ladies. My dad would do this through our entire house every spring and it makes such a difference. I feel like I forgot to do this last year because our windows were so dirty, but this cleaner got every ounce of grime off.

-Open Nature Free & Clear Dish Liquid: For any other girls that are sensitive to scents, this dish detergent is a game changer. I cannot use any scented lotions or soaps, so I love that this dish detergent is fragrance free.

If you want to make the switch to safer cleaning products, I highly recommend Open Nature.. I buy Open Nature products at my local Albertsons. You can also find them exclusively at any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores, including Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Shaw’s, Star Market, and Carrs/Safeway.

With that, today I’m partnering with Albertson’s to share 5 tips for efficiently spring cleaning your home!

TIP 1: DEEP CLEAN YOUR CLEANING PRODUCTS
Before I start spring cleaning, I deep clean my cleaning products. Say that 10 times fast! When you’re in the cleaning mood, you don’t want an empty bottle of window spray to hinder you from finishing the job, right? To avoid this problem, I take empty out all the cleaning products out from under our sink cabinet, take an inventory of what we need and restock. I highly suggest replacing traditional cleaners with safer products from Open Nature!
TIP 2: MAKE A LIST BY ROOM
Without lists, I get lost. Whether it’s my work week tasks, daily blog to-do’s or my spring cleaning routine, I need a list in order to stay laser focused and efficient. If not, my attention goes all over the place and I’ll end up on my floor color coding my earrings when my actual intent was to deep clean our home.

To be efficient and stay on track, I make a list of each room and then break down what I clean to do in each. You can download my free Ultimate Spring Cleaning Checklist printable HERE. 

TIP 3: FOCUS ON ONE ROOM AT A TIME
Do you ever have #AllTheThings on your mind and end up throwing up your hands due being overwhelmed? That usually results in me lying in bed with Muenster instead of accomplishing what I need to. This can happen when you think about deep cleaning your entire house!

To avoid this, I tackle each room one by one. If I get through three rooms on my Sunday afternoon – great! If I get through one, that’s okay too. Some rooms will be easier to tackle than others, so keep in mind that you just need to take it room by room and potentially spread the spring cleaning project out over a few weeks.
TIP 4: CARRY THREE BAGS
Anytime I clean, I like to do what I call, the three bag swoop method. Before I deep clean a room, I skim to remove surface level items like piles of clothes, shirt tags or just items we have accumulated.

I have one bag for donations, one for trash and one for items that belong in other rooms. I find that I don’t waste as much time running from room to room and this strategy is just much more organized.

TIP 5: MAKE IT EASY ON YOURSELF AND FUN
Cleaning.. easy? fun? You may be thinking, “no way!”. Uh – yes way! Make it easy on yourself by throwing all your paper towels, sponges and clothes with your cleaning supplies in a caddy you can tote along with you.

To add some fun, fill a tumblr with iced coffee, throw on your favorite playlist and if you’re like me dance it up. Those three things are enjoyable to me, but think of a couple treats for yourself and incorporate them so that scrubbing the bathroom floor isn’t so daunting.

Muenster within himself actually makes cleaning super fun. He gets so excited and legit bounces off the walls. He gets all this energy and jumps around. It’s quite the site.
I hope this post inspires you to spring clean your home and helps you be efficient. You can download my spring clean list here that’s inspired by my dad. I’d love to know your spring cleaning tips in the comments below! Xo Mindy

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Albertsons Companies. The opinions and experience are authentically mine.