We talked shop with lifestyle expert Katie Brown (www.katie brown.com) on how to tackle spring cleaning. “The first thing you gotta do is start with a good playlist so you can get your groove on,” insists the TV host and DIY maven. See why we love her? More of her tips:

Clean before you clean: “You want to make sure you’re starting with a tidy house,” says Brown. “Spring cleaning shouldn’t be about putting away your clothes or making your bed. I remember growing up we had a cleaning lady that would come over once a month, and my mom made us clean our rooms before. It used to drive me nuts, but I get it now. When you’re doing the “big clean” it takes too much time to tidy up. This is the time you get deep into it and get to all the things that are driving you crazy, like getting your windows clean.”

Strategize: Go worst room to best, advises Brown. “My kitchen is the hardest. So I start there in the beginning when I’m really pumped up. If I do the kitchen first, then I’m happy because I know I have it out of the way.”

Spread the love: “Don’t try and do it all in one day,” stresses Brown. “Give yourself an hour after work each day. On Monday you’re going to clean your kitchen. On Tuesday you’re doing the bathroom, and so on. That way it’s not too daunting.”

Sweat the small stuff: “I always have a screwdriver with me so that once a year I can get those knobs that are falling off as I’m going through. Honestly, the more niggling things are the most satisfying to do. ‘OK, I’ve been meaning to do that for the last three months and I finally did it because I’m right here.'”

Supplies in check

Have your cleaning supplies in one carry-all that you can easily take from room to room. “I like to have a big bucket,” says Brown. “And in that big bucket is where all the magic happens. I have everything in there I need from WD-40 to Emery boards to tape for my vacuum cleaner to magic erasers. It’s all there ready to go.”

Must-do during the big clean

1. Flip your mattress. “It airs it out.”

2 . Refresh the Arm & Hammer in your fridge.

3. Put cedar balls in your closet.

4. Clean out your spices. “A lot of people don’t know this, but spices have a shelf life — and it’s usually six months at the longest.”

5. Change out your air-conditioning filters.

6. Polish your silver.

7. If you burn candles, get the wax drippings off your candle-holders. “The way to do this is put them in the freezer and then take them out and chip off the wax residue.”

8. Take clothes to the cleaners, seamstress, etc.