Often, it begins rather like a low-lying itch. The sunlight streams in through the finger-smudged glass in that vernal sort of way. Hmm, really ought to spring clean, you think to yourself. Before you know it, the itch — and the spring-cleaning fixation — is driving you crazy.

It's spring, people. Aren't we hard-wired to sweep the crud right out the windows and doors?

"I've done a lot of research on this," says Heloise, she of the Household-y Hints. "Spring cleaning comes from back before electricity, when coal-burning lamps left soot all over the place."

But how, in a world where so many doodads tug for our attention 24/7, can we possibly call a timeout, while we tend to our cobwebs and dust mites and infinite smudge?

"The dirty secret of spring cleaning is that it sort of inspires us to channel Doris Day or June Cleaver, then all of a sudden reality hits," says Julie Edelman, author of the best-selling "The Accidental Housewife" (Ballantine Books). "I'm more about doing a little bit. We don't have to kill ourselves in one single binge."

Some spring-cleaning tips from the pros:

Thelma Meyer: Inspiration behind Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products.

Dirty secret: Please don't peek at the tops of her books, because Mrs. Meyer nearly always forgets to vacuum up there. And here's her cure to the spring-cleaning blues: "Kind of look forward to it. Think, 'Oh, I'm gonna get this house fresh as new.' "

Heloise: One-name sensation of "Heloise's Household Hints" fame.

Dirty secret: "I have absolutely fallen in love again with my vacuum cleaner and the microfiber cloth."

She's also big on baking soda, vinegar, rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide. Together, they will tackle most every cleanup.

Sara Snow: Discovery Channel green-living expert.

Dirty secret: Just pull out the lemon juice, baking soda, vinegar, olive oil and simple soap. Snow's litany of kitchen supplies will do everything from shine the dining room table to lift the ketchup out of the carpet.

Julie Edelman: Modern-day homemaking maven.

Dirty secret: Someone comes to your door and you haven't gotten around to spring cleaning? Always have get-well cards ready. Put the cards on the mantle, then let in your guest, sigh, and mention how of course you would have cleaned by now but for that nasty bug.