Cleaning got you down? Clean house fast with the 2008 New Year Grand Plan Challenge from OrganizedHome.Com.

Based on Katie Leckey's Cleaning Grand Plan, The New Year Grand Plan Challenge kicks off the new year with a 14-week plan to clean and organize a spring-clean house. Working in small weekly bites makes a big job easy, while printable forms help organize and track cleaning chores. You'll be ready to welcome Spring

As I recall, we had only to find and sort those holiday decorations. This covered ALL holidays. and all things pertinent to those holidays,too. (like the red/white/blue centerpiece for the 4th, the Thanksgiving candles and wreaths, and centerpieces, etc.) I believe the idea was to group these all together in ONE box if possible to be added to the storage area (WHO HAS THE ROOM?). This is to free up space in the house and kitchen cabinets by removing these non-essential but occasionally needed holiday items.

Using the basic plan, take everything off the windows and clean them.

Take everything off the walls and clean items and wall.

Empty all drawers, shelves, ledges, etc. Clean items, but don't replace-- YET.

The attic works the same every other room does, except it's probably got mostly stored boxed and old clothes. Remember what our motto has been? If you haven't worn it in the last year, and you can't figure when you'll wear it in the next year, get rid of it! (Donate it somewhere, or throw it out if it's not in good shape.) This can really make a big dent in the storage facilities.

This a designated area used for storing "needed" items until it is time to use them. It is not "someplace else" for procrastinators. It can be the attic, basement, section of garage, closet, shed or even a rental unit.

Since the Family Room is much like the Living Room, consult the notes from that week as well, to be sure we haven't missed anything! Here goes!

Start by washing the outside of your windows.

Take everything down off the walls, take down curtains etc. Wash, vacuum or dry clean as needed.

Sweep ceiling corners and other nooks in the room - tops of doorways, windows, arches, bookcases, etc.

Wash inside of windows and sills. Polish and touch-up stain on wood.

Re-hang window coverings.

Kitchen Closets: Empty them! Pull everything out. Use trash bags, boxes, etc to sort and redistribute your items. Remember-places would love donations of kitchen items. If you have not used something in a few months, chances are you just will not use it so donate it. Kill the clutter!

Kitchen Cabinets: Tackle one by one if the job seems overwhelming. Start above counters, on one side of the room and work in one direction & when done, tackle cabinets below the counter. Save the under-sink area for last, for me it was the hardest.

Guest bedrooms and other bathrooms. Use the same procedures for master bathroom and bedroom. Take note of your area and surrounding . Make lists of those items you need to replace.

Donate or toss what needs to be. Be ruthless this time.

Kids' Rooms: Let's get shelves done first (if appropriate). Use same method: examine, toss/save/donate, replace onto shelves. This is a good time to get rid of games with lots of missing pieces, or save for while you're in the playroom in case the pieces are hidden there.

Desk drawers: go through (or have your children if they're older) and sort out what papers need to be saved and what can be tossed. Get rid of old magazines, old McDonald toys, toys in pieces, broken crayons, non-functional pens. make room for the stuff on top of the desk!

Go through the medicine chest. Do you really store medicine in here? It is not a good idea to store your medications here as the steam and heat of the showers can affect them. Consider finding a new place. While you rearrange them, throw away the horrible tasting stuff that you do not use and the expired items. Check your first aid supplies. Do you have enough Peroxide, band-aids, gauze pads, antibacterial ointment? Find a printable first-aid checklist here.