Our Shopping Director Microdoses Spring Cleaning, and It’s Game-Changing
The fresh feeling of a big spring clean is unbeatable, but we don’t always have the time — or energy — to commit to a full day of scrubbing and scouring. That’s why Katie Maguire, Apartment Therapy Director of Shopping Content Strategy, does mini spring cleans: bite-sized tasks that add up to a deeper clean.
“Breaking cleaning into smaller tasks feels manageable instead of overwhelming,” Katie says. “If I can do one task a day for a week, then I’ve done a nice mini spring clean.”
Mini spring cleans are all about turning those tasks that we usually skip — wiping down your cupboards, say, or tackling that upholstery stain — into quick and easy accomplishments. The BISSELL® Little Green Mini makes them even easier, with all the stain-busting power of the original Little Green Machine in a compact, apartment-friendly size. Here are the tasks that helped Katie reset her space for a new season in less time.
Sofa Spa Day
With a white sofa, Katie is often on stain watch. “I try to keep it clean, but I also love to have people over and don’t want to be too precious about the main place to sit,” Katie says. She used the Little Green Mini to tackle the tiny stains of day-to-day use (plus a couple larger ones, too). The 4-inch Tough Stain Tool makes quick work of them all: Just spray the cleaning solution, scrub, and suction up all that dirt and grime. And because the Little Green Mini is so small, it’s easy for Katie to tuck it away under the cabinet or in her closet when she’s done.
“I didn’t even realize how dingy the sofa had gotten until I saw the water tank afterward — equal parts satisfying and horrifying. The sofa looked brighter almost immediately, and the whole living room felt refreshed.”
Refrigerator Reset
Wiping down her fridge shelves is a task that Katie always puts off (relatable). She used one of her mini cleans to give it a hard restart, tossing expired sauces and drinks and wiping down shelves. “There were some food stains and weird things happening that needed to be taken care of,” she says. (Again, relatable.) “Now my whole fridge feels better.”
“It feels like I had a cleaning service come in and pay special attention, when really I just did it myself so easily!”
Katie Maguire
Surface Shine
Kitchen counters get all the attention, but dust and grime can also settle on open shelving and cabinet doors. Katie wiped her shelving and doors with cleaning spray and a cloth: a classic example of little tasks making big impacts. “It made the whole place feel polished,” she says.
Window Treatment
Katie has gorgeous tall windows. Ridding them of winter’s dust and dander makes the natural light sparkle: a huge energy shift with sunnier days on the way! It’s the perfect finishing task for creating that fresh feeling Katie was after — and a reminder that it doesn’t take much to make our spaces feel extra clean.
“Before, everything looked ‘fine’ at first glance, but it was just feeling a little dusty and neglected,” Katie says. “Afterward, my apartment felt lighter. The air feels fresher, the floors look brighter, and there’s something about clean surfaces that makes the whole space feel bigger.”