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You are here: Home / Home / Spring Cleaning Tips And Tricks

May 3, 2024

Spring Cleaning Tips And Tricks

Here’s an overview of the areas I tackle when I deep clean and some spring cleaning tips and tricks for you to try.

Spring Cleaning Tips And Tricks this !

Anyone else feeling like their house needs a good spring cleaning!? I’ll tell you one thing: the dust in my house is accumulating like we have 10 dogs instead of one! I noticed my dresser the other day had a quarter inch layer and knew I’d have to do something about it.

Spring Cleaning Detox

I’m no cleaning expert, but I really wish I was 😉 While I tidy up and clean common areas everyday, the deeper cleans often get forgotten until the dirt starts to become visible. You really don’t even know how bad it is until you start pulling cushions off the couch or peeking under a bed. But we do need to deep clean every and then. Spring is the one time of year I always go into cleaning overdrive. I usually go on a big decluttering roll after the holidays and then cleaning starts a few months after that!

I love to open the windows on a warm day and air out the house, too. It’s like a detox from the stale air of winter. The goals are threefold: 1) detox your home of clutter, 2) do a deep clean, and 3) give your space an overall refresh. Here’s a step by step flow (a.k.a. my spring cleaning checklist) of the areas I tackle and some spring cleaning tips and tricks for you to try.

Spring Cleaning Tips And Tricks

Spring Cleaning Tips And Tricks

1. Declutter Before Spring Cleaning

In order to get a good deep clean, you need to declutter each space first. (You can’t wipe down a tabletop if it’s covered in stuff!) Remember the first step is always to reduce before you organize and clean. Create a big donation area in your garage, storage room, or a single closet and move everything you’re not in love with there. As you know from the Marie Kondo method, only keep what sparks joy! Whether we’re talking about shoes on a closet floor or actual pieces of furniture, the less you have the easier it will be to clean your house today and forever. Don’t get stuck in this step though because decluttering itself can be a days-long project. Just move enough that you can see surfaces and floors to clean.

2. Go Room by Room

When it’s time to start actually cleaning, you might be tempted to start with the busiest rooms, but those are probably the ones you clean the most often. Instead, start with a room that isn’t on your daily or weekly list. I don’t clean our bedrooms as often as the living rooms. You might be tempted to go category by category and say, clean all the windows in the whole house and then dust all the baseboards. But I think that makes it a bit too overwhelming. Going room by room so you fully finish a room before starting another creates a snowball effect and gives you a good feeling of accomplishment.

3. Wipe & Polish Cleared Spaces

Once you’ve cleared the spaces, you can clean them. You’ll be shocked how much dust can accumulate in the back of your pantry, behind bottles on your wine rack, or in the back of closets. You can use a damp cloth or dryer sheets for dusting if you don’t have a duster. A 12 pack of microfiber cloths that you can wash each day is a greener choice than paper towels, which are wasteful and can also leave lint as they go.

4. Dust Ceilings, Blinds, & Other High Up Fixtures

Dust or wipe down surfaces like your blinds, TV, the back of your headboard, ceiling fans, etc. I am always horrified when I look behind my furniture. It’s annoying to move, but you gotta do it every now and then! If you don’t have access to a stepladder, a trick for capturing high dust cobwebs is to attach a duster or microfiber cloth to the end of a broom and secure with a big rubber band.

5. Organize Your Belongings

Once surfaces are clean and the dust has settled (ha!), start to put your items back on shelves and tables. Here’s another opportunity to ask yourself if the 10 knick knacks on your dresser are bringing you all the joy! Is there a candle that’s 90% burned down you could remove or jewelry you don’t wear? Do your best to truly organize. Use bins, baskets, drawer organizers, etc. Make sure everything has a place. Here are some of my clutter zone tips.

Spring Cleaning at home

6. Deep Clean Frequently Used Appliances: Kitchen + Laundry

No spring cleaning is complete without a deep clean of your appliances. This is probably my least favorite of all the steps! At the least do a quick wipe of microwaves, dishwasher, washing machine, refrigerator, toaster, etc. If you don’t do a weekly or biweekly fridge clean, do that here. (Yes, that means the spilled sauce that dripped under the shelves – ugh! Sprinkle baking soda and add a little water to make a paste for stubborn spills.) Give everything a good deep clean, make sure there is no food residue or grim and gunk in all of your appliances. I like to soak my stove grates in warm soapy water. You can run your washing machine empty with bleach or vinegar. Clean the dryer tube and vacuum the lint from behind the dryer with the tube attachment on your vacuum.

My biggest shock during spring cleaning has been how dirty my freezer was. (I organized all the food we’ve stocked in there, and did a quick vacuum and wipe while I was at it. Where do freezer crumbs even come from?!)

I don’t use anything special on my stainless steel appliances. Branch Basics seems to be pretty streak free, especially when using a nice microfiber cloth. 

7. Clean Frequently Touched Items & Surfaces

Sometimes you can forget about light switches, remotes, and even drawer handles. But those surfaces are often the most dirty because of how often we touch them. So give all of your frequently touched surfaces and gadgets a wipe down as well. 

8. Polish Your Windows, Wipe Down Walls and Floors, & Vacuum

Wipe down the high traffic walls and window treatments with a clean cloth and warm water. If your kids are anything like mine, there are probably lots of handprints in the areas around their rooms. (It’s like they put their hands in mud and then swing around doorways!) Mop or swiffer the floors that aren’t on your every week list (like the bedrooms or the basement entry). Vacuum under and behind things. I LOOOOVE my Dyson Cordless vacuum because there is nothing to plug in and it’s so skinny it can fit underneath and behind things a traditional upright vacuum can’t! There are some things that only a Magic Eraser can do.

I like to do the whole house at a time, and I wear gloves. But a good eraser session can get rid of SO many scuffs and dirt patches in a short session. I also keep a mason jar of trim paint handy so I can run through the whole house and touch up white paint that has chipped off. It’s one of those twice-a-year things that makes a big difference!

clean bathroom

9. Launder Pillow Cases, Slip Covers, and Duvets

It’s one of my most-hated tasks, but now is the time to remove pillow covers, your couch cushion slip covers (if you can) and the bedding and duvets on less-used beds, shower curtains, and maybe even hanging curtains. Try not to use very hot water to avoid shrinking and air dry when possible. Pick 1-2 things per day to send through the laundry and do them all throughout a week. If it’s warm and sunny where you live, you can air dry them outside to save electricity or simply air them in the sunshine instead of washing in the washing machine. At the very least, take some time to spot clean any stains before they get worse.

10. Open Your Windows and Use Green When You Clean

Elbow grease and woman power is a lot more effective in spring cleaning than harsh chemicals. Distilled white vinegar, baking soda, lemon, essential oils, and greener cleaners are all better choices than strong cleaners, but use them if all else fails. If you do use something with a harsh scent, open your windows and let the fresh air carry it out.

open windows

Spring Cleaning Product Recommendations

I use a local Product Refill Station Shop to refill cleaning supplies like dish soap, counter spray, glass cleaner, all purpose cleaner, etc. Just take your empty spray bottle or jar to the shop and refill!! 

Here are some of my other favs:

  • Dropps (my favorite laundry detergent; I like the Lavender Eucalyptus scent – use code kath25 for 25% off)
  • Greener concentrates like Branch Basics
  • Dr. Bronners
  • We use Bona on our newly refinished floors
  • Microfiber cloths
  • Speaking of clothes, I love the Geometry hand towels for kitchens and baths! (Get 15% off using katheats15)
  • Magic Eraser
  • Dyson Cordless vacuum – it’s my favorite of all vacuum cleaners I’ve tried! 
  • Our Shark Robot Vacuum is our everyday deep cleaner (it mops too!) (Save $200 with the code robot200)
  • We have a Shark UltraLight PetPro Corded Stick Vacuum as our plug-in carpet vacuum. It is super lightweight and great! No bags. 
  • And the EWG Cleaning List is a great reference

Hopefully this post is helpful for you guys and motivates you more than overwhelms. If you do even a few of these tasks, your house will start to feel clean top to bottom! Some of these tasks are more important than others (your oven will still cook with splatterings on the wall, for example), so do what you can!

Do you plan to do any deep spring cleaning? Would love to know which products you love and recommend. Plus, if you have any tips for spring cleaning please share them in the comments below!

More Home Neat Home
  • A Place For Everything
  • Inbox Housekeeping
  • 4 Steps To Decluttering
  • Tips for Clutter Zones
  • Toy Storage
  • Inside My Closets
  • Managing the Paper
  • Budgeting

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Comments

  1. Louise RD says

    May 1, 2020 at 8:09 am

    Great post! I especially love the mason jar of trim paint-genius -much more attainable than dealing with the gallon can in the basement! I began last month with a notepad – each page lists a room with tasks that need to be completed to get it ‘decluttered & cleaned’ Got 5 rooms /pages done, but then hit a mental road block. This post will def re-motivate me to start back up – thank you!!

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      May 1, 2020 at 8:43 am

      Trim paint dings bother me SO much because the brown wood that shows through looks like a bug!!

      5 rooms/pages is great progress 🙂

      Reply
  2. Vera Beasley says

    May 1, 2020 at 8:52 am

    Have you ever tried Mrs. Myers cleaning products?
    If so, what is your opinion on them?

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      May 1, 2020 at 8:53 am

      I have used their sprays and have a concentrated cleaner that came from Thomas’s house. I thing their scents can be a little strong, but I don’t have any complaints about the products.

      Reply
    • Jessica Rodriguez says

      May 3, 2020 at 10:34 am

      Hi Vera,
      Look up “Greenwashing” and the connection to brands like Mrs. Meyers. This brand is a perfect example of it! I was a big fan until I started researching more through sites like EWG and the Think Dirty app.

      Reply
  3. Denise says

    May 1, 2020 at 9:29 am

    Last year I really decluttered, cleaned out, and organized my home. I’m the only one here now, so it’s stayed that way – a positive in the empty nest! When shelter in place started, I made a loose outline of my days, and spring cleaning was one of the things. I had to spend at least one hour. Typically I’d do more, because once I get in the groove, I like to keep going. About ten days in I got SO tired of cleaning every day, so on a Saturday I spent ten hours on the living room, dining room and kitchen to just be done. My tips are: 1) if you don’t want to do it, tell yourself you only have to spend 15 – 30 minutes. Typically I’ll keep going, but sometimes I am counting down the seconds. 2) Pick an out of the way spot to store donations so your space stays clean and pretty. 3) When you need inspiration, go back and look through a room already done and enjoy it for a few minutes! Sometimes all I need is to look at my beautiful “junk” drawer and I’m excited to keep going ha ha ha.

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      May 1, 2020 at 9:35 am

      Go you!! Love your tips.

      Reply
  4. Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says

    May 1, 2020 at 10:47 am

    Ooh, this reminds me – I have yet to do my spring cleaning! Thanks for the tips! 🙂

    Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
    http://charmainenyw.com

    Reply
  5. Amanda says

    May 1, 2020 at 12:26 pm

    We are currently in the process of moving, so I recently went through the process of spring cleaning our current home right before we listed it. I spent a few weekends scrubbing baseboards, washing curtains, wiping down the windows, and cleaning the carpet. It makes such a big difference! One thing I tend to forget is cleaning the remotes. I wiped them down a few weeks ago when I went around disinfecting after our inspection and was amazed at how dirty they were!

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      May 1, 2020 at 12:35 pm

      Remotes are the worst! Especially when certain kids are eating buttery foods while using them….

      Reply
  6. Carrie says

    May 1, 2020 at 2:35 pm

    Kath, this is such a helpful list! Just a question about #10- you use the phrase “woman power? Does Thomas not help with indoor cleaning? Seems like a big job for one person! I always make by husband help since it makes the work go faster with two people!!

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      May 1, 2020 at 2:49 pm

      He definitely helps! I was just talking in first person.

      Reply
  7. Lorna says

    May 1, 2020 at 2:36 pm

    I’ll speak for myself and tell you…I have no dust accumulating in my “panty” ! LOL

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      May 1, 2020 at 2:49 pm

      LOL!

      Reply
  8. Lindsey says

    May 1, 2020 at 2:48 pm

    I understand that you have to make money off of your blog, but I have to say that the new format and pop up ads are incredibly annoying. Today I was unable to read this post because there was an ad that I literally could not exit out of.

    I’m a very longtime reader (10+ years) and I’m close to throwing in the towel. I’m sending this as a comment in case you don’t know that the ads are so aggressive now.

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      May 1, 2020 at 2:50 pm

      I disabled that – it was just a helpful guide for my other decluttering topics!

      Reply
  9. Marissa says

    May 1, 2020 at 3:11 pm

    I did a bunch of Spring cleaning in the beginning of our stay at home order. Was so glad to get it done! This year I followed Clean Mamas spring cleaning check list. I thought it was quite thorough. Check her out if you haven’t as I think you’d like her methods!

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      May 1, 2020 at 6:46 pm

      She is awesome!

      Reply
  10. Katie says

    May 2, 2020 at 5:06 pm

    Love this post! Have you ever done a post about what your linen closet looks like? I’m struggling with how to organize it lol. Love your style And organization tips!

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      May 3, 2020 at 7:13 am

      Yes here!

      Reply
  11. Rachel says

    May 2, 2020 at 9:08 pm

    This is a great list! I’m going to print it out to follow! I have never done a spring cleaning before, but now I’m itching to!

    Reply
  12. Emily says

    May 3, 2020 at 10:53 am

    Do you have any recommendations for mops? It is my *least* favorite cleaning task.

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      May 4, 2020 at 6:09 am

      We have the Bona mop with the detachable, washable pads and it works well. I gave up on “hairy” mops a while ago!

      Reply
  13. Amelia Jackson says

    April 10, 2023 at 6:51 pm

    Gah, I always need a reminder to remember to wash my shower curtain! I just scheduled my annual floor resurfacing service which means it’s about time for spring cleaning. I’m glad I found your post so I can have a bit more structure to the chaos this year, thanks!

    Reply
  14. Shannon says

    May 3, 2024 at 6:15 pm

    Great timing for Spring Cleaning – been slowly cleaning today and and getting things organized to tackle a deeper clean! I am a huge fan of Laundry Evangelist, his laundry soap flakes and I have his book Laundry Love with all my laundry stuff and on kindle so I can get stains out when not home. And dyson cordless and microfiber cloths all the way! Have you found a good natural product for soap scum off shower walls – I hate cleaning shower/tub walls!

    Reply
    • Kath Younger says

      May 4, 2024 at 7:27 am

      I have a paste from Shaklee that I use on scum type things on occasion. This one looks comparable! https://amzn.to/3Qwis3c

      Reply

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    hi! Im Kath.

    I'm a Registered Dietitian, healthy eater, and mom of two from Charlottesville, Virginia. Here you’ll find a healthy mix of real-life meals made from whole ingredients balanced with the pleasures of life, including buttercream frosting and good wine. Plus a sprinkle of nutrition, home life, beauty, parenting, and travel.
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