The number 1 reason that people hate April is tax day. But a very close second is spring cleaning.

I'm not going to argue that you need to clean your house from top to bottom (though it's never a bad idea).  But even if you are short on time, energy, and patience, here are some basic things you really do need to do:

• The first nice day that you are home, open all the windows you can and let fresh air flow through the house. It's amazing how much impact  so little effort can have.
• Try to de-clutter the main living areas, especially areas where you are most likely to have guests. The less stuff you have to clean around, the faster it will go and the more time you'll have to spend outside.
• Tidy up the yard and prepare the grill and patio for outside time.
• Put away winter clothes and gear, taking the time to donate what you don't plan to use any more. You don't want to be digging through ski pants and snow boots when you need sundresses and flip flops.
• Consider refreshing all the bed clothes, using lighter quilts and flipping or turning mattresses as appropriate. If you haven't washed your pillows in a while, you want to do that once the pollen has settled.
• Stock your fridge with spring goodies like fresh greens, fruit, pitchers of ice water with citrus, and herbal iced teas. Clean out the mystery containers hiding in the back.
• Make a habit of tidying quickly at least twice a week. Focus the tidying on the main living areas — living room/family room. kitchen, bathrooms, family sleeping rooms. Put things away, vacuum, damp mop, wipe things down. It doesn't need to take a long time. But if you keep up with it, you'll feel much more relaxed in your living space — when you can drag yourself back inside.