Top 10 tips for speedy spring cleaning: Our professional organizer shares her advice on surviving the annual ritual

It’s possible for busy MOMeos to spring clean their homes simply and seamlessly; as professional organizer Marcia Ramsland says, it doesn’t have to be an overwhelming job that eats up large chunks of time or entire weekends.

KEEP IT SIMPLE – Maintain realistic expectations. Don’t think you’re going to get the whole house done in one fell swoop.

BREAK IT DOWN – Break up your spring cleaning tasks into weeklong chunks. One week for windows, one for the garage, another for closets, and so on. Choose one small task that can be done daily, every other day or every second Saturday. If that’s still too much, break it down further into smaller 15-minute increments. Manageable sections mean the task is more likely to get completed.

MAKE TIME – Pick a time that best suits your personal work style – first thing in the morning, during the kids’ naps, or right before bed. And schedule them in on your calendar; otherwise it’s just another To-Do list.

START SOMEWHERE – Don’t know where to start? Keep what’s working, change what’s frustrating. That may be the office, the kid’s playroom or the utensil drawer. Try one room at a time: start with the kitchen, the most-used room in the house. Clean one shelf of the fridge every day.

BABY STEPS – The key spring cleaning jobs are windows, garage, closets, drawers, and polishing furniture. For windows, clean one pane at a time, or do inside windows one day and outside the next. Polish one shelf in the china cabinet and it can all be done in a week.

CLEAR THE CLUTTER – Women get the most satisfaction out of cleaning clutter. Go through paperwork and clear the countertops. One pile sitting out is the potential beginning to a complicated life. Keep your life simple and put the piles away one at a time.

RECYCLE – Cycling in winter clothes for spring shorts and tops also means planning a trip to charity for clothes and household items.

FINISH WHAT YOU START – Commit to one project at a time. Otherwise, you’ll have everything going in every direction and be feeling overwhelmed—right back where you started.

KEEP TRACK – You may be feeling like you never get anything done, but when you look back, you’ll be reminded that you have already cleaned out three closets and only have two more to go.

GIVE YOURSELF CREDIT – Congratulate yourself every day for the things you do accomplish.

Cleaning is all about creating balance in your home by nurturing the people in it. For more Spring Cleaning tips, pick up Marcia’s Ramsland’s book Simplify Your Space or visit www.OrganizingPro.com