Inside: Don’t miss this ultimate list of spring cleaning tips. Featuring a FREE spring cleaning checklist printable with easy and organized steps in a time-frame that doesn’t overwhelm.
Do you have a favorite season?
Spring is one of my favorites because I was married in the spring and I had my first baby in the spring. I also love the “fresh start” feeling I get this time of year.
Since becoming a homeowner, I’ve noticed how important it is that my house gets a fresh start too.
I’ve amassed an arsenal of greats spring cleaning tips that I’ll share with you in this post, including my free spring cleaning printable.
How can I make spring cleaning easier?
2018 was the first year I actually made a spring cleaning schedule.
I wrote down everything that I wanted to do, plus a few things I added along the way and did one of the spring cleaning items every day for about 2 weeks.
I normally do my weekly cleaning on Mondays, so it was hard for me mentally to space out my spring cleaning items into a full two weeks.
However, spring cleaning is more involved than my regular weekly cleaning. So I wanted to give myself some time to really get the job done well and also to have a break so I wouldn’t get overwhelmed!
Please note that my list DOES NOT include normal weekly cleaning items like dusting, wiping down countertops, vacuuming, etc.
I saw several spring cleaning checklists that listed cleaning items I do every week, so I wanted to break the mold and create a list that just included the major cleaning tasks so you wouldn’t feel overwhelmed with a huge list.
This checklist should be an addition to your normal home cleaning checklist.
Also, I didn’t list organizing tasks that most people do this time of year as well. Things like throwing away old clothes, going through paper documents, etc. I don’t consider organizing and cleaning the same thing.
These items are real, cleaning tasks!
There are about 25 items in my spring cleaning checklist, so pick 2 per day and you’ll be done in 2 weeks!
I’ll list a room by room checklist to keep you organized as you work and be sure to grab my spring cleaning checklist printable at the end of this post!
Kitchen Spring Cleaning Tips
Wipe down the tops of cabinets – Lots of dust can collect on the tops of your cabinets during the year, so make sure you get on your counters, or use this step stool, and wipe them down. You can use the dusting cloth from this cleaning cloth package to take off the dust and then the general purpose cloth to give it a good wipe down.
Wipe out drawers and cabinets – Take out everything from your kitchen drawers and cabinets and wipe them down. The kitchen cloth from this cleaning cloth package is great for this task!
Clean inside of oven – You can either use your oven’s cleaning cycle or, my personal favorite, use Bar Keeper’s Friend and some steel wool. I’ll take out the racks and sprinkle the Bar Keeper’s Friend on the bottom of the oven.
Then I’ll get my steel wool wet and scrub out any burnt-on food. To finish, I’ll take a paper towel and wipe up the mess so the oven is nice and dry.
Clean out fridge/freezer – This is more than just pulling out bad leftovers. You’re going to want to take out everything from the fridge and freezer shelf by shelf, and wipe down the shelves.
I’ll also pull out the drawers on the bottom of the fridge and wash those out in the sink as well as wipe out the bottom of the fridge all the way to the back. I like to use the kitchen cloth from this pack for this task.
Vacuum fridge coils – Did you know your fridge gets super dusty? I will pull off the guard at the bottom of the fridge and vacuum the coils. You can also pull the fridge away from the wall and vacuum behind it. This keeps your fridge running smoothly.
Clean dishwasher – Every few weeks I’ll pull out the filter in the bottom of my dishwasher to clean out any pieces of food, but spring cleaning is a great time to actually clean the dishwasher. You can run it on empty with a cup of vinegar in the bottom, or you can use this non-toxic appliance cleaner.
Laundry Room Spring Cleaning
Sanitize washing machine – Just like with the dishwasher, you’ll want to sanitize your washing machine. It does a lot of hard work! You can use the same non-toxic appliance cleaning pouches I mentioned above.
Wipe down dryer inside – You can use the general purpose microfiber cloth to wipe down the inside of your dryer. Just leave the door open so it fully dries before your next use.
Vacuum dryer vent – You’ll want to vacuum the dryer vent in two places: where the lint trap goes as well as behind the dryer.
This is a big job and requires pulling the dryer out, removing the clamp on the vent and vacuuming the actual dryer and up into the vent on the house. It’s totally worth it though! It will keep your dryer running smoothly as well as reduce the risk of a lint fire in your laundry room.
Bathroom Spring Cleaning
Clean out drains – This is a pretty gross one but will help your sinks and drains work more efficiently. Take the drain stopper out of the sink drains and remove hair buildup.
You’ll want to keep the hot water running into the drain and pour down a good cleaner too (just be sure you have a bucket to catch the water under your sink). Clean the stoppers off in the tub. You should also remove your tub drain stopper to pull out any hair that’s been caught.
Wipe out cabinets and drawers – Just like in the kitchen, remove everything from the cabinets and drawers and wipe them out to remove any lint or hair. This bathroom microfiber cloth is great for the job!
Wash shower liner/get a replacement – Some shower liners are washable, so do that if you have the nice kind. Otherwise, just grab yourself a new $5 shower liner to replace the one that’s gotten old.
RELATED: Here’s a Quick Way To Make The Best Disinfectant Wipes
Bedroom Spring Cleaning
Wash pillows – Spring is a great time to wash your sleeping pillows if you don’t already schedule a time to do so. I will also take the covers off my decorative Euro pillows to wash those as well.
Flip mattress (if needed)
Entire House Spring Cleaning
Wipe down baseboards – This is a super tedious task and takes me about an hour to get done, but it’s one of my spring cleaning necessities. Having clean baseboards shows that your house is REALLY clean!
I will usually get down on my hands and knees and use the general purpose cloth to clean them really well. But if you want an easier method, I recommend using this baseboard tool.
Wash windows – This is one of the most satisfying cleaning jobs; having clean windows! For this task, I’ll pull the screen covers off and take hot, soapy water on a rag and scrub the windows clean. You’ll want to use an old rag for this job because it will get dirty quick.
One of my best spring cleaning hacks is to use a shower squeegee to get a streak-free shine on those windows. Mine was a great dollar store find! Once you’re done washing the windows, you can spray down the screen covers with your hose.
Wash curtains/air out rooms – We have curtains in our master bedroom and I like to take them down a few times a year to put them through the wash. When I pull the curtains down, I’ll also open up all of the windows in the house to air out any musty smells.
Clean vent covers – All of our HVAC vents in our house are on the ceiling, so I have to use a ladder and a dusting wand to reach all of them. If your vent covers are on the ground this is task is a lot easier.
I also have one large vent cover over the uptake vent in my house that I’ll actually take off the ceiling and dust on the all over because it gets really dirty.
Clean carpets – Last year I paid someone to clean my carpets, and then I found this amazing carpet cleaner on Amazon for less than the price that I paid a professional. I can clean my carpets anytime I want now! This is the cleaning solution I use.
Dust light fixtures and fans – I have lots of pendant lights in my house and they get pretty dusty over time. I use this dusting cloth and this polishing cloth to get them nice and clean. The same goes with the blades on my ceiling fan.
Outside Spring Cleaning
Sweep porch – We have a huge porch in our current home that gets really dirty from the winter. Spring is a great time to take a push broom and clean up the porch.
Sweep garage – The same goes for the garage. Mine looks pretty gross after all of the snow and debris from winter.
First, start by using your push broom dry to get out all of the debris. Then take some hot, soapy water and pour it over a section of the garage. Use your push broom to scrub out any tough stains. Spray away the soapy residue with a high-pressure nozzle on your hose.
Clean out the garbage can – This is another really gross cleaning job, but you’ll feel so much better for doing it.
Make sure to pull out any trash that’s stuck to the bottom of the garbage can (I’ve used a long broom handle before) and fill it with a lot of hot, soapy water.
Let it sit for a few minutes and then tip it on its side by your curb to let out the water. Use your high-pressure nozzle to rinse the can. Let it dry with the lid open in the sun.
Misc. Spring Cleaning
Touch up paint/clean scuffs – Having two kiddos means my walls get pretty scuffed up during the year. I like to use spring cleaning to go around my house and remove any dark scuff marks, as well as touch up any knicks in the paint. This sponge is great for removing scuffs.
Clean out vacuum – Have you ever noticed how dirty your vacuum gets?? My vacuum has a canister and washable filter, so a few times a year I’ll completely clean the vacuum parts.
I take the canister apart and rinse the inside to remove all of the gross dust. I’ll also rinse out the filter and wipe down the vacuum body to make sure it’s nice and clean.
Want More?
I decided to film my entire spring cleaning routine this year. The video has some update processes and a few new tips, so make sure you watch!
Your Turn
Is there a task I left out that you normally do? Let me know in the comments.
Be sure to download your FREE printable spring cleaning checklist below!
