Spring Blooms

harborcleaningserv
Mar 23, 2023
6 min read

The sun is shining, the flowers are popping out, windows are opening to let in the crisp spring air. We love this time of year. In the home, we love the season of Spring Cleaning, Organizing, and Decluttering. This is the time for that annual purge and clean up to make room for updates. We will give you all the tips and tricks and offer advice on some quick, easy changes to really update your home spaces.

Out with the Old, In with the... Few

A minimalistic approach to styling your home.

Less is more . The last few years there has been a trend in minimalistic styling and we have to say, we love it. Not only does it make the space look cleaner, but it is easier to maintain and less busy on the mind. After all, a clutter free space, allows you to feel comfortable and at peace in your home, which is so important. Consider placing loose items in visually aesthetic baskets and try placing plants or greenery as simple décor. Do you have 55 coffee cups in your cupboard? Consider donating all of them except what you might use on a weekly basis. Start small, room by room to alleviate clutter and you'll be surprised at how good it feels.

5 Hidden Places you Should be Cleaning

Under the faucet- Often, you can remove the screen that the water comes out of and clean it. All sorts of gunk will come out. Better while cleaning than while brushing you teeth. Yuck

Toilet Seat Hinges- Most toilet Seats have hinges to completely remove seat. Lift those bad boys up and see the ick that resides there. Don't use bleach on your toilet seats, as it destroys the enamel causing staining to occur.

Garbage Disposal-Clean your kitchen sink drain, and drain cover and your disposal. We use a tiny bit of bleach and baking soda. You can toss lemon slices down for a nice smell.

Window Tracks and Screens- Most people forget about their tracks, and almost all forget their screens. You wouldn't believe how much clean air could be coming through your screens if you wiped them down occasionally.

Air Intakes- Look up. Dust those bad boys at least monthly and wipe when needed. Your furnace will thank you.

Small Updates Make Big Impacts

Here is a list of inexpensive home upgrade ideas we love.

Paint your front door- Choose a color that easily flows with your style but adds a quick wow factor.

Peel and Stick Wall Paper- Add some flare and design to any space. Easy to put on and take off and change out.

Add Color- With paint, throw pillows, curtains, and décor. You can add a lot to a room

Guest Bath Remake- Change out your builder grade mirror and light fixture for a quick upgrade. You can even add some peel and stick wall paper or shelving for a cute cheap remake

Add Curtains- Sometimes, hanging curtains can really add to a space, creating warmth. It also gives opportunity to add texture or pattern play.

Product of the Month

One cleaner that does it all- Branch Basics

I wish we had an affiliate link for this product because of how often we recommend it, but sadly we don't. We love the all natural simplicity of it. Its unscented but we like to add essential oil for our own fragrance. You get one big bottle of cleaner, which is then diluted at different levels depending on the cleaner type. All purpose, glass, bathroom, hand soap, laundry, etc. I love cleaning my home, knowing the product I'm using won't harm me, my family or fur babies. I love the essential oils blends I use and they really brighten my mood. Here are the essential oil ratios I use:

All purpose- 10-15 drops Tangerine
Bathroom- 5 drops mint, 5 drops eucalyptus, 5 drops tea tree (i will sometimes add a little hydrogen Peroxide if I want use around mildew/mold in showers)
Glass- I don't add any to this
Laundry-20-25 drops lavender
Hand Wash- 15-20 drops Thieves

Secrets of a housekeeper:

Cleaning is different than tidying

What is Tidying?

Tidying involves picking up and putting away, decluttering, and organizing your belongings. It’s how we manage our stuff. Tidying often takes quite a bit of mental effort because it involves making so many decisions.

What is Cleaning?

Cleaning, on the other hand, involves removing dirt, grime and germs. It’s how we keep our stuff…well, clean. Cleaning doesn’t require as much mental effort as tidying and it can often be done almost on autopilot.

Why You Shouldn’t Try to Tidy and Clean at the Same Time

And this brings us to our point — we need to handle tidying and cleaning separately because they require different approaches.

Which means that trying to do both at the same time is more time-consuming than focusing on just one at a time.

In fact, this is precisely why professional cleaners can tackle even a large home in just a few hours, whereas you can spend a whole day working really hard to “clean” our own home but feel like none of it shows!

More than likely, we got distracted tidying, rather than staying focused on cleaning.

And the opposite can also be true. Have you ever set out to declutter and organize a space, but by the time you empty everything out, you start to feel completely overwhelmed? So you take the opportunity to give the empty space a good cleaning…and then put everything right back where it was?

Sure, the space is cleaner and it might be a bit neater, but you didn’t accomplish what you set out to do because nothing actually got decluttered!

The Secret to a Home that Is Both Clean and Tidy

So what’s the secret to mastering both the art of cleaning and of tidying?

Well, the first step is simply to recognize the differences between the two — and you’ve already done that by reading this far in this,

Now you can be intentional about handling the two tasks separately and in the unique ways they require.

Here’s how to clean and tidy like the pros do:

Clean by task rather than by room. This makes it easier to focus on one single activity (ie, dusting or vacuuming throughout the whole house) and not get distracted by tidying tasks in any particular area.
Adopt habits like the one-minute rule and putting things away right away to help keep clutter and messes from piling up. It’s easier to manage our stuff a little at a time rather than all at once!
Set aside time the day before you plan on cleaning a certain area to pick up any messes that have crept up and put away items that are still out of place. That way when you’re ready to clean the next day, you can jump right in without distractions.
If you do notice any more tidying that needs to be done while you’re cleaning, make note of it, but then keep on cleaning around it. (Yes, I’m giving you full permission to just ignore it for now. 😉 You can come back to it later!)
Gradually reduce the overall clutter in your home. Having less makes it easier to tidy and clean your home.
To accomplish that, set aside time specifically for more in-depth tidying. That way you can really focus on decluttering and organizing. This will hemp you make better decisions about what to keep and what to let go of.
If you empty an area while you’re decluttering, don’t get sidetracked cleaning it instead. Yes, you can take advantage of having emptied the space to clean it. But just stick to a quick cleaning and then dive back in to decluttering.
Be patient with yourself. If you catch yourself tidying when you want to be cleaning, or vice versa, get frustrated with yourself. Just be aware of it, and then bring your focus back to the task you really want to be accomplishing.

With time and awareness, you’ll find yourself better able to focus on cleaning and tidying separately!

Our team can Tidy, Organize, and Deep Clean

We’ll meet at your home or workplace to tour the space. We’ll discuss your challenges and get clear on your goals and assess materials needed, if any.
We like to have each client create a Pinterest board with some of their likes so we know what to recommend.