How POPSUGAR Editors Ace Spring Cleaning (Without Breaking a Sweat)

"I love a clean apartment, but my busy schedule is an excellent excuse for procrastinating! To motivate myself, I turn on an episode of whichever show I'm binge-watching at the moment and spend the commercial breaks focused on one cleaning task: using the Swiffer Sweeper to quickly clean the floors. By the end of the episode, I've caught up on my favorite show and given my space a once-over without feeling overworked!" — Tyler Atwood, associate editor and strategist, Native Living

"My husband likes to think he is an expert cleaner (please note: he is not). We usually do a quick kitchen cleaning competition where we divide and conquer. He's in charge of removing all traces of cat hair from the rug while I'm in charge of organizing and decluttering the drawers. We each hate cleaning, so it's always a race till the end. Spoiler alert: I always win, but then I end up helping him with the vacuuming . . . so maybe I lose after all." — Amanda Elser Murray, senior editor and content strategist, Native Style

"I am cursed with being a neat freak but also pretty lazy (this struggle is real). I try to fit in one household chore a day and find that running Swiffer 360 Dusters over my shelves, bookcases, and picture frames makes me feel accomplished when, really, it took five minutes. There is never a speck of dust in my apartment, which means that nobody has any idea what's going on in my cupboards or under my bed — which I'll get to someday, I promise!" — Lynne Lavelle, senior editor and strategist, Native Living

"I hate dragging out chores, and I like to reserve my weekends for having fun or totally vegging, so my boyfriend and I reserve one week for Spring cleaning and create a schedule for each weeknight. Monday is for buying necessary supplies like cleaning tools or extra garbage bags and tackling closets. Then Tuesday through Friday, we pick a room and go: kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom. When you really focus and work together, you can purge junk, organize clutter, and clean to make everything spotless in just two to three hours per space. Then you have the whole weekend — and season! — to enjoy the fruits of your labor." — Joanna Douglas, senior editorial director, Native

"Living in a pretty cramped New York apartment with two roommates means that both the common areas and our bedrooms get cluttered quickly due to lack of space. It makes doing a big clean-up all the more daunting, too. The key is to clear out everything you don't want — whether it be taking out the trash, removing old food from the fridge, or even donating the clothes you're ready to part with — before you actually wipe down anything or turn on that vacuum. It seems like a no-brainer but makes the entire process so much smoother from the start!" — Carrie Carrollo, assistant editor and strategist, Native Style

"This isn't anything groundbreaking, but I always schedule cleaning for first thing in the morning to get it out of the way early. I just blast music on my speakers and tackle everything that needs to get done! To make it even more efficient, sometimes my boyfriend and I will do the dishes while waiting for bread to toast, or I'll sweep the bathroom floors while waiting to wash off a face mask." — Stephanie Nguyen, associate editor, Native Style