Call on the kids for spring cleaning

(MS) When it comes to spring cleaning, people tend to fall into one of two camps: those who are genuinely enthusiastic about clearing away a winter's worth of clutter and those who would sooner take a seat in the dentist's chair than clean up around the house.

Regardless of the group you may fall into, everyone eventually has to get around to some spring cleaning. As winter begins to fade away, the clutter that typically accumulates during the colder months tends to become more intrusive. But removing that clutter, however cumbersome it might seem, doesn't have to inspire so much dread. Instead, there are several ways to make spring cleaning enjoyable.

Save Some Time

One of the more dreaded aspects of spring cleaning is the time commitment it requires. Lots of people tend to look at it as a lost weekend, wherein they spend a few days getting all the cleaning and clutter clearing done. However, spring cleaning doesn't have to take up so much time, or at least dominate an entire weekend.

One way to make bigger jobs seem less time consuming is to tackle them piecemeal. Rather than leaving a big job for an upcoming weekend, you can gradually get a more time-consuming job, such as cleaning the garage, done by devoting an hour or so each weeknight. Before you know it the job will be done, and you will not have wasted a lovely spring Saturday or Sunday to get it done.

Another pitfall for spring cleaning is unpreparedness. Being unprepared is a great way to waste time. Make sure to have all the tools you will need and check any power tools to make sure batteries are charged or that you have enough fuel on hand. Too often spring cleaners will finally be willing to start a job around the house only to find out they don't have the tools to get the job done. Save time by taking some inventory of your tools and determining what you need a few days before you're slated to start the job.

Embrace Teamwork

While there are some people who love spring cleaning, most people, particularly children, can think of a million things they'd rather be doing on a spring weekend. Parents can make spring cleaning more enjoyable by doing certain jobs with their kids, as opposed to assigning each person a different task. Kids will have more fun if they can joke around with Mom or Dad while cleaning out the attic than they would if they were simply going it alone. And parents will have more fun and will find that jobs get done a lot faster, if they have a helper around.

Send Clutter Curbside

Another thing that makes spring cleaning unappealing to many people are the excess and unnecessary items we all have around the house that we never seem to get rid of. Nearly every household across the country has a handful of items not used but still lying around the house. Year after year, rather than discarding these items, homeowners simply pick them up, clean underneath and put them right back on the shelf.

These items add more time to spring cleaning and take up space in the process. To save time and create more room around the house, take inventory of things you don't use and decide before the day you've set aside for spring cleaning what to do with these items. Internet auctions, charitable donations, garage sales, or simply putting items out at the curb are all viable options for clearing away shelves and closets full of clutter.