Spring Cleaning & The Apartment Therapy Cure

This is actually the first year that J and I have had to do spring cleaning. Up until now, we moved so much, we never lived in an apartment for more than a year. Isn't that insane?! But I am here to tell you that spring cleaning is a very necessary and wonderful part of making a place your home. It's hard work, yes. And it's disgusting (hood fan filter over our stove, I'm thinking of you!) but so worth it. Nothing feels better than refreshing your home from top to bottom. I only wish I could get my hands on some Mrs. Meyer's geranium all-purpose cleaner. I miss it so! 

I am midway through my spring cleaning endeavor and it is scary. It's one of those things that gets worse before it gets better and we are right in the thick of the worst phase. But I have no fear because I am following an excellent guide: The Apartment Therapy Eight Week Cure. Have you heard of it? It is incredible! It's an eight week process to overhauling your home and making it work for you. It involves cleaning, clearing out and redesigning spaces that aren't working well. I'm loving it and frantically doing as much as I can while Joel is on holidays. 

Cleaning with a toddler around is, as my friend Charlotte puts it, like brushing your teeth whilst eating Oreo cookies. Charlotte is British; she actually says whilst! ;) And her description couldn't be more accurate. The level of clutter and disorder in our apartment was really beginning to grate on my nerves, but I had no idea how to tackle it all. With the Apartment Therapy book, I'm eating the elephant, one bite at a time, and it's working. I can't wait for it to be all finished and to stand in the middle of our apartment, take a big, deep breath and let out a long, relaxed exhale. Aaaaahhhhhhhh. Heaven.

How do you tackle your spring cleaning? Are you bothered by clutter and organization (me) or is it really not something that affects you (J)? ;)