The Ultimate Spring Cleaning Guide with Spring Cleaning Checklist

The Ultimate Spring Cleaning Guide with Spring Cleaning Checklist

Spring is finally here! It’s time to welcome it by breathing new life into your home with a good deep cleaning. Spring cleaning sounds like a daunting task to even start, but with a detailed spring cleaning guide from BetterCleans, you will soon have your house spotless both inside and out. 

If you are running short on time, we highly recommend using our spring cleaning checklist below to tackle one room per week. It is also a great way to get the whole family involved in the cleaning process! 

Here is our ultimate spring cleaning guide: 

General guides and to-dos

Here are some general tips and tricks for cleaning various surfaces and spaces in your home. Be sure to tailor this information to suit your home’s needs:

• Windows

Wash your windows on a cloudy day. If it’s too hot or sunny outside, the water and cleaning solution will dry on the glass surface too fast, leaving you with unsightly streaks. To clean your windows, you can either use plain water and a piece of soft cloth or make your own window cleaning solution by mixing ½ cup of rubbing alcohol with ½ cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water. Put this solution in a spray bottle and you are good to go!

• Commonly overlooked surfaces

There are several surfaces around the home that you probably don’t clean during your daily cleaning sessions. This includes everything from door-frames to baseboards to walls. To clean them, all you have to do is wipe them down using a sponge dipped in a bit of dish-washing soap and warm water in a bucket. 

• Sliding doors

After cleaning the glass on your sliding doors, do not forget about the tracks. The good news is that they are pretty easy to clean. All you have to do is scrub the tracks with an old toothbrush then remove the loosened debris with a vacuum hose. You can give it a final wipe-down with a wet sponge to have shiny, spotless tracks. 

• Carpets

Ideally, you need to get your carpets professionally cleaned every 12 to 16 months. For regular deep cleaning sessions, you can rent or buy a deep cleaner. Ensure that you follow all the instructions carefully, right from how you mix the cleaning solution to how you rinse and dry the cleaned carpet.

• Heavy furniture and appliances

Next up, you need to make sure that you clean under all your heavy furniture and appliances. For this, you’re going to need a partner to help you move them out of the way before you can vacuum the floor underneath them. For your appliances, try to move them away from the wall as much as you can (or even remove them completely) to access the space underneath them. 

• Curtains and drapes

In most cases, going over your curtains with your vacuum’s upholstery attachment should do the trick. You can launder them if you feel they are too dirty. For sheers, use a mild detergent and only run the machine for 2 to 3 minutes on your gentle wash setting. 

• Light fixtures

Lightly dust all the bulbs and fixtures you can reach with a soft cloth. You can use an extendable duster to reach higher fixtures like ceiling fans. If you have particularly grimy bulbs, remove them from the socket then use a little vinegar on a soft cloth to wipe them. Try to clean the light fixtures first before the rest of the room to ensure that any dust from them doesn’t fall on your surfaces once they are already cleaned. 

• Safety check

Your spring cleaning session is the perfect time to perform a safety inspection around your home. Change out all the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, replace or buy a new fire extinguisher, and perform all general safety checks around your home. 

• Paint job

Refresh your home’s exterior with a new paint job. You can change the color scheme, or if your home doesn’t need a full makeover, simply touch up the areas that need some touching up. 

• Gutters

Your gutters need to be inspected and repaired at least twice a year. The best time to clean and repair them is during spring before the heavy rains come and in late autumn after the leaves fall. 

• Outdoor furniture

Your outdoor furniture needs some love, too! Clean and repair all your chairs and tables. Spread the love to your porch, deck, or patio as well. You can also give them a fresh coat of paint if they need it. 

Room by room spring cleaning checklist

Here is a room by room cleaning checklist that you can use to ensure you’ve cleaned all the most important areas: 

All rooms

Here are some of the things you need to do for every room: 

• Dust light fixtures and ceiling fans
• Vacuum curtains and blinds
• Clean air vents
• Dust baseboards and corners for cobwebs
• Clean windows, window sills, and window tracks
• Disinfect doorknobs and light switches
• Replace light bulbs as needed
• Test batteries in smoke detectors
• Replace air filters as needed 

Entryway

Here is what to do for the entryway: 

• Sweep and mop floors
• Wipe your walls and baseboards
• Clean the door and doormat
• Organize shoes, jackets, and hats

Kitchen

Next up is the kitchen. Here are some of the things you need to do: 

• Wipe down your small appliances like the microwave
• Empty and defrost the freezer
• Discard any old food in the freezer, pantry, or fridge
• Clean the fridge shelves
• Clear and clean your cabinets and shelves
• Degrease the backsplash and cabinet doors
• Empty the crumb tray in the toaster
• Clean behind and under the refrigerator
• Clean your oven and stovetop
• Clean and sanitize your sink
• Clean and deodorize the kitchen drain
• Clean the floor mat

Dining area

Follow these steps to clean your dining area:

• Dust all the china in your china cabinets
• Launder all your table linens and press them
• Dust your furniture
• Polish your silver
• Vacuum your chairs and chair cushions
• Shampoo your rugs and carpets

Bedrooms

Here is how to make sure your bedrooms are spotless: 

• Organize drawers and closets
• Donate any clothes you no longer need
• Wash all pillows and bedding
• Turn your mattress over
• Clean all toys as needed for children’s bedrooms

Bathrooms

Now on to the bathrooms: 

• Organize your drawers and cabinets
• Get rid of old toiletries and medicines
• Clean your makeup brushes
• Clean the vanity
• Scrub the bathtub or shower area
• Clean the shower curtain and floor mat
• Scrub the toilet
• Wipe your mirrors

Office

If you have a home office, here’s how to clean it:

• Recycle waste paperwork
• Dust and polish your furniture
• Sanitize your keyboard and mouse
• Dust your electronics

Final Thoughts

So there you have it. With these tips and tricks as well as our spring cleaning checklist, deep cleaning your home should be a breeze. Once you are done, you can finally throw the windows open and enjoy that new fresh spring air! 

Guest Article.