Four Spring Cleaning Tips (Plus Bonus Cleaning Inspiration!)

House Cleaning Checklist

First, you need a plan. You can schedule chores for each day or, for bigger projects, each week. Also, consider whether you can divide up the necessary tasks among family members.

Figure out what rooms you want to tackle first, what needs to be packed away, or given away, and what to clean out and replace. A house cleaning checklist will help.

Ceiling Cleaning

Everyone from seasoned homemakers to cleaning professionals adhere to this simple rule: start from the top and work your way to the bottom as you clean. That means your first step is to look up for cobwebs and dust. You can use a duster with an extension rod to dust ceiling fans. This is also a good time to clean light fixtures and replace burned out bulbs.

Window Cleaning

Window cleaning is not usually on the top of anyone’s “want to do list,” but it can make a stunning difference. In addition to polishing the glass, dust the frames and blinds. Also, decide whether you need to wash, dry-clean, or vacuum the curtains.  Finally, check your windows to see if they need resealing anywhere. (Last year we had a mysterious recurring puddle in our laundry room. New sealant on the exterior of the window was a quick and easy fix.)

Surface Cleaning

Now, let’s talk about floor cleaning. This “most used” surface in your home needs some TLC. Spring clean provides an opportunity to assess whether your floors simply need a deep cleaning, special treatment to rejuvenate them, or even replaced.  For carpet, deep clean and vacuum.  Lift up any rugs and, if possible for that material type, wash them.  For hardwoods and stone tile give them a good sweeping, and mopping– paying extra attention to cleaning the edges where the wall meets the floor. Be sure to use safe cleaning materials that won’t damage your floors. (This is especially important if you have hardwood floors.)

This is also a good time to consider whether you have materials that need special care such as granite or travertine tile that should be resealed.

Inspiration to Clean Like a Pro

I recently found an online Maid Training Academy which claims graduates can clean a 3,500 square foot house in four hours. I’m impressed! You can check out their free cleaning videos with commentary.

Do you have spring cleaning tips to share?

How to Create A Simple House Cleaning Checklist

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Check out how you can create a customized house cleaning checklist that you can follow easily:

Inspect the Entire House

The first step of creating a house cleaning checklist is to have an idea about the areas and the things that should be cleaned to make the entire space nice and clean. Take a pen and a piece of paper and inspect the entire house to identify the tasks. Write them down on the paper, as it will help you to finalize the list.

Set Your Priority and Categorize

Make a list all the rooms and areas of the home that have to be cleaned regularly. Leave some tasks such as cleaning the guest room or storage room off your daily cleaning list because you don’t use these rooms often.

Now, categorize the cleaning tasks based on their difficulty and the time they are likely to take. After that, create a section with the tasks that can be done within a day. If the section becomes longer, split the tasks in half and complete them over two days.

Make a List of Deep Cleaning House Tasks

Deep cleaning tasks are a bit difficult and time consuming. As you don’t need to deep clean your home regularly, it would be better making a separate list of these tasks.

Chores like cleaning the showers, scrubbing the tile grout, sanitizing wastebaskets, cleaning inside the oven and microwave, wiping and dusting behind the refrigerator, cleaning under the bed, vacuuming carpet edges, etc. are deep cleaning tasks that you need to do from time to time. You can take turns such deep cleaning the bathrooms, kitchen, bedrooms, and others on a bi-weekly basis.

Schedule your House Cleaning Chores

Creating a schedule after making the checklist will make your job a lot easier. A whole-home cleaning schedule takes off your stress because you know exactly what and when you have to clean to keep everything neat and tidy. Create a realistic schedule that truly works for you and your home. For example, keep all the window cleaning tasks and kitchen appliance cleaning on Monday, carpet and floor cleaning tasks on Tuesday, and like that.

Feeling too lazy to make a schedule? Check this house cleaning schedule from Real Simple. It features a simple step-by-step method that will set you up for stress-free cleaning success.

The point of a creating a house cleaning checklist and fixing a schedule is to give you more freedom and less stress. Remember to keep all the cleaning products – everything from carpet cleaner to dishwashing products – organized in a single place, as it will help you tackle those cleaning tasks more easily.

If you are looking for a checklist of both indoor and outdoor cleaning tasks, this infographic from Visual might be handy.