Spring Cleaning Checklist

You want your home squeaky clean but you don’t wanna spend eons trying to get it sparkling clean. I feel ya! 

Thankfully, there was a time when I hired housekeepers to clean my home regularly (I hate cleaning!) 😊 and they taught me all they know. 🎉 It was pretty cool! All the best supplies to use, how to keep toilets clean without even cleaning them, etc.! Cool tricks and tips and today, I’m going to teach you! BOOYAH!

Let’s get into the spring cleaning checklist, do the work, and get out and onto funner things in life like…well, anything else in the world. 😂

Spring Cleaning Checklist

The first trick you need to know is to immediately pick up after yourself and teach your children to pick up after themselves too. Out of politeness and love for you, your husband should be picking up after himself as well. No leaving wet towels on the bed when there’s a laundry basket right there. 😛 The person who is NOT doing dishes, should rinse their own dishes before putting them in the sink to make it easier on the person doing dishes.

Keeping things picked up and organized, putting things back after you use them, will go a long way to keep your home clean. Then, all it takes is a light cleaning once a week to vacuum, wash bedding, etc. and you have a clean home (obviously, you’d do some chores more than once a week, like dishes for example). 

Then once every three months, like this spring cleaning checklist, for example, do a deeper clean.

Easy peasy.

You now have a super simple system to keep your home clean!! 🥰

If you want all the checklists and system for this, check out my Cleaning Binder here. It really helps you streamline things very well!

Tip: be sure you have cleaning gloves (here’s the ones I use and love).

Kitchen / Dining Room

• Wipe down appliances (dust top of fridge; if you have stainless steel appliances, wipe with the grain, not against it)
• Empty the refrigerator and wipe all shelves (you can have your kids empty the fridge and you wipe it down)
• Defrost freezer (if necessary, most newer freezers are frost-free)
• Clean oven inside and out (use the self-cleaning lever for easier clean-up)
• Scrub stovetop (if you have a gas stove and your fire is not lighting on a burner, use a little cardboard nail file to file a SUPER tiny bit of the tip of the white part where the flame light comes out- works like a charm! If the flame is not blue anymore on a gas stove, it’s a sign you need to clean it.)

• Clean toaster crumb tray
• Vacuum refrigerator coils (not doing this makes your fridge work harder and sucks up more energy, therefore, costing you more money)
• Clean inside and outside of cabinets and drawers
• Toss or donate expired food goods and spices
• Sweep, mop, and polish hardwood floors
• Go through all cleansers and donate to a local group any that are not needed
• Polish silverware
• Declutter the junk drawer
• Clean pantry shelves
• Clean inside the trash can and around it
• Vacuum and wash (or replace) rugs
• Deep clean table and chairs

Bathroom

• Throw away old and expired medicine (when purchasing medicines in the store, always pick the ones with the latest expiration dates)
• Wash or change shower curtain
• Scrub floors, shower, and bathtub (use Mr. Clean Magic erasers for bathtub rings)
• Wash all rugs
• Deep clean tile grout
• Mop floors
• Toss any expired cosmetics
• Clean mirrors (take a shower and let the bathroom steam, then use newspaper in place of paper towels to get sparkly clean)
• Clean countertops and sink
• Clean in, around, and behind the toilet (use Rust Guard tablets in your toilet – one tablet a month in the tank to avoid having to clean it so much! A quick swish with a cleaning brush once a week and they’ll stay sparkling clean. This is especially helpful for bathrooms that are rarely used!)
• Unclog all drains (shower, bathtub, sinks)
• Deep clean sinks (use drywall sanding screens where you would a pumice stone to avoid damage to the sink and they scrub gunk off easily; use gloves to protect your hands from scratching them when using the screens because it is comparable to something like sand paper)

Bedroom

• Rotate mattress
• Vacuum mattress
• Wash all bedding and pillows
• Deep clean rugs
• Clean the top of ceiling fans (use a duster)
• Clean and vacuum under the bed
• Wash all window treatments
• Inspect bed frame for broken parts

Closets

• Remove old/unused clothes and shoes and sort into donation piles (give to local groups, rather than thrift stores!)
• Pack up winter clothes
• Dust/wipe down shelves
• Clean the inside of (or replace) the laundry basket

Laundry Room

• Clean dryer lint trap with water (dry thoroughly before use).
• Clean the build-up of dryer lint filter on the outside of the house (to avoid fires)
• Clean the washer trap door flap and remove all misc. debris in there

• Wipe down appliances (if you have stainless steel appliances, wipe with the grain, not against it)
• Sweep and mop floors
• Move the washer and dryer (or get back there) and clean behind them
• Clean the cabinets inside and out
• Dust accessories and clean the outside of laundry soap bottles/containers

Throughout the House

• Vacuum (then clean all hair out of the vacuum roller)
• Clean window inside and out (use a pressure washer if you have one)
• Dust all surfaces, including baseboards
• Test fire extinguishers and batteries for smoke/carbon monoxide detectors and replace them if necessary
• Dust and clean air vents
• Dust blinds and windows
• Replace HVAC/furnace filters (every 3-6 months as directed)
• Clean all door handles and light switches (to sanitize and avoid sicknesses)
• Wash all window sills
• Switch all ceiling fans clockwise for spring/summer (then switch again counterclockwise for winter)

Garage

• Brush cobwebs out of corners, windows, and doors (if necessary)
• Fill any holes that mice or spiders could get in
• Wipe down shelves, cupboards, and pantries
• Sweep, then mop or powerwash the floor
• Wash inside and outside of the garage door
• Replace any burned-out light bulbs
• Remove old/unused trash items (keep in mind that cardboard boxes, firewood, and newspapers attract spiders and bugs)
• Organize all necessary items
• Purchase and install a tool organizer (here’s the one I have and love)

Living Room

• Dust around and behind the TV
• Clean fireplace
• Clean window treatments/furniture
• Wash, vacuum, or replace pet beds
• Vacuum and wash couches
• Clean underneath couches and larger furniture pieces
• Move and vacuum underneath rugs

Lawn

• Rake up winter debris/leaves
• Aerate lawn 
• Overseed bare patches (if necessary)
• Fertilize lawn 

Outside

• Wash/dust all outdoor furniture, pillows, and accessories
• Clean sliding glass door tracks
• Power wash cement/cracks
• Plant flowers
• Clean gutters from leaves and repair any gutters if necessary
• Open the vents on the outside of the house (will save you money by providing an air flow to make the house cooler. Be sure to close the vents before winter)