After a long winter, it’s time to breathe new life into your home. We turned to design pros for their no-fail spring cleaning tips and tricks that will leave your home sparkling from the inside out!
It’s that time of year again. Spring has finally arrived, which means it’s time to get your rubber gloves and get your home in tip-top shape. However, cleaning, decluttering, organizing, and scrubbing your home from top to bottom can be overwhelming, time-consuming, and tiring. We already feel exhausted just by thinking of the idea of tackling every dust bunny, stubborn stains, and the never-ending to-do list!
That’s why we’ve reached out to the best design pros for the ultimate spring cleaning tips on how to get your home squeaky clean faster and more efficiently.
Add Spring Colors or Stick to a Neutral Palette
Interior designer Ajai Guyot of True Home suggested, “Change out the color story in a home. I store away all of my winter decors and bring out items more affiliated with spring. I also like to make my place a bit more minimal for the spring season. Having more open space can really help to calm the mind.”
Sara & Rich Combs of The Joshua Tree House shares, “By designing our home in a generally neutral palette, we have the opportunity to introduce other colors seasonally. When the desert blooms in the spring, many of the native plants, such as cacti, desert senna, and creosote bushes are covered in canary yellow.”
Omysa Tip: Since the warm weather is finally here, it’s time to refresh your space with vibrant hues, such as blush for a bit of warmth and subtle timeless color, bright blue paired with green for a perfectly classic feel, camel or taupe feels appropriate for the spring season, especially when combined with natural materials like rattan and wood. Olive green, soft, muted sage green, and yellow can all make your home feel cheerful and full of warmth.
Clean One Room a Day
Brit Arnesen of Brit Dot Design shares that it’s best to take it slow and to do one task a day (like dusting the whole house or deep cleaning the fridge) instead of trying to do everything all at once, which we completely agree! It’s all about baby steps.
Omysa Tip: Take it appliance by appliance or room by room to make the task less overwhelming. You can also clean or start with the room that requires the most attention like the bathroom or kitchen. You really don’t have to do it all at once.
Declutter and Organize Items in Your Home
Style expert Melissa Penfold shares that there’s no better time to breathe new life into your home than spring, a season that makes you want to embrace a future full of interior design possibilities. She adds, “The biggest single thing you can do to improve the look of your house is to streamline what you’ve got. If you don’t use something, remove it from your life. Now, find a proper place for everything that’s left. Store items where they are used, based on the frequency of use. It’s the quickest (and cheapest) way to get the look (and feel) of a top hotel at home.”
Hannah Wilson from Blank Slate Reno shares one of her spring cleaning tips is to set realistic goals for yourself. “We live in a crazy world and there’s only so much a person can do! Maybe start by choosing three simple tasks that you want to accomplish this spring and go from there. If you only get to one, it’s basically still 2020 so you’ve got this!” She also adds, “I like a clean, fresh slate with my casa each year, so donating or selling things I don’t need/use is always the first step for me.” Ajai Guyot also shares that her first tip would be to begin prepping for the season by cleaning out closets.
Sarah Martin of Beautiful Chaos Home and author of Divinely Designed shares her mom’s spring cleaning tips! She said that every momma she knows seems to tackle spring cleaning and the kids’ rooms are a great place to start. “Before the chaos fills your home full-time this summer, wrangle their rooms! It will feel so good!
When cleaning kids’ rooms, store their favorite items in cute décor. That’s right, we’re double-dipping in function + style. Our youngest son loves when we read him books at night. So, I keep his favorite stories out right next to his bed. I purchased these inexpensive metal shelves at Hobby Lobby. They are mounted to the wall & they keep his nightstand surface clean…this makes momma happy!“
She also admits that she has an affinity for baskets! Sarah shares, “Baskets are a momma’s best friend. They are great for households that are wrangling lots of chaos. I’ve learned that there just isn’t a place for everything, so catch-alls are a must-have! I am always picking up cute baskets that I can put into corners or at the ends of beds to catch all those random things that just need to get off the floor. You can shop really cute and inexpensive baskets at Home Goods!“
Emily Sanchez of Classy Casita says, “Out with the old, in with the new! I am no stranger to the term spring cleaning, but I personally love to go beyond a thorough cleaning of my home. A tip I love is to clean out closets, sell or donate, and even reevaluate what you stock in your kitchen. Your home is everything, and it’s important to clean beyond just the surface, springtime gives us a chance to start fresh and remove items that we have outgrown physically and mentally.“
Photographer and stylist Angie Wendricks of County Road Living shares one of her spring cleaning tips, “I would say simplify! Spring is a time of renewal and new growth, which is a great time to simplify your house as well as other aspects of life. One thing that always helps me when bringing things into my house or letting things go is the quote “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.“
Deep Clean
Hannah Wilson adds that a whole winter’s worth of grunge can sneak up on us by March. She tries to visit those areas of her home that rarely see a good cleaning and give them extra love.
Omysa Tip: Your home can go through a lot of wear and tear after a busy, long winter. While it’s important to stay on track with your daily chores, such as doing the laundry and vacuuming every week, it’s best to deep clean your home, especially in spaces that need a little extra love. Make a game plan on which rooms you will tackle and remember that you don’t have to do it all at once.
Madison Bess of Blushing Bungalow says, “Sometimes we think our house needs a little redecorating, but in reality, it needs some serious dusting!” Take stock and make sure you have everything you need before you deep clean your home.
Freshen Up Your Home With Plants and Flowers
Who wouldn’t love a hint of natural greenery in their home? Fresh flowers and indoor plants can make your home a lot healthier and, of course, they can brighten up your space.
Ajai Guyot shares that adding vases with flowers around the home can lift your mood. She says, “You try waking up to flowers everywhere and see how it makes you feel — guaranteed smiles if you do this.”
Madison Bess loves to bring more plants inside to brighten up their space! She adds, “Adding more plants inside my home really brings more life to each room.”
Sara & Rich Combs also anticipates spring’s arrival by adding a vase full of the blooms themselves once spring has arrived.
Interior decorator and stylist Ann Edgerton have other plans than adding indoor plants. She shares, “After a long dark winter, especially during a pandemic year, we are all ready for some sun and expansion. As spring comes this year, I plan on tending to my outdoor spaces. I will plant some new herbs in a potted herb garden, set up a comfortable area to drink coffee outside in the morning, and make sure my string lights are fully functioning for eating dinner as the sun goes down.”
At Lucy’s House, it’s definitely filled with spring blooms! “I love to have brought lots of spring blooms such tulips, white narcissi, and hyacinths into the house to signify the changing of the seasons. Simply arrange in mismatched pots, vases, or even jam jars to create a relaxed table setting with twisted taper candles interspersed. A rose pink linen gingham tablecloth is also a lovely nod to spring.”
Rearrange Your Furniture
One of the spring cleaning tips Melissa Penfold shared is to use your furniture in different settings. She adds, “Move an ottoman into an upstairs bedroom or take two chairs out of the dining room and allow them to flank a fireplace – and then get going with the paintings. Display your collections in a different way or group similar objects together – all your glass on a sideboard, all your hats on a wall. When massed together even mundane things achieve drama.”
Omysa Tip: You can easily refresh your dull bedroom or living room simply by rearranging furniture. This creates a fresh, new look without spending a dime. Make sure to take precise measurements of the furniture and the room before you move.
Switch Out Old Décor With Spring Accents
The best way to welcome the spring season is by giving your home a refresh. It’s the perfect season to upgrade your space with spring decor, such as adding color to your home by mixing in blankets, fresh blooms, new throw pillows, and vibrant catchall trays.
Madison Bess shares, “I like to refresh my front porch area. I usually don’t do anything after the holidays, so I always clean the front porch and re-decorate with more spring items!“
Hannah Wilson adds, “This will vary in size and scope for everyone — for us this spring, it’s finishing out a renovated laundry room (ugh). Light, bright, and airy seems to always be in trend by the time spring rolls around, so open up those windows and let the sunshine in! Simple changes, such as adding new bedding, swapping out those heavy drapes for natural woven shades, or bringing in some greenery can really elevate the overall feel and mood of a space by volumes.“
Melissa Penfold suggested replacing one group of old, mismatched accessories with a new lot in your accent color. New cushions, or a pair of great vases, a beautiful table lamp, artfully placed, will make your house look as if you have spent a lot more than you have.
Interior stylist Colin King shares one of his spring cleaning tips, “Personally with “Spring Cleaning”, it’s not about what you throw away so much as how to reinvent what you keep. It’s an ongoing dialogue in any given space; I revisit the placement of all my favorite things, and switch objects around so see where a fresh harmony lands.“
Maintain It
Now that you’re finally done with cleaning your home, Melissa Penfold advised you to maintain a clean and organized space. She said, “Poor housekeeping can undo thousands of dollars worth of decorating. Dusty windows, grimy sinks, dirty floors, shabby upholstery….things like that let down your whole look. Housekeeping – and keeping things in order – is the basis on which good decorating must be based.“
Let these spring cleaning tips set a new tone for your home. Make sure to dedicate time to check off everything on your spring cleaning to-do list. Learn more interior design tips and ideas on Omysa’s Design blog. Happy Spring!
