It's springtime! Open your windows and slice up some oranges. Simmer the slices in water and get your whole house smelling citrusy fresh for spring.

Spring cleaning usually consists of a lot of tedious scouring, polishing, and cleaning. Why not change the rules this year? You can make it easier and more enjoyable by including the whole family in the cleaning process. Here are a few ways to get kids and spouses interested and involved in the annual event.

Fun Tools

Want to get children out of their chairs to help you with the dusting, cleaning, and scrubbing? Introduce them to some of the more unusual tools you can use while cleaning.

1. Paintbrushes. Try giving your kids paintbrushes to use in dusting hard-to-reach areas and unusually shaped objects. They're great for light fixtures, window edges, remote controls, and more.
2. Vinegar. White vinegar is highly prized as an ingredient for homemade cleaners, since it is a natural cleaner and deodorizer. It can be added to a spray bottle full of water for use with windows and mirrors.
3. Tennis Balls. Old tennis balls are ideal for one area of your home that is often overlooked during cleaning: door edges. Door edges often get coated with grime from cats, dogs and other passersby. If you rub a tennis ball along the edges of your doors, door frames and even your window frames, you'll be able to get rid of almost all of the accumulated dirt and scuffs. And you can take a break afterwards and toss the ball around with your kids and your dog.

Fun Activities

Try combining a more laborious cleaning activity with a fun break to make everyone laugh and have a good time.

1. Mattresses and Pillow Fights. You can make your bedrooms healthier by thoroughly cleaning your mattresses. To remove allergens and other critters that may call your mattress home, start by vacuuming both sides of your mattress. Use your vacuum's wand and pay special attention to indented or buttoned areas, since that's where dust really collects. Once you've finished, take a fun break and reward everyone involved by having a lengthy pillow fight.
2. Windows, Screens, and Lots of Water. On a sunny spring day, you can all be involved in taking down the window screens, lining them up in your front yard, washing them with a bucket of sudsy water and a sponge, and rinsing them with the hose. Then tackle the windows together--give your kids control of a squeegee while you wash the glass with warm water and a sponge. When that's done, consider giving in to the urge to have a brief family water fight before moving on to the next cleaning task.

Fun Results

Getting more organized can make everyone in your family feel better. By focusing your efforts to organize on the parts of your home that matter to everyone, you can enlist the help of your whole family.

1. Kids' Bedrooms. Purchase bins and boxes that your kids like and organize them on lower shelves so that your children can put away their own toys. Add fun, animal-themed low hooks along the wall to encourage them to hang up pajamas, jackets, and book bags.
2. Garage. Think about adding a row of sturdy hooks along a wall to hang shovels, bikes, lawn chairs, and sharp objects. Add shelving units to your garage if you need to get gardening supplies, tools, and auto supplies off the floor.
3. Closets. Start by pulling out everything you (or your kids) haven't worn in the last year. Donate these items to a nonprofit. Then, from what's remaining, put items you don't need regularly into containers under the bed or on high shelves.

Finally, don't forget to finish up your spring cleaning by freshening up the air in your home naturally. A great orange-scented air freshener can be made by simply adding six orange slices to a pot of water and simmering it for an hour or so. Nothing's better than the scent of fresh oranges!

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