2. If you're holding on to the possessions of a loved one who has died, Leist suggests a gentle beginning. Go through just a few things at a time. (If this is too hard, move some of the items into storage until you feel able to look through them, she says.) As you handle the items, "allow yourself to relive the memory, but agree that not everything associated with the memory needs to be kept," she writes. Go through the memorabilia every so often — until you have kept only a manageable number of treasures.

3. Thrifty people tend to save things they think they might use someday. Leist suggests tossing the item if you can't think of a use for it right now. If you believe you will get around to all your old craft projects, someday, designate one box for craft storage. Then clean that box out when it begins to overflow.

4. If you want your children to live in a clean and well-organized home, you have to set the example.

Think about mites

Steffoni Garner owns a franchise of The Maids Home Services in Centerville. She quotes Alfred Zamm (co-author of "Why Your House May Endanger Your Health") as she reminds homeowners that the average 6-room house accumulates 40 pounds of dust a year and that regular cleaning helps eliminate allergens such as dust mites, mold and pollen.

Before you start on The Maids' list of spring-cleaning tips that follows, Garner says you need to turn on some music, enlist the help of spouse and kids, put all your cleaning supplies in a bucket that you can carry with you, and bring your cell phone, too, so that you don't have to leave the room you are cleaning until you are completely finished.

General tips

• Place doormats inside your entryways as well as outside your doors to reduce the amount of outside dirt that gets tracked in.

• Change your furnace filter regularly.

• Wash your metal vents in warm soapy water.

• Vacuum upholstered furniture, under seat cushions, window sills, baseboards and tops of door and window frames with the vacuum's brush attachment tool.

• Scrub your wastebaskets with a clean, stiff brush using soap and water. Rinse with a mild disinfectant then move them outside to dry in the sun. Put a fabric-softener sheet in the bottom of the container for a fresh smell. Put several wastebasket liners in the bottom of your basket so it's effortless to reline it.

• Move your refrigerator, oven, dryer and washing machine just enough to clean behind them. If you can't reach items that have fallen behind an appliance, use a long-nozzle vacuum attachment with a nylon secured over the opening by a rubber band. (The pantyhose will prevent the item from being sucked up into the vacuum.)
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