In spite of Sunday's unfortunate smattering of snow (let us never speak of it again), spring is officially upon us. And besides tentative attempts at going bare-legged for the first time since September, that also means it's time to stop putting off that other seasonal tradition: spring cleaning.
In the interest of making the process as painless as possible, we've rounded up all our best advice on the subject, covering everything from what cleaning supplies you should stock up on to the etiquette of hiring a housekeeper if you'd rather just outsource the whole thing:
- First things first: Get yourself in the spring-sprucing mood with tips from Marie Kondo, andour favorite decluttering vids from YouTube.
- And before you get started,make your you've got all the tools of the trade. (Be prepared: the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser will change your life.)
- Here's how best to tackle every corner of your apartment,from the bedroom to the bathroom.
- As forspring cleaning your kids' rooms,tips on making it fast-paced and fun instead of a weeks-long negotiation process.
- Don't feel like dealing with any of this yourself?We rated and reviewed different NYC cleaning servicesso you can carefully assess all the options.
- And if this is your first timehiring a house cleaner,be sure to de-clutter before they arrive, give them a heads up about any in-house pets, and stay out of the way while they're doing your dirty work.
- And for the particularly allergy-prone, someextra tips on pollen-proofing your padbeforethe sneezing fits set in.