Photo Credit: The Daily Green

If you’re anything like me, spring cleaning is more than a day (in my house, it’s an entire weekend), it’s a way of life. For some reason, nothing makes me happier than having every room in the house sparkling clean, ripe with possibilities. I tend to think of spring cleaning as a chance for a fresh start — a way to rid of the house of any negative energy that’s still lurking.

So, how do you do it? Well, many find the process of spring cleaning intimidating because they don’t know how to do it. After extensive consideration, and a lot of research, here is my list of how to spring clean your home.

• Start with a plan. This seems obvious, but it makes spring cleaning a lot easier if you have a sense of what you want to accomplish. What are your priorities? Are you spring cleaning to tackle clutter? Or do you want every surface spit-shined? If you are in need of a spring cleaning checklist, I have broken down my list of resources into a compendium of the best-of-the-best, based on how hard you want to work:

Just the Basics

Organized Home

Intermediate

Good Housekeeping

Semi-Pro

Martha Stewart

ivillage

Not for Amateurs

About.com

• Safety first! Whenever you’re using cleaning products, be sure to read the labels and have the proper equipment on hand, such as safety goggles and rubber gloves. Make sure to keep chemicals out of the reach of children and use them only in the manner prescribed on the label.
• Make a cleaning schedule, but plan time-off, too. No one wants to clean for 12 hours straight, plus kids don’t generally appreciate being made to work all day. Plan to take breaks at regular intervals and keep kids’ nap times and meal schedule in mind as you plan your day.
• Take time to reward yourself for a job well done. Spring cleaning is hard work, so why not celebrate your accomplishments, even if you don’t get everything on your list done? Dinner at a favorite restaurant or a gift for the family usually makes all of the work worthwhile.

How will you attack spring cleaning this year? Discuss your plan with me in the forum.

Sara Barton is a full-time writer and mommy, who blogs about her daily exploits at So Many Flavors, So Little Time!, and obsesses about all things advertising and marketing-related at her marketing blog.