Spring Cleaning Tips and Checklist

You may or may not know that planning out all of your spring cleaning tasks can take just about as long as actually cleaning your house. Well, this is at least true for me this year. My husband joked that I should spend more time doing each of these jobs instead of writing a blog post about them. But hey, we live in upstate New York. Spring won’t be here for at least a few more months. Right?

To help you save some time, I have a free printable checklist for you. This is a pretty thorough list, so don’t feel overwhelmed. Just take things one, tiny assignment at a time and your home will be gleaming before you know it.

Download this printable from THE GALLERY.

 

 

Here is a list of some helpful hints I have discovered along the way. Basically, tips, tricks and things I think might just work.

1. Abolish Dust

When dusting, move around the room clockwise, or if you are a daredevil counterclockwise, starting with the highest points and working your way down to the floor. This will enable you to get your room thoroughly dust free.

2. Eliminate Stains and Odors

Combine 1 tsp. of original Dawn dish soap, 1 Tbs. of distilled white vinegar, and 2 Cups of water. Apply to spots on the carpet and scrub. This solution is amazing on getting out those old, smelly, carpet stains.

3. Cleaning Painted Walls and Trim

To clean your painted walls, start with a clean rag and water. If that doesn’t work, dip the cloth into water mixed with a little dishwashing soap. (I personally like the original blue Dawn for cleaning.) Be sure to rinse the wall well with plain water when you have removed the stain or you’ll have soap scum leftover. Nobody wants that!

*Helpful mom tip: I have found that a damp eraser sponge can work miracles on getting crayon marks off of walls, tile flooring, and painted furniture.

4. Wash Your Windows

Clean the residue off of the window using vertical strokes on one side of the glass and horizontal on the other. The sun can dry your glass pretty quickly, which can leave your window looking streaky, so this is a job better left for a cloudy day.

5. Minor Maintenance on Your Vacuum Cleaner

Cut away threads and hair from the rotating bristles and insert a new filter. Also clean the canister, attachments and hoses with water. You’ll step-up its performance and make cleaning a cinch.

*Warning: Let everything dry completely before using the vacuum. Running it with wet parts could be very dangerous.  So, play it safe!

6. Reorganize and De-clutter Bookshelves

We have a few large bookshelves in our great room and I know they can get pretty cluttered, almost to the point of embarrassment. To start, sort books by size and subject. Line books, some vertically, some horizontally, in a well-balanced pattern. This will be eye pleasing and keep things organized all at once.

7. Start Growing Herbs and Vegetables Inside

Start kitchen herbs and vegetables inside and transplant them outside later in May when there is no longer a danger of frost. Click here to see how you can use toilet paper rolls to start your plants.

8. Freshen Blinds

Put on a pair of cotton gloves and wipe the slats of your blinds with your dampened fingers, or blow the dust off with a hairdryer set on cool.

9. Clean Tiles and Grout

Clean bathroom and kitchen tiles with a homemade cleaning solution of water and baking soda. Mix 1/4 cup baking soda into a gallon of water. Mop the liquid across the tiles. Let it dry. Then stand back and admire your squeaky-clean floors.

10. Get Dents Out of Carpet

Have you recently move furniture? Set an ice cube on the indentation, let it melt, then gently rub carpet fibers with your fingers or someone else’s. Dent be gone! (Spritzing the spot with a little water would probably work the same, but this just looks cooler.Literally.)

Well, hopefully someday soon, spring will make its way to this frozen tundra, we call New York, and I can get to my cleaning.
We are sending you warm weather wishes and we hope you have a happy, successful spring cleaning!

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