Room-by-Room Spring Cleaning Tips

It’s that time of year again! Spring cleaning can be such a chore, but you’ll feel refreshed and ready for the warmer, sunny months ahead once you take the time to give your home a good, deep cleaning – inside and out! Read on for room-by-room tips to help make your spring cleaning a breeze!

KITCHEN

1. Clean inside the fridge

Pull out any shelving that can be removed and wash with soap and water. Use a sponge and disinfectant spray to scrub the remaining surfaces. Don’t forget to wipe down the outside too!

2. Clean inside of oven

Sure you can use the self-clean function on your oven for this, but there’s an even better way! Baking soda and white vinegar are the ingredients for a squeaky clean oven. First you’ll want to remove the oven racks and anything else you might have inside. In a bowl mix a ½ cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water until it turns into a paste. Spread the paste all over the inside of the oven (just avoid the heating elements!), adding a little extra to the areas that have more build up. Let the paste sit for at least 12 hours, while you’re waiting you can clean the oven racks in the sink. After the 12 hours is up, take a damp cloth and wipe out the dried paste. In the tough spots a spatula works great for scraping off residue! If there’s still some left over, don’t worry – this is where the vinegar comes into play! Using a spray bottle, spray the spots where the paste remains, the two will react and start to foam. Using your dish cloth again, wipe out the remaining paste. Repeat the spray and wipe down process as necessary until your oven is completely clean.

LIVING ROOM

1. Deep clean carpets

You don’t need to hire a professional for this! You can rent a carpet cleaner from almost any home improvement or hardware store for as little as $20 to $30 and they’re super easy to use. Move around your furniture and vacuum and deep clean underneath and in corners that often get missed during a regular vacuuming.

2. Vacuum upholstered furniture and clean the drapes

Vacuum all furniture (don’t forget to get under the cushions) using the upholstery brush or another small attachment for your vacuum. If you notice any stains, be sure to clean them according to the care label. Take down drapes, remove any hooks, and run them through a fluff cycle in the dryer with a damp towel for about 15 minutes. This will remove any dust and give new life to tired drapes.

BEDROOM

1. Clean & turn mattress

While you’re cleaning all of your bedding, don’t forget to take care of your mattress too! Using one of the smaller attachments, vacuum the mattress on one side, then flip it and vacuum the other side before remaking your bed. Rotating your mattress once a year is super important to extending its life. You should also be sure to wash your mattress pad and bed skirt and run pillows through a fluff cycle in the dryer.

2. Organize your closet

The weather is finally warming up so it’s time to put away winter clothes! Store away coats, hats, mittens, scarves, and boots in the back of the closet or somewhere they can go unnoticed. Label boxes so when the fall rolls around you will easily be able to switch back to your cold weather wardrobe. Now you can organize your closet with bright, Spring colors on display! If you’ve had your Spring clothes in storage for a long time it’s a good idea to air them out before putting them away in drawers or on shelves.

BATHROOM

1. Deep clean shower and other surfaces.

You should be cleaning your bathtub and shower once a week, but now is the time to really get in there and battle any soap scum or build up that has been giving you a hard time. The best way to do this is to spray a generous amount of bathroom or tile cleaner and let it sit for a while and soak up residue. Work on other spring cleaning projects and then return to the shower and start scrubbing! Pay extra attention to grout lines. If your shower liner or curtain is worn out or mildewy now is the time to replace them. Take similar steps throughout the rest of the bathroom. For faucets, shower heads, and drains vinegar works well for removing hard-water scale and mildew.

2. Clean drains

Use a bacterial drain cleaner (Or if you’re not a fan of the chemicals you can create your own drain cleaner using table salt, baking soda, and vinegar – learn how here.) to clean out build-up inside your shower and sink drains. If you’ve noticed water draining slower than usual in either one it might be necessary to snake the drain (be prepared to pull up some pretty yucky stuff!). Once you’re done, if you don’t have one already, invest in a mesh or rubber strainer to go over the shower drain – it will catch hair and save you a lot of time and trouble!

OUTSIDE

1. Wash windows

You should be washing the inside of your windows on a regular basis, but you probably neglect the outside most of the year. Now is a great time to head outside and power pash or hand wash windows. For second-story windows a squeegee with an extendable handle works great. (Try this one from Amazon!). Keep in mind it’s best to wash windows on a cloudy day, that way the glass cleaner or cleaning solution won’t dry too fast and leave streaks.

2. Wash patio furniture

Clean and dust off any patio furniture that has gone unused in the chilly winter months. Dishwashing detergent is great for cleaning most outdoor furniture pieces, but check the care labels if you’re unsure.

3. Maintenance check

While you’re cleaning up your patio and yard you should also take the time to go around the house and check doors, gutters, the roof etc. It’s especially important that you clean and repair gutters before the rainy spring season really kicks in!