Spring is a time of transition, not only from one season to another, but in a way from one lifestyle to another. In fact, the days get longer, we are encouraged to be outside more, the first warmth starts and the plants bloom.
This process is usually accompanied by the household task of spring cleaning to leave behind the cold winter and the fleece covers that kept us company on Sunday afternoons spent on the sofa.
Tidying up the flat to live in a tidy and renewed environment serves both a practical and spiritual purpose. In fact, tidying up your home brings a positive mood and puts you in a good mood. The physical and mental commitment to something from which an improvement derives and the satisfactory result have the capacity to charge you with energy.
In addition, if you live in a DoveVivo apartment you will certainly live with other young people and sharing tasks between flatmates has multiple advantages: it will be more fun, it is an opportunity to spend time together sharing a common goal, and it is a great excuse to celebrate your achievement!
It has to be said, though, that it is tiring to start tidying up the house when the time comes. On the one hand laziness sets in and on the other hand you find yourself not knowing where to start. Knowing that you have so much to do can make you want to give up, instead, this is the best time to start your spring cleaning.
Here are our practical and simple spring-cleaning tips, we have compiled them for you in this article so you will realise that tidying up the rooms in your flat has never been so quick and easy.
Where does the saying spring cleaning come from?
A little trivia before we start with our list of tips.
Why are they called spring cleaning? There are mainly two reasons. The first originates from a Jewish tradition that wanted the house to be cleaned at Passover, a ritual that combined the practical and spiritual aspects. Cleaning, thus renewing the rooms, getting rid of dust has the meaning of removing negativity from oneself.
The second, however, is a much more practical matter. When the days get warmer, you can keep all the windows open to let the air circulate, plus the fabrics you wash dry faster, even the heavier ones. On the other hand, the temperatures are not so high, and the physical work also becomes enjoyable without being exhausting.
Having said that, it is time to roll up our sleeves, say goodbye to the months that have passed and welcome those that are to come.
How to tidy up your home quickly and effectively
Coming face to face with a flat to clean can be scary and, above all, it can be a time-consuming job.
As in this period it is also nice to enjoy it outdoors, there are some spring-cleaning tips and tricks to reduce the cleaning time, get a great result and finish faster.
One great method is to make a spring-cleaning guide in which you name point by point everything that needs to be done and divide the tasks. It is a way of organising ideas, clarifying the number of duties and then proceeding actively by ticking off the completed tasks while keeping an eye on those that are still missing.
In your spring-cleaning checklist 2023 there could be the following items:
- Change the air;
- Remove dust;
- Tidying up the bedroom;
- Giving sense to the clothes wardrobe
- Tidy up the closet;
- Thoroughly clean the bathroom;
- Cleaning the kitchen and dishes;
- Tidying up the living room.
It is not necessary to do everything on the same day. In addition, you can divide between things that only concern you, e.g., your room and wardrobe, and those in common areas that also involve your housemates. Being organised means you are already halfway done.
Make sure you have the tools you need
Having an idea of what needs to be done also serves to check that you already have the tools of the trade at home.
So, make a deep checklist of products for cleaning furniture, surfaces and floors, of mops and sponges, of gloves and anything else you might need. That way you are in time to buy what is missing. Stopping work after you have already started it is not only annoying but also takes up valuable time.
Keep in mind that you will also need bags to throw away what you no longer need, which is worn out or worn out, always making sure to follow the separate waste collection correctly.
Organise spring cleaning room by room
After making the overall list, there is another useful step to take in order not to feel intimidated by the number of things to do.
Since seeing everything all at once might scare you away, organise your spring-cleaning room by room. So, focus on one space at a time without thinking about the overall clutter.
If you are also a lover of lists and spring-cleaning organization, you could also prioritise the things to be sorted in each room. This way you will break down the total work into many small micro-tasks that you will be able to complete in less time and can start ticking off as things are already done.
This will also be positive from a psychological point of view, because seeing that the programme is working and progressing, you will feel more stimulated to continue.
How to organise the kitchen and arrange pots and pans
The kitchen is one of the rooms that is hardest to keep tidy, especially in shared flats when tenants have different schedules.
A good rule, that should be maintained on a daily basis, is that when someone uses plates, pots and cutlery then wash them immediately. That way whoever needs them later will find them ready to use.
As for the refrigerator, everyone could have possession and responsibility for a shelf, so keep it clean and organised. Spring cleaning could be a good time to empty the refrigerator and thoroughly clean all the shelves. Also remember to throw away expired products that you had stored out of laziness or in the hope that the expiry date was just an indication.
If space in the cupboards is tight, a good trick is to use raised shelves, so you can make use of double space, above and below. Also, try not to keep too many packages, when possible, gather products together to create more storage space.
What about pots and pans? Arranging pots and pans is always a challenge because they are bulky, and space is usually tight. Try stacking them by keeping them separate from the lids, or, if you have a wall available, buy some hooks to hang the ones that are used most often.
Tips for arranging your wardrobe and bedroom
The bedroom is your kingdom and because of this it tends to be the most cluttered room compared to the others.
You usually accumulate shoes scattered on the floor and clothes lying around or on the famous chair placed in the corner that becomes a sort of visible closet. Not to mention the books, stationery, and miscellaneous items that you leave on your desk, on the bedside table or at the foot of the bed, especially during exam sessions.
How to proceed? Assess what you can throw away and what, instead, you should keep. The latter things, with respect to their function, organise them better. For example, if you have scattered papers take binders, books sort them in a pile, on a shelf or a small bookcase, and clothes store them in the wardrobe.
Here's another sore point, the wardrobe. Follow our tips to organise your wardrobe in an easy way: learn how to fold clothes properly, hang jackets and suits, use wardrobe boxes and upright sorters to better manage your clothes in the space available. But before all this, make a selection of clothes to keep and those to discard, donate to others or simply put in a vacuum bag or box because they are out of season.
Create a harmonious environment
Harmony is one of the best key words to maintain both in life and in the home.
You can apply this way of thinking and acting in all spaces, but the room that really needs it in a shared flat is the living room. This is usually the space where people gather to spend time together, relax, watch a movie, or play some board games.
As it is 'everyone's' room, it is important that it has a balanced style that respects the tastes of the tenants, on the other hand it is a space that everyone has to take care of.
Since everyday life could lead to these balances being broken, spring cleaning is the right time to restore harmony. Get rid of accumulated things that you do not need, try not to keep too many objects on the furniture and do not leave your things lying around. In this way, you will be able to organise your space better and also keep it tidy.
Moreover, spring is a time of rebirth and new energy, so it could be an opportunity to add something useful. For example, curtains, a painting or poster, a coffee table or any other small piece of furniture that everyone would enjoy.
If it smells good, it looks cleaner
To give a finishing touch to your flat and make it look even cleaner, introduce a room perfumer.
There are various types: those that plug into the wall socket, those that sit on a shelf as a knick-knack, those that can be hung, those in spray format to be sprayed occasionally, or vaporisers for essential oils.
You can go for fresh, citrus, or floral fragrances and choose different ones for different rooms. While for cupboards and drawers you usually opt for sachets or leaflets with relaxing lavender or fresh eucalyptus scents.
Steps to keep the flat tidy
If the first step is cleaning, what comes next is maintaining the cleanliness and tidiness achieved.
Of course, life often gets busy, and the tendency is towards enjoyment rather than additional work, but precisely because of this there are several small tricks that help you keep your flat tidy without too much stress.
Here are some useful ideas: try to tidy up more often and from time to time instead of finding yourself with work to do all at once. Together with your housemates define cleaning shifts and stick to them. Don't leave your personal things in common spaces. Live in the house with the possible needs of the other tenants in mind.
Small daily actions lead to a better overall result.
Cleanliness and hygiene is one of the topic promoted by DoveVivo: living in a clean environment contributes to the hygiene of the apartment and help to increase the quality of life of all tenants living in the house. If you and your flatmates do not have time to do the cleaning of the common areas, it is possible to request the cleaning service by paying a fee through the App.
