I love spring. It’s sparkling fresh and is a chance for great new green leaves and flowers, and the world seems to wake up. After the cold winter and before blazing summer, spring is a haven.

Basanta Utsav or Holi is an apt festival of colors greeting the colors of spring.

But with spring and brighter sunlight pouring into the rooms, you can see the cobwebs, the grease, stains, and unsightly parts of your home, which were ignored in the winter cold. 

But before I tell you how I spring clean, I am sharing a secret. I don’t love cleaning. Having a plan lets me clean quickly, efficiently, and without overwhelming my senses.

What I use 

• Cif surface cleaner cream
• Vinegar water 
• Liquid soap
• Soft old clothes 
• Scrub pads 
• Gloves

The order of Spring Cleaning I follow:

• Declutter
• Clean
• Organize and Decorate

Without the first one, it’s a project destined for failure. Believe me, I tried all storage, and organization hacks possible. Nothing works until you focus on what gives joy literally and functionally. It may seem everything in a drawer is what you love. But once you dump them out on the floor, hold them one by one and ask yourself: Does this spark joy? Well, you will know.

About Decluttering:

When you find chaos outside, it reflects chaos inside. It’s the place where you come back to relax and revive yourself. So having a clean home helps you fight allergies, stay healthy, promote mental wellness, help spread the flow of positive energy, attract good fortune, and give you a feeling of joy. Declutter. I can’t stress this enough. You can’t clean when you are hoarding unnecessary stuff. Avoid cluttered surfaces because that makes cleaning daily a headache. Use washable containers to collate and keep things organized together. A place for everything and everything in its place is crucial. 

Start with clothes. Yours first, and always have the family member around to help whose wardrobe you will be decluttering. It should be their decision and their work. Donate clothes that you haven’t worn in the last year. Just make a pile, put it in a bag, and give them away. The thing with clothes is that they don’t have expiry dates.

But kitchen stuff does. Clear out your pantry. Check the expiry of packaged, tinned stuff. Don’t hoard expired masalas, sauces, jams, jellies, or packaged fast food. Clear out old chipped cups, plates, dishes, anything without a lid, a handle, broken, bent, or just plain useless.

I hoard lids whose containers go missing or the other way around. I am trying to get rid of that habit. As for glass and plastic bottles, there was once a time I had decision paralysis about clearing up. Luckily, I stopped buying and hoarding plastic containers.

About Cleaning- How to clean tiles and more

Create a home inspired by what you love and what inspires you, and your home will (always) inspire you.

Melissa Michaels: The Inspired Room

Loving your kitchen means cleaning it well. It’s one place that helps me nourish my body-mind and that of my family. Roti, Kapda, and Makan are basic needs in the hierarchy of needs. Getting these three decluttered, cleaned, and organized comes first for me when I start spring cleaning. Our kitchen nourishes us. The basic need for food needs a place that welcomes you, not one that irritates you. Cleanliness goes a long way in creating a welcoming, nourishing kitchen.

Waste food and food splatters attract pests like cockroaches and rats. My Cif surface cleaner cream is a favorite tool for a daily clean kitchen. If you ever wondered how to clean tiles with ease, this is your answer. I wiped the kitchen tiles clean of all food splatters, oil stains, and debris with one swipe. It’s the easiest way to clean your kitchen tiles, hands down.

How to clean tiles and how Cif makes my life easier:

• Effective: My time is precious, and Cif surface cleaner cream appreciates that.
• Easy to apply and clean with. It removes dirt and tough stains, and the grout in the tiles was never easier to clean! Fights the toughest stain and grease.
• You don’t need a lot, and it cleans without straining your hand.
• The right consistency. I like the texture of Cif. It’s like a surface cream and is very easy to apply. 
• How to clean tiles with Cif: Pour a little of the product, keep it for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on your stain, and wipe!
• Makes my tiles shine.

Heavy-duty cleaning happens in the kitchen and bathroom. I love Cif’s range of cleaning products.

Cif surface cleaner cream helps me quickly clean my kitchen tiles. I know it’s cliche, but it’s as easy as A, B, C.

• Apply it 
• Spread it 
• Let it stay for a few seconds and wipe clean.

No scrubbing, no aching hands. Plus, it leaves behind a clean, sparkling fresh, citrus fragrant kitchen.

How to clean tiles in the kitchen:

I swipe down with a swiper after cooking. Cif surface cleaner cream cleans kitchen tiles brilliantly and is great for a quick daily routine cleaning. Wiping dry if water is spilled and after using the kitchen is crucial to keep the kitchen looking good and clean.

How to clean tiles in the backsplash? Since heat, humidity, and grease attract dust and grime, I always wipe the backsplash tiles with Cif surface cleaner cream after cooking to prevent tough stains and oil splashes from leaving permanent marks. That, I have seen goes a long way in keeping my kitchen looking good. It will be trouble for me if it’s more complicated than that. Now I don’t need to worry about how to clean tiles or other parts of the kitchen. So, choosing responsible cleaning products while keeping the germs away is a solemn responsibility. I stand by my mom’s tips about making a house a homestay with me wherever I go. 

What do I look for in-home cleaning products?

• I need efficiency.
• I need a product which delivers.
• Preferably a product that is nature friendly or not too harsh with strong odours.

Once my kitchen is cleaned, the rest of the home is easy. Just remember to use the right product for the surfaces.

About Organizing

Floors and surfaces:

If it takes up floor space, it should be inside your closet, not on the floor. Put it away in its place. Family photos and decorations can overwhelm areas. Rotate your decor according to season, festivals, mood, and special occasions. It will surprise you at how inspired you will feel.

Closets and Bookshelves

Closets are a lifesaver if you need to give your room a quick facelift. A good rule of thumb to know you have too much stuff is when the closet or drawer doesn’t close.

If you are someone like me, you know there is no such thing as too many books. I. simply can’t throw away or sell books. I have a library full of my favorite books. Both recreational and educational.

My daughter shares my passion, and to make way for her, we invested in glass door-covered bookshelves. That helps prevent damage to my books and less dusting. Keeping your belongings segregated according to family members helps create responsibility and overwhelm. It also teaches children to care for and appreciate their belongings.

Organize and Decorate 

Welcome spring together. Remember, you don’t need to do it all. Enlist your family’s help. After all, it’s a home you share. My husband and daughter help me clean and decorate. I bring out different photos, switch the indoor plants, change sofa covers, and pillow covers, and put in fresh flowers, and artwork. A welcoming home is a treasure to cherish. Do it together.

Inspiration for Home Cleaning:

What I read 

• Spark Joy 
• Love the Home You Have 
• Inspired Room

We are all in different seasons of our lives. But every year, when spring comes, we smile in anticipation. A clean home will help you welcome spring, good health, and good fortune. You too can add Cif to your spring-cleaning routine and see some sparkly changes. Let me know how it works for you.