Chinese New Year is just around the corner. It is that time of the year when the entire family gathers for the reunion dinner and visits one another. It is also time to clean the entire place and spruce it up with beautiful decorations to welcome the guests. 

Spring cleaning, as its called includes sweeping away all the dust and hence the misfortune, making space for the good luck to find its way into your home and bring in good fortune.

We understand it can be a tedious chore and that most of us are not at all “gung ho” (that's enthusiastic for the uninformed) about it. After all, we may have more entertaining things to do, like shopping and dining than to get down on all fours and scrub the floor. Although we cannot clean your home for you, we have some simple tips to help make spring cleaning less of a chore. One of the tips involves you not picking-up the feather duster at all.

Tip #1: Have an ordered list

When it comes to spring cleaning, have a list. While most of us often just keep a mental note of what to do, it actually helps to list down the cleaning activities that you need to do. Arrange the list in a certain order. For example, you may want to categorise the activities according to the room-in-progress or, you may want to space out the activities and divide the chores amongst the people involved.

Tip #2: Stick to the list

This should be common sense but sometimes we deviate too much from the plan, which makes creating the list seem pointless. When you follow the list, you prevent tiring yourself out because you have properly spaced out the activities to suit your time and needs.

Tip #3: Unwanted treasure

Often, we have a lot of items that just take up space. These include old magazines, letters and mail, books, hardware, and even furniture. These items serve no purpose and should be disposed of to create space. Though not a Chinese New Year tradition, disposing of unwanted items can make you feel like you are relieving yourself of burdens.

This also creates space for new items and furniture. For example, maybe you have always wanted a new coffee table or sofa with hidden storage compartments. Such dual-function furniture, available at major furniture malls like IKEA, serve to create space for you and make your home look less cluttered.

Tip #4: The right tools for the right job

Have you watched those advertisements which involves two people – one uses Soap X to clean the house whereas another uses a branded soap. Naturally the branded soap gets the job done faster and better.

Whilst it is just an advertisement, there is some truth to it. You do need the right cleaning liquid especially when getting rid of stubborn stains. A powerful cleanser can get rid of months of dirt in just a single wipe.

Tip #5: 1800-USE-HELP

There are many professional cleaning agencies that you can engage to clean your house. Agencies, such as StarMaid, have special festive promotions if you want to engage their services. They often have other flexible packages such as per-hour charge (for minor clean-ups) or a regular cleaning service charge. What's more, since they are professionals, they will have the best tools for the job. Just remember to book in advance to avoid disappointment because cleaning agencies are usually busy during the festive period.  

So there you have it...simple tips that you can use to help you in your cleaning activities this festive season. It will save you time and energy for more entertaining things like buying new clothes or preparing for the reunion dinner.