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Spring Cleaning Tips for the Lazy

If you’re a reluctant spring cleaner, here are some tools and tips you might want to use to cut your need for elbow grease.

Author:: Althea Chang
Publish date:: Mar 30, 2010 7:00 AM EDT

A thorough spring cleaning is a daunting event, especially when you’d much rather be snoozing on the couch, so if you take no pleasure from clearing out all of your clutter and cleaning up messes, there are a few easy approaches. And we don’t mean shoving everything into a closet when guests are at the door. Photo Credits: Todd Baker

A thorough spring cleaning is a daunting event, especially when you’d much rather be snoozing on the couch, so if you take no pleasure from clearing out all of your clutter and cleaning up messes, there are a few easy approaches. And we don’t mean shoving everything into a closet when guests are at the door. Photo Credits: Todd Baker

Dusting can be an annoying chore that’s easy to put off until a layer of small particles piles up so high that you can’t see the original color of your bookcase or TV stand. But if you keep air purifiers strategically placed in your home, you’ll likely be able to pull out the Pledge less often and keep from stirring up a dust cloud every time you sneeze. Photo Credits: Uncle Ariel

Simply by smoking outdoors and limiting your use of candles, incense, exhaust fans and fireplaces, you could significantly avoid creating more dust particles, thereby reducing how often or how vigorously you need to clean indoors, according to Consumer Reports. Photo Credits: Erin Purcell

If you have just as much trouble keeping up with your snail mail as you do filing away or deleting, say, the 3,000 unread e-mails in your inbox, investing in a few attractive storage bins can make you look and feel more organized than you really are, suggests Glamour magazine. Ideally, you’d have a separate bin for different types of items, like utility bills, unmatched socks and cleaning supplies. Photo Credits: lindaslund

If you have carpeting that tends to get particularly dirty or worn because it’s in a high-traffic area like an entryway, rugs and tiles made of hardwood or easy-to-install multi-use flooring can go right on top of your carpet, making that area of your home much easier to clean.Photo Credits: mbowlersr

If you hate struggling to remove your couch cushion covers, don’t forget that a vacuum isn’t just for your floor. You can use it to clean your upholstery, which is especially handy when you have pets, and some might even suggest using it to clean your bed sheets between washings. Photo Credits: worak

Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, making them a natural air freshener, notes Glamour. And there are plenty of low-maintenance indoor plants to choose from, like jade plants and spider plants, MainStreetexplains. Photo Credits: Katie@!

Swiffer Wet Mops can be vital to a lazy person’s house-cleaning regimen. And it can do the job pretty well without making you get out the soap, run hot tap water and squeeze out an actual mop. You’ll have to bear in mind that each disposable cloth may only be effective for a single room, so it may be best (and most economical) for people who live in smaller spaces. Photo Credits: tm lv

Similar to Wet Mops, disposable disinfecting wipes are an easy way to wipe your counters and other grimy areas clean. If you’re concerned about the waste these wipes produce, Clorox Green Works wipes may make you feel more at ease. They’re made of natural wood fibers and they’re compostable. Photo Credits: Tom Arthur

The term “when in doubt, throw it out” doesn’t just refer to food safety in the kitchen. You can save cleaning time by applying it to a refrigerator full of stuff you rarely ever use. Plus, if you have a bunch of old kitchen gadgets that you haven’t used in ages, ditch those too, because you’re not very likely to use them, notes the New York Daily News. Photo Credits: Hassan & Mariko

Scrubbing the inside of the microwave is no fun, especially when there’s been a tomato sauce explosion inside your appliance. Instead of using too much elbow grease to clean, try heating up a bowl of water with a bit of lemon juice or white vinegar in it, suggests WiseGeek. Photo Credits: Olivier Bruchez

If you’re not into scrubbing to get your toilet sparkling clean, Alka-Seltzer might do a good enough job if you’re lazy or in a pinch, according to Woman’s Day. Or if all you have is some club soda, you can try that instead, reports the New York Daily News. Photo Credits: Evil Erin

In between washings and cleanings, fabric upholstery, carpeting and other cloth items can be sprayed with a shot of Febreze for an instant clean smell. Or if you’re concerned about bacteria as well, go for some Lysol disinfectant spray to kill those nasty germs. Photo Credits: j.reed

If you have a yard, but not much of a green thumb or only a little time to put into your own patch of paradise, you can grow some green bedding underneath your rose bushes so you can spend less time cleaning up and maintaining your flower beds. And there are a number of low-growing plants to choose from, including those that grow in shade and those that prefer the sun, notes GardenGuides.com. Photo Credits: Paul Sayer

It may be tempting to hire a housekeeper to clean for you once a week, but it could be too much of a strain on your wallet. If that’s the case, hire one once a month, or even just once, and maintain that level of clean throughout the year.Photo Credits: fabbio

If you’ve got guests on the way, however, one of the easiest ways to keep a mess (like the one in your kid’s room) out of sight is simply by closing the door when guests arrive. Photo Credits: djprybyl

Want more tips resources chock full of DIY tips? Check out MainStreet's story, The 20 Best DIY Sites.

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Cleaning the Easy Way

A thorough spring cleaning is a daunting event, especially when you’d much rather be snoozing on the couch, so if you take no pleasure from clearing out all of your clutter and cleaning up messes, there are a few easy approaches. And we don’t mean shoving everything into a closet when guests are at the door. Photo Credits: Todd Baker