Spring Cleaning: 5 Annual Household Chores

These are the chores that you’ve been putting off for the last 6 months. But, I have some good news for you,  the Florida weather is starting to get nice again and most of these chores are outside. An author once wrote: “No time better than the present, I always say…or was that “Nothing is better than a present”, I forget”. Getting these chores done will be like a present to yourself, because you’ll have to get them done at some point anyways. Plus, you’ll feel great about getting these chores done and can spend your weekend doing things that you love, like the upcoming Springing The Blues festival out in Jacksonville Beach.

There are so many joys of being a homeowner. But let’s be honest, cleaning out the leaves and junk in your gutters is definitely not one of them. But, it is absolutely imperative that you do this annually, because a backed up gutter can cause unsightly landscaping and expensive roofing issues. Also it is best to clean your clogged gutters in early spring before the Florida rainy season starts up. 

Spring is a perfect time for you to open up your closet and part ways with clothes that you have not worn in the past year. Getting space back in your closet is a very liberating accomplishment and as an added bonus, your donations will be able to help those less fortunate than yourself. Local organizations like the Mandarin Food Bank regularly help people get prepared for job interview with donated clothing.

The best time of the year to clean your outdoor chairs and tables is in the spring. Since outdoor furniture is commonly waterproofed and sealed, it can usually be cleaned with a simple mixture of Dawn, water and a towel. Over the course of the winter season, dust will accumulate on the furniture and pollen will suddenly appear. The more time that you allow to pass, this combination of dust and pollen will become more and more caked on. This could also be a good time to give your patio pavers and driveway a good pressure washing to get off the algae and moss that has accumulated.

How often does the linen closet become a catch all area for every rag, sheet, towel and old t-shirt in the house? Far too often… Use spring as an opportunity to clear out the linen closet and sort the shelves based on use. HGTV recommends a 20 minute timer to use sorting boxes to help with the organization process with each shelf. We also prefer to retire old sheets and towels for use in the occasional oil change and arts and crafts projects.

This is a somewhat entertaining chore. It gives us time to recollect that month in 2017 when we swore that we would only eat oatmeal and brown rice. Although this is on our list for annual chores, you will find that organizing the pantry will help you save money in the long run by eating in more often than not. Organizing a spice rack can also be a daunting task, but since we went discovered magnetic tins to attach to the fridge, we haven’t looked back.