Is it spring where you live yet? Are you ready to start cleaning, throw open the windows, and start shaking out the rugs.
What if you really don’t have time to spend hours and hours cleaning your home? Or maybe, let’s be honest, you’re really not feeling very motivated to move all your furniture to vacuum.
Today we are sharing a few easy ways to refresh your home without spending a whole week cleaning. Then we’ll actually have time to go outside and enjoy the spring weather!
We unceremoniously entered into the 3rd year of recording A to B Podcast!! To help us celebrate, please share A to B Podcast with 3 friends! Here is a quick guide about how to listen to our podcast you can share with your friends.
We can’t thank you enough for all your support with reviews and feedback, but if you haven’t already, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review. You can subscribe in iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play AND now on Spotify. We hope to continue growing A to B Podcast, but we can’t do it without your support!
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60 Second Check-ins
To celebrate our 60th episode, we have a few check-in for some of our most asked about episodes.
Candles
First up, Ep 58 20 Things to Throw Away Today. We talked about getting rid of used candles you are saving for the jar. Evidently we are not the only ones to so this! We got some great tips like putting the candle in the freezer overnight to get the wax out and using a wick from tall birthday to make your own candle. I knew we had some crafty listeners.
We also got some listeners who share how they reuse them for organizing which I love of course! And right after we recorded the episode 58, I remembered a candle I have that I am not going to be able to throw away after it has been burnt down!
I really don’t have any plans to store anything in this little jar. I’m just going to put it on a shelf as purely decor.
Minimalist Challenge
Next up, checking in with the Minimalist Challenge we tried in Ep 13, 14 and 15. Now that it has been quite a while, 2 years to be exact, do we miss any of the items we got rid of?
The answer is no of course! Maybe it’s time to take this challenge again!
Love It or Lose It?
Ep 6 Love It or Lose It, was a whole episode dedicated to one of our favorite games we played in the early days of A to B Podcast.
To make a long story short, if don’t want something anymore, and your friend doesn’t want it either, it is time to give it away for free.
To-Do List
We circled back to Ep 7 Making a Better To-Do List, and we also talk about Ep 14 Taking Action: The To-Do List. You can make the best to-do list on the best to-do list app but if you don’t refer to your list, it is worthless.
Sometimes good ol’ fashion paper and pen is all you need to record your to-do list and then get to work! Check out our tips for conquering your to-do list!
Time for Spring Cleaning?
Or is it? Maybe you are one of the few who’s energize to spring clean, fling open the windows and let the breeze in. Awesome! Send us pics.
However, if you are really busy right now, uhmm, maybe planning a wedding. You might not have time to really get down to the hard-core scrubbing that the spring cleaning usually evokes. So what do you do if you are short on time?
Imagine you just got a text from a friend and she’s stopping by in an hour. What would you work on?
Here is the list I follow to freshen up my home without spending a whole day cleaning. It is in order of importance so do as many as you can. If that is only the first two give yourself a high-five and move on!
- Dishes
Dishes are first on the list because if you put those off, you soon find an overwhelming mountain of plates and glasses with caked on food. If you avoid dishes it will take twice as long to clean than if you worked on them for just 15 minutes at a time.
*If you can only do one of these maintenance items, do the dishes. Keeping your kitchen tidy is taking care of yourself too.
- Make your Bed
This small task makes such a big impact. Throw the covers up, fluff the pillows and your room will look 85% cleaner.
- Laundry
Dirty clothes can quickly pile up if not maintained. Try to throw a load in a day and to keep the large pile at bay. If possible, delegate the folding and putting away. Laundry is a necessary evil in my book so I will accept any arguments against this chore if you have enough underwear and socks to tide you over. But be aware, it might eat you alive if you leave it alone for too long.
- Five-Ten Minute Pickup
You might not have enough time to do a full house pick up but just 5 minutes can make a huge dent. Recruit others and you productivity will soar with the extra sets of hands.
- Bathroom Wipe
As you wash your hands do a quick wipe of the bathroom counters and sink with a damp towel. The quick wipe down is all you need right now. You can break out your favorite cleaners next time. Just keeping the sink crusty toothpaste free is all you need to worry about.
EXTRA: If you have enough time (and/or pets), you could do a quick run of the vacuum. No need to move any furniture. Spend 15 minutes tops.
Although one could argue, you could skip vacuuming this week, you and your carpet will survive until next week. And when you do vacuum there is not going to be a huge increase in time output after skipping a week or dare I say two, gasp.
The same goes for dusting, cleaning mirrors or scrubbing your tub. They can both wait until your temporary time crunch passes. Do I even need to mention that filing and declutter can wait too?
Follow this chore list when you are too busy for housework and too busy to think of what to do next. This is not a permanent condition and you will be able to get back to your normal house maintenance routine soon.
Enjoy Spring!
Don’t forget to schedule in something physical to help relieve the extra stress built up from your hectic schedule.
You could multitask by turning on some dancing tunes while folding laundry or doing a quick, ( I mean run!) house pick-up. Getting your heartrate up and getting fresh air is such an important part of combating stress. We need to enjoy spring after all!
Let’s Connect!
Share with us your top 5 chores you conquer to freshen up your home! You can find us hanging out on Instagram @AtoB podcast |Facebook.
We even have a voicemail line (858) 480-7722! Or send us an email Hello @ AtoBpodcast.com.
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