It's one of those inevitable necessities and one which makes us sigh with exasperation. More at ourselves than the impending need to address the issue. Everyone hates it yet just about everyone has to face it. I've been, as usual, procrastinating. Promising myself I'll get a start on it, and I really mean it, because year after year I have eventually come around to 'getting a start' on spring cleaning.

It's a universal attention-getter, and a sure-fire way to make people feel tired before they even begin. There is, after all, so much to be done. Not that we've left things over the winter months and ignored the need to keep clutter and dust in check. Most people have house-cleaning routines. Once acknowledged and agreed that these things must be done, we find the time for at least the bare necessities of keeping a clean and working-level kitchen. And the bathrooms require constant wipe-ups. Bedrooms and living rooms tend to look pretty shaggy without continual attention.

But spring cleaning? That's where the deep-down attention begins. Beyond washing and cleaning winter gear and putting it away for the following year. Which is also an excellent opportunity to winnow out winter clothing that we don't like, seldom wear, no longer fit right, before we replace our wardrobes with clothing more suitable for spring and summer wear.

Well, get out the old mop and pail, begin shifting furniture around to make certain you clean areas not usually accessible. Wash those floors that don't get regular wash-ups like the ones downstairs in the basement that have been finished and seldom get the deep-down attention the upstairs ones deserve because they're not used as much.

Change over the winter duvet to a lighter-weight one for spring now that the temperatures nudge up to ten degrees and beyond, no longer falling below freezing at night. Tackle bathroom cupboards and vanities for a little neat order and wash-up. The same with kitchen cupboards; empty, scrub and return objects. Rid yourself of kitchen stuff seldom or never used but bought because you thought you might need them one day and that one day never arrived. Multiples included.

Take down those curtains or sheers, wash them and clean the windows. It's all time-consuming and you wonder where you'll get the time to do it all. You do, though. Spring brings rainy days and they're perfect as target days for spring cleaning. Because it doesn't take one dedicated day or even several to get around to everything waiting to be done, it takes weeks. But eventually it gets done and you feel a certain level of relief and satisfaction that it's behind you. 'Till next time.

And then, by the time you've finished with all that, you can look around at your garden. Whatever you missed in your fall clean-up of perennials and annuals can be looked after now and composted. And then you can fill the garden pots with soil and wait until the last week of May when it seems safe enough to put in tender annuals for summer enjoyment in the display of their vibrant, beautiful shapes and colours. As for the perennials they'll mostly look after themselves, apart from a bit of snips and tucks.

And then, you're home free. For a bit.