Spring is in the air.  That means it’s time for the annual spring cleaning.  Yay!

While spring cleaning typically refers to housecleaning, it can also be used as an overriding term for getting ones entire affairs in order, whether its tax receipts or emotions.

So while we love spring (really, who doesn’t love spring?), the spring cleaning task can be daunting.  Ah, where to begin?

As with all missions, start with a checklist.  There are lots of sites that offer printable spring cleaning check lists. 

The queen of happy homemaking, Martha Stewart offers her checklist, which promises to be both manageable, and more surprisingly enjoyable.  iVillage also has a nice, short, straight-forward checklist.

The list on All Things Frugal is not in printable format per se, but it includes some real creative gems of advice on how to deal with cleaning challenges such as removing crayon markings from the wall with a blow dryer and dusting window screens with a paint brush.

I also found this excellent maintenance guide called “15 Minute Cleanups for Every Room”.  It’s more about making a room presentable than spotless, but since I’m not such an ambitious cleaner, I’m thinking, maybe I’ll start with this.

Beyond following a checklist, and making sure you cover all ground, there’s not much else to do, except to get motivated and get cleaning!