Thursday it was 85 degrees. Saturday, 45 (and frigid). Global Weirding? Maybe so, maybe not. Or, it’s just spring in Ann Arbor.

And, we all know what that means. It’s not only, arguably, the most beautiful time of year here: it’s also one of the most productive times around the house. Time for Spring Cleaning, yippee!

Daffodils are so happy!

Sarah Nicoli | Contributor

It must be something innate; the sudden need to clean up the cave after a long, hard winter. And, then there’s the “urge to purge,” where we all end up clearing out our garage and finally saying goodbye to now-defunct tools, sports equipment and snow toys that didn’t last. (I am thrilled — I put three sets of kids’ golf clubs on the curb and someone took them. So glad someone could use them, since we can’t anymore!)

Spring is a time to start fresh and anew. We want to refocus after our hibernation of sorts. We want things clean. Here are some thoughts on where to focus your efforts…and remember, sometimes it’s the littlest things that make the biggest difference:

1. Check the corners, high and low. Look for cobwebs in the ceiling and dust on the floor. I love Swiffer but paper towels wrapped around a broom works well, too.
2. Wash your windows. Or, hire someone to. The more the sun shines, the more you’ll want to look out through clear glass. Here’s a great formula for DIY: ¼ cup Dawn dish liquid, ½ cup ammonia and 1 gallon water.
3. Wipe down your walls, trim and baseboards. Nothing works better than Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for this. Open your windows on a nice day, put on some fun music, give everyone in the house a Magic Eraser and have at it! Then, you can touch up the paint for a freshened-up look.
4. Pick up the yard. Again, this is best done with everyone in the household. Get rid of all the branches that fell, scoop up everything (…ahem…) that the dogs or deer left behind. Rake up any leaves that didn’t compost over the winter.
5. Go through your closets; help your kids go through theirs as well. It’s a new season and, regardless of your gender, you might just want to purchase some new clothes. Take an inventory of what you have that you’ll still wear. Clear out any of the outdated items and bag them up for the Salvation Army or whatever your favorite, cool thrift store you favor in town. Purging your clothes will make it easier to see what clothes you have and will help you plan your purchases better. It will also help you start down that road of renewal.

Ah, Spring—bring it on!

And, before I forget, I must quote one of my Facebook friends, who described Springtime in Ann Arbor so eloquently:

“ SPRING is everywhere-how seductive and romantic can life get???!!! The light green popcorn of the maples … .TWO weeks early this year-now for the spring purging of the house!!! Time to get organized!!!! “

Happy cleaning, happy organizing…but don’t forget to stop and smell the daffodils!

Sarah Nicoli is founder and owner of dotmine dayplanners, the fashion meets function dayplanners, based in Ann Arbor. All of her springtime chores are penciled in to her planner—spread out over the next six weeks. She LOVES daffodils. She can be reached at snicoli@timemine.com.