Opening the windows to fresh, spring air seems like a great idea, until you notice dust flying off your furniture in the breeze. It's time for a good, deep house cleaning.

"I'm sure there's some psychological reason behind [spring cleaning]," said Jeremy Reets, CEO of Champion Construction Systems in Sharpsburg and a master restorer and cleaner certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration. "You feel like sprucing up around the house when the house is nice and bright."

Taniya Nayak, host of HGTV's "Designed to Sell," said the season itself encourages a home overhaul.

"When the flowers are blooming, it almost feels like a rebirth," said Nayak, who will be in Atlanta April 5 to chat about spring cleaning tips.

Need motivation? These tips should get you going.

1. Start with a list. Nayak suggests making a list of rooms and areas you want to attack. Then list supplies for cleaning and storage.

2. Banish "out of sight, out of mind." Before taking a vacuum to every nook and cranny, Nayak advises getting rid of (or donating) the outdated and undesirable. Start with a single room, and de-clutter each drawer, cabinet or bin. Less clutter equals cleaning ease. Tip: Take a picture of your room and view it on your computer —you may notice a mound of clutter or crowded spaces.

3. Down and dirty. Reets said many of his clients request a cleaning only of trafficked areas, like family rooms, stairways and hallways, but dust and pollutants are not limited to those zones. He advises a professional top-to-floor cleaning at least once a year, but he also said to vacuum floors and upholstery weekly, and drapes and hard-to-reach spaces monthly using a HEPA-filtered (acronym for high efficiency particulate air) vacuum.

4. Change it up for a fresh feel. Nayak, an interior designer, alternates drapes and throw pillows for cold and warm seasons. Consider changing your velvet drapes in favor of linen or silk for a cooler feel in hot weather. (Have more design questions? Chat with Nayak on April 5 at the Sam's Club in Alpharetta, 10600 Davis Drive, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)

5. Before you rest your weary head... Don't forget bedding in the spring cleaning craze. Reets suggests having mattresses professionally cleaned once a year to remove skin cells and microscopic critters, like dust mites, which feed off your shed skin. Between professional deep cleanings (costing anywhere from $50 to $70), he suggests vacuuming mattresses more often if you have animals. (See www.certifiedcleaners.org to find a reputable cleaner, he advised.)