Extreme Cleaning: How to Create A Game Plan

With spring quickly approaching, it’s always nice to start fresh with a good spring cleaning session. If you’re looking at your house and feeling overwhelmed, I’m going to help you get motivated and organized so you can slay this project! We’re tackling the ultimate decluttering and purging, down to the cupboards and drawers. Before we get into it, go get yourself a caffeinated drink. I think you’ll be glad you did, lol!

Step 1: Create a game plan

If you’re organized, but you don’t know where to start, the first thing you’ll want to do is set up a game plan. To do this, grab some sticky notes, a marker, and a wall calendar or piece of paper. My personal fave is a large acrylic calendar so I can lay everything out.

Step 2: Lay out your week visually

Write down the days of the week on separate sticky notes, starting with the day you plan to start the project. Then, stick those notes on your calendar/paper.

Step 3: Divide spaces into sections

Think about the different areas of your home that you want to conquer, i.e. upstairs, main floor, basement, etc. You can also go room by room, if that’s easier for you. Write those areas down on separate sticky notes.

Step 4: Set realistic deadlines

Plan out how much time or how many days it will take you to complete each section. Once you’ve got your timeline planned out, put those area/room sticky notes on your calendar under the corresponding days.

Step 5: Break up tasks into categories

Think about what you want to do in each area, like deep clean, toss/donate, organize, etc. Write down your categories on separate sticky notes, and stick those under the sections you’ll be working on. You can find an example of a filled out calendar on my Pinterest HERE.

Step 6: Get to work!

Follow your plan and go area by area, task by task. Once you finish a task or area, remove the sticky note(s) from your calendar as a way of crossing it off as “done.”

Here are a few tips to help you throughout the process:

If you’re planning on selling your home, make it less personalized. Take down any personal photos or mementos not only for your privacy, but for potential buyers as well. When a house is super personalized for the people that currently live there, it’s hard to imagine yourself living there and making it yours.

If you haven’t used or worn something in a year, get rid of it! It’s not likely you’ll use or wear it if you haven’t in the last year.

Did you know that makeup, body care and skincare products have expiration dates? When going through these items, be sure to double check the expiration on the back of the container. For most products, you will find a little icon that looks like a can, and it will tell you how long a product is good for (i.e. 6 months, 1 year, etc.).

Food storage containers are great for organizing the pantry. A lot of times, they can fit even more in them than just one bag or box of something! If you struggle with doing this because you want to keep the expiration dates, simply cut the date off the bag/box and tape it to the back of the container. It’s super easy!

During the extreme cleaning process, you might find yourself leaning over a lot, and that can really affect your back. I didn’t realize how much tension I had in my back while I was going through my last deep clean, and yoga helped so much! It can also be the perfect break from cleaning and help you zen out.

Last but not least, listen, we’re not in full glam when we clean. If you look like a haggard mess, you’re probably cleaning properly. 😂

In all seriousness, I hope these steps and tips helped you break down the whole process into steps you can easily tackle, and in turn, helped you feel less overwhelmed. If you have any tips of your own, I’d love to hear them too! Happy cleaning!