spring / christmas cleaning - year round.

I always like to do a major clean leading up to christmas to donate toys and things to charity shops. to clean for visitng friends and to make room for new things. (if santa should leave some)

here is an article i found.


Typically, heavy duty cleaning and organizing is done once a year. When spring rolls around it is nice to open the windows in your house and clean up after hibernating all winter. But why wait until spring to thoroughly clean your home? Follow these tips to help tidy up your home in a few easy steps.
Tackle one area at a time: You will be able to get more done, more effectively by focusing on one room/area at a time. If you try to multitask during cleaning then it actually takes you longer to get your chores done. Also, try starting with the more difficult areas to clean such as the bathroom or kitchen, and then move to easier areas. Getting the more difficult rooms done in the beginning allows you to save some energy for the rest of the home.
Get Rid of Stuff!: Getting rid of items that just take up space in your home can make you feel better and can even earn a little money. Again, work on one room at a time. Start two piles in each room: a sell/donate pile for items that are in good shape and a trash pile for items that are in poor condition. Don’t be afraid to get rid of stuff! Chances are that if you have not used it in the past year, you will not miss it when it is gone. This is especially true for clothing, kids toys, kitchen accessories and old books. You will be amazed at the new space that you will have once you get rid of the old and unused.
Deep clean: After you have sorted, purged and organized it is time to clean. Again, tackle one room at a time. This is the perfect time to do those biannual cleaning chores such as cleaning the carpets and washing the inside of kitchen cabinets and drawers. Once those chores are done, you can move to daily/weekly tasks such as dusting and vacuuming.
Other helpful tips:
Sort your paper documents such as bill stubs, medical documentation, etc. Shred any unnecessary documents and neatly file away important documents in a filing cabinet or other storage container.
For out of control craft supplies, separate supplies into logical piles. Since I scrapbook and make hand made greeting cards, my piles were paper, rubber stamps, and miscellaneous craft tools. Consolidate into an easily accessible storage container such as a toolbox on wheels. Many craft stores sell craft storage containers that are perfect for keeping your items organized.
Sort through bathroom cabinets and get rid of any expired medicines, make up, and other toiletries. Using expired items can make you sick!
Keep a purge mentality all year long. This will make your job much easier when the time comes to clean and organize again.
After you have finished, kick up your feet and enjoy your freshly clean home.