During Spring, the ice and snow start to melt away, flowers begin to bloom and you suddenly have an itch to clean your house from top to bottom.
Okay, maybe just the first two were right.
In any case, Spring time is a great time to shake out the cobwebs that have been building up over the last few months and give your home a good deep clean.
Deep cleaning is definitely a big departure from the routine you might do every day or week. (Check out my speed cleaning tips here.) It’s your chance to tend to all of those areas of your house that are neglected for most of the year.
It’s important because thoroughly cleaning reduces allergens and clutter and just makes your house feel inviting. What’s not to love about that?
This Spring Cleaning Checklist guides you through how to spring clean your house by a specific task. Sometimes, it’s better to stick to one chore while you have all the tools at hand. Simply work your way through the house until you’re done.
You’re going to be working from top to bottom so dust and debris fall to the floor and then are cleaned up last. Depending on how dirty your house is, this might take you a couple of days to complete.
There’s a free printable version of this cleaning guide available at the end of the post.
Here’s The Spring Cleaning Checklist
Gather Cleaning Supplies
Here’s a list of cleaning products and tools you might need. Grab a caddy and throw in all the ones you want for a specific task so they’re easy to carry around:
- Cleaning cloths and sponges
- Gloves
- All-purpose, non-abrasive cleaner
- Stainless steel cleaner, if you have stainless steel appliances
- Glass cleaner e.g. Windex
- Lysol or Clorox wipes
- Furniture polish
- Febreze
- Caddy or basket for cleaning supplies
- Telescoping duster
- Mop and bucket or steam mop
- Broom and dustpan or vacuum cleaner
- Empty basket or box
- Trash bags
- Ladder
Clear Surfaces
Before you even begin spring house cleaning, you need to get rid of clutter. This will be helpful later when you do start to clean. You won’t have to stop to move stuff out-of-the-way.
Here’s what you should do:
- Pick up clutter. Grab a basket or box and pick up things that belong to other rooms as you move through the house. When you walk into a room where items belong, simply take them out of the basket and put them back where they should be.
- Clear kitchen counters as much as you can
- Empty the sink. Either wash dishes by hand or load them into the dishwasher and run it.
High Level
How often do you climb a ladder to clean? I’m guessing not a whole lot.
So, it’s expected that those areas up high are pretty dusty and gross. Grab the ladder and get started on the following:
- Dust ceiling fans, light fixtures, vents, upper cabinets and on top of the refrigerator
- Clean high windows
- While you’re on the ladder, change light bulbs and air filters that you’ve been meaning to get to
Mid – High Level
Things in this zone include anything that you can see when standing up which includes windows, shelves etc. But, don’t put away your ladder just yet. You may still need it for some of these tasks:
- Remove curtains, wash them
- Clean windows and hang curtains
- Dust bookshelves and other tall furniture
- Dust wall hangings e.g. mirrors, clocks, artwork
- Clean light switch plates
Mid – Low Level
In this area, you’ll find a lot of items that are (or should be) included in your regular cleaning routines. You’re going to carry out a deep clean of these things.
- Clean stair railings
- Dust surfaces e.g. coffee table, bedside tables
- Dust lamps, televisions, fans and décor
- Polish wooden furniture
- Wipe down kitchen countertops, lower cabinets
- Clean appliances e.g. stove, dishwasher and microwave
- Clean upholstered and leather furniture
- Remove and wash sheets
- Clean mattress and put on fresh sheets
- Clean toilets, bathroom vanity and sinks
- Scrub showers and tubs
Floor Level
- Dust baseboards
- Shampoo rugs and carpets
- Vacuum and mop hard floors — Try to reach behind and underneath big pieces of furniture as much as possible. If a piece is too heavy to move, don’t worry about it.
- Empty debris from sweeping or vacuuming into trash
Empty the Trash
- Remove trash bags from bins throughout the house
- Wipe down the outside of each bin and lid using Lysol wipes or wash and dry the trash can
- Add new bin liners
Final Touches
- Spray room with air freshener
- Put away cleaning supplies
Click here to download the Spring Cleaning Checklist printable.
The thought of cleaning your entire home from top to bottom can feel like a daunting task. Hopefully, this step-by-step house cleaning plan will make it a lot more manageable.