The Ultimate Guide to Spring Cleaning Your Home

Spring brings a bit more life back into the world. We get to hear the birds chirping again, see flowers blooming, and feel the warm sunshine on our skin. The change of the season is the perfect time to rejuvenate ourselves and our homes, and what better way to start anew than a good spring cleaning?

Throughout the winter we can become so busy during the holidays that some of the more tedious household chores get neglected. Dust builds up, making it doubly crucial to our health and livelihood for a deep spring cleaning. A proper cleanse will help you breathe healthier air, and even help combat those pesky seasonal allergies that come up this time of year.

Spring cleaning can often feel a bit daunting. To help get some guidance on where to begin, keep reading along.

Where to Start With Spring Cleaning

Don’t let your home intimidate you. Spring cleaning can seem overwhelming in the beginning, but there are a handful of tricks to help break up the workload and make it all more manageable.

Start Small

When trying to decide which chore to begin with, do not feel like you have to tackle the whole house all at once. Start small and choose a few chores that you know you can accomplish without too much stress. For example, start by decluttering. Instead of jumping straight into cleaning out the furnace, dusting those hard to reach places, or window washing, just start small and simply put things away where they belong. This will make your house feel so much cleaner from the get-go and make the rest of your cleaning feel more manageable.

Lists Lists Lists

So many people become easily distracted while cleaning. You start in one room and you find a fun trinket like that Rubik’s cube you’ve been trying to solve since last summer. Instead of staying on track, you now spend 3 hours on Youtube trying to figure out how to solve it. Does this scenario sound at all familiar? If so, you may benefit from creating lists. Having a checklist of everything you need to get done can help hold you accountable to stay on task as well as make it easier for you to track your progress.

Here are a few types of lists to consider while spring cleaning:

• Cleaning Supply List: A list of all of the cleaning supplies you will need to acquire.
• Daily Cleaning List: A list of chores that should be done on a daily basis like making the bed.
• Weekly Cleaning List: A list of chores that should be done weekly like washing the bedding.
• Monthly Cleaning List: A list of chores that should be done once a month like deep cleaning the oven.
• Room by Room List: A list of chores that need to be done specific to each room.

Room by Room

Taking a room by room approach to cleaning your home can make spring cleaning feel far more manageable. Focus on one room a day and make a list of what tasks need to get done in that room.

Spring Cleaning Checklist by Room

Entry Way

• Put away items like shoes, jackets, and any other miscellaneous objects creating clutter
• Dust
• Wash the door
• Wash the walls
• Clean door mat or rug
• Sweep the floors
• Mop the floors

Living Room

• Declutter
• Wash any decorative pillow or throws
• Dust (Windowsills, curtains, blinds, furniture, electronics, lights, walls, home decor)
• Clean ceiling fans
• Vacuum out air vents
• Wash windows, window sills, and walls
• Mop or vacuum floors
• Shampoo carpets or rugs

Bedrooms

• Declutter (Set aside any items that you wish to donate or sell)
• Organize clothing and closets
• Wash all bedding and make beds afterwards
• Dust
• Wash windows, window sills, and walls
• Vacuum air vents
• Mop or vacuum floors
• Shampoo carpets or rugs

Bathrooms

• Declutter (Throw away any old products like shampoo bottles or makeup)
• Clean vanity and mirror
• Clean shower and tub
• Clean showerhead
• Check shower curtain and replace if needed
• Clean toilet
• Dust
• Wash walls
• Sweep and mop floors

Kitchen and Dining Room

• Declutter (Including fridge and discard all expired foods)
• Clean stovetop
• Wash all cabinet and counter surfaces
• Deep clean appliances
• Remove items from cabinets and wash the inside
• Dust and wash all high surfaces (Tops of cabinets and appliances)
• Clean sink and drain
• Clean dining table and chairs
• Wash all rags and linens
• Dust
• Wash walls and windows
• Shake off and vacuum any rugs
• Sweep and mop floors

Garage

• Declutter and come up with an organization system for items that are stored year round
• Wipe down walls
• Clean garage door
• Sweep and mop floors

Miscellaneous

• Test all smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors
• Replace air filters
• Replace light bulbs
• Sanitize door handle and light switches

Tips and Tricks To Aid You in Your Spring Cleaning

Stock up on lemons: You can use fresh lemons for many different things. Try microwaving a bowl of water mixed with fresh lemon juice to remove the gunk off of the microwave walls or even use coarse salt and lemon to scrub the life back into your cutting boards. The possibilities are endless.

Use baking soda and vinegar: Baking soda and vinegar are both fairly common household items. Instead of running to the store to buy an excessive amount of cleaning products, checkout how much you can accomplish with what you already have in your kitchen. Baking soda and vinegar can be used to unclog drains, create a scrub for cleaning your oven and stove top, and add some shine back into any stainless steel products.

Put towels under furniture while rearranging: If you decide to rearrange your furniture, place clean towels under your furniture so that it slides around effortlessly without scratching your floors.

Save old socks: After you sort through your clothes, save those old socks to reuse as dusting mitts. Without having to keep replenishing new dusters, your old socks can become a convenient and cheap means of dusting throughout the house.

Use velcro for drawer organizers: If you use drawer organizers in your kitchen for utensils and other miscellaneous items, you can keep those organizers in place by velcroing them down. Other uses of velcro include keeping tablecloths in place or organizing electronics/ cords.

Let this be the year you finally get through all of your spring cleaning. With a great guide, knowing where to start, and plenty of lists to make, you are on the path to success. Spring cleaning will help you stay in control of your household and feel more relaxed. Additional benefits of a good house cleaning include preserving the life of your home while keeping allergies at bay.