Spring is the perfect time to refresh your home and get rid of any clutter or dirt that has accumulated over the winter months.
With this ultimate spring cleaning checklist, you’ll be able to tackle every room in your home and get it ready for the new season. From decluttering to deep cleaning, I’ve got you covered with tips and tricks to make your spring cleaning a breeze.
You are looking for more spring content? Check out ‘14 Self-care Ideas for Spring to Make Your Life Blossom‘ and thrive this season.
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What is Spring Cleaning?
Spring cleaning is a tradition from the Persian culture called khaneh tekani, which translates to ‘shaking of the house’. They believed that decluttering and dusting the entire house would prevent any illness in the coming year.
This is still very relevant today. In fact, according to a 2022 survey from the American Cleaning Institute (ACI), three out of four American’s partake in spring cleaning!
Although it sounds like a chore, spring cleaning can actually be very satisfying and therapeutic. Additionally, the more people you get to help, the quicker it goes.
When Should You Start?
Spring clean is typically done during the months of March, April and May.
However, the first day of spring, March 20, can also mark a great time to start that spring cleaning checklist!
The Ultimate Spring Cleaning Checklist
Before you take a deep dive into your deep cleaning, there are a few things I like to do first. I like to begin with a general clean up. This includes picking up and putting away anything in each room that isn’t suppose to be there.
This could mean picking up shoes that have been scattered in each room or folding blankets near the couch. Depending on the level of messiness, this could take anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour. However, generally, this should take no more than 15 minutes. Quick and effective!
Picking up before you start your spring cleaning checklist just makes sense. I mean, nobody wants to be dodging clothes, shoes, or anything else while they are trying to vacuum or dust a ceiling fan.
So once you have that completed, you are ready to start the ultimate spring cleaning checklist and start the season off fresh!
Let’s get started!
Bedroom:
- Declutter and donate
- Dust the ceiling fans, window seals, and curtains
- Clean the baseboards
- Clean the windows and mirrors
- Strip and wash the bedding
- Vacuum/clean the carpets or floors
- Clean and polish dressers
- Clean out the closet and get rid of old clothes
Just like every room, you want to start with decluttering. This means picking up the things on the floor and organizing any surfaces such as dressers and nightstands.
Then comes dusting and cleaning ceiling fans, window seals and curtain. A good rule of thumb is go from the top to the bottom; that way any dirt or dust that fell will get cleaned as you make your way down the walls.
You are also going to want to vacuum or sweep the floors. If you have carpet and want to take it a step further, you can rent a carpet cleaner for a day and wash the carpets. (You’ll be surprised how dirty they can be!)
Finally, getting rid of clothes and donating what you can is a great spring cleaning activity. Out with the old so you have room in your closet for the new. If you haven’t worn it in the last 6-12 months, get rid of it!
Bathroom:
- Clear the clutter and surfaces
- Wipe down the counter
- Clean the shower and toilet
- Replace shower liner if applicable
- Take out the trash
- Clean the baseboards
- Sweep and mop the floor
- Organize cabinets
Deep cleaning the bathroom is not going to be the hardest or longest process because of the size of the room. Start by clearing the surfaces and cleaning the counter, shower, and toilet.
Spring cleaning is a great time to replace your shower liner if you have one. Those things should be replaced at least once every year.
You’ll want to spend a little more time deep cleaning the floors. This means cleaning the baseboard, sweeping and mopping. Finally, organize the cabinets so everything is nice and tighty.
Kitchen:
- Wash, dry and put dishes away
- Dust shelves, windows seals and ceiling fans
- Clean countertops
- Organize and clean the pantry
- Organize and clean cupboards and drawers
- Wash and polish cabinets
- Clean out the fridge and wipe down
- Clean other alliances (oven, stove, dishwasher, sink, microwave, etc.)
- Sweep and mop floors
The kitchen is where a lot of messes happen and you may need a good amount of time allotted for this part of the house.
Start with decluttering and doing the dishes.
Then you can start dusting any shelves, window seals and ceiling fans. Just like with the bedroom, you want to start dusting from the top to the bottom.
Next, start tackling the pantry. Remove everything, wipe and clean the shelves, throw away expired items, and organize the rest back on the shelves. Put the older items in front and new ones in the back.
As you get deeper into the cleaning, begin cleaning all the alliances, polishing the cabinets and mopping the floors.
Living room:
- Dust ceiling fans, window seals, high shelves, and decorations.
- Clean couches and soft surfaces
- Clean windows
- Sweep floors
- Wash blankets
- Vacuum or steam rugs/carpet
The living room is typically a common area that guests and other people tend to see and use quite often. Regularly cleaning and deep cleaning is important for this area.
Just like any other room, start by decluttering, dusting and wiping down surfaces.
Then, clean and fluffy the couches. Depending the material of the couch, you may need to steam, polish or add protectant to the couch.
Don’t forget to wash any blankets or rugs and clean the floors.
Outdoors:
- Pressure wash the deck
- Reorganize and declutter the garage
- Pull weeds/mow the lawn
- Wash garage floors
- Hose out the garage bins
- Wash outside windows
As spring is beginning and summer approaches, it may have been hard to keep your outdoor areas looking fresh during winter. Time spent outside is about to increase and now is the perfect time to make your front and backyard look a little nicer.
Some great deep cleaning activities include pressure washing the deck, decluttering the garage, hosing the garage bins, pulling weeds, and washing the outside windows.
If you have outside furniture, giving those a good clean is probably much needed as well.
Other:
- Discard expired makeup and wash makeup brushes
- Update/stock any house first-aid including band-aids, ointment, and medication.
- Switch out seasonal décor
There is an endless list of tasks and activities you can include in your spring clean. Some other more personal tasks can include discarding expired makeup and stocking first aid supplies.
Finally, I like to end my spring cleaning journey with switching out seasonal décor and lighting some candles to set the mood. It is so rewarding seeing a clean home with cozy decorations and mood lighting.
Cleaning Tips and Supplies
While are you cleaning it is important to use the right cleaning supplies on the correct surfaces and materials. There are so many options to choose from that look very similar.
Make sure you are paying attention to what you use. It is very more important to note that some cleaning supplies contain hazardous chemicals that can harm your health. Learn more about what cleaning supplies you should use and which to avoid.
Professional cleaning services
While this is a great resource to use if you are capable and willing to take a deep dive into spring clean, note that there are also other options available.
You can forget about doing this yourself and contact professional cleaning services to do the work for you!
And that is it! I hope you enjoyed and I wish you luck on your spring cleaning! Let me know in the comments if you are taking part in spring cleaning this year and what your most satisfying task is. I’d love to hear!
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