Ahhhh, spring. The weather gets warmer, the birds return from their long vacation down south, you begin to open up the doors and let in the fresh clean air and golden sunshine, and watch as the trees begin to bud, and delicate colorful flowers begin to emerge from the ground. As many wonderful things happen, however during this magical time that everything seems to come to life comes the pesky chores of spring cleaning.

Many of us feel like we arise from our caves when it gets warm out as we are excited to be able to sit outdoors and take in nature, but that also means getting out the lawn furniture from the garage or basement. Getting out your stylish lawn chair set can be a rewarding chore and if you love cleaning ASMR, giving a quick rinse with the garden hose can give you some cleaning therapy as well.

Besides your outdoor furniture set, some of us with decks also need to give our outdoor living room some TLC after the snow of winter has melted away and left our decks and porches with dirt and grime. Some of you might do this the good old fashioned way with a bucket, soapy water, and a sponge while others might take a little bit more industrial approach with a power washer to get your outdoor living space squeaking clean.

Another chore that is often dreaded is cleaning out the gutters. Gutters as essential as they might be to home functionality are a pain to deal with when the leaves, branches and dirt from the previous fall build up in a mini dam preventing the water from flowing away from your home. Luckily, there are plenty of methods on how to accomplish this dreaded task unlike many years ago when the only way to unclog your gutters was to pick the leaves out by hand. Now you can use your hose with an elongated nozzle, a pressure washer, or any other tool of your choosing to get rid of those stubborn autumn leaves. Washing your home’s windows also can be an annoying but necessary chore to tackle as your storm windows collect the winter’s filth and bugs have made your window sills their home to escape the bitter cold. You might need this professionally done, depending on the size of your home and where your windows are located. If you do this task yourself the power washer or garden hose might be your go to, or a simple bucket of cleaner and a towel. 

If you are a gardener with flower beds or a veggie garden, you might also be getting all those extra leaves out of the way so that new growth can come forth the rich, fertile soil. Going to the local garden center, or green house is always a somewhat mystical experience as you admire the rich colors of the flowers and green plants after months of white snow and lifeless brown trees. Purchasing some beautiful petunias, pansies, or marigolds might just do the trick to bring color to your front yard, or getting some little veggie plants can give you a headstart and on your way to a fruitful harvest later on in the summer and early fall. 

Finally after you have spruced up your gardens, cleaned the outside of your home like a shiny penny, and set out your lawn furniture for a relaxing day outdoors, you can’t forget about your feathered friends coming back from the south. The sweet songs of birds is for many people one of the key signs spring is upon us as it graces our ears after months of silence. As it is a long way back from the south those chubby little chickadees, finches, wrens, cardinals and everything in between will thank you for taking the time to bring out your bird feeders filled to the brim with sunflower seeds or a nice hearty block of suet. 

Spring cleaning might not be the most exhilarating thing to do on everyone’s agendas, but the payoff is two-fold. Not only do you get things clean, looking presentable, and ready for the warm weather festivities, you get the satisfaction of a good day’s work, and maybe even a little bird watching.