Why You Need to Spring Clean BEFORE Summer

Spring is the perfect season of the year to dedicate to thorough house cleaning before the year truly kicks off and here's why.

Spring cleaning happens in springtime for a reason.

In winter we’re too busy with all the many winter holidays going on to really deep clean our home.

In fall, we’re starting a new school year and are otherwise in the thick of our busy everyday life.

And in summer, we’re on vacation! No one wants to do heavy-duty cleaning chores while on summer vacation.

That’s why we set aside time each spring to clean our homes because the busy holiday season is over and we want our houses to be buffed and polished so we can thoroughly enjoy our vacation.

But if you didn’t grow up with parents who were militant about household chores the way I did, then you might have trouble tackling such a colossal endeavor as spring cleaning on your own.

Lucky for you, I’m here to help and my cleaning expertise is free!

Create a Spring Cleaning Strategy

The key to tackling spring cleaning like a pro is to know how to strategize your workflow. For example, if you clean the floors before you clean and dust everything else you might end up having to clean the floors all over again later.

Cleaning an entire house or apartment can also be really overwhelming. There are a lot of cleaning items to do, but if you know how to divide your tasks up then you can break big jobs down into smaller, more manageable ones.

Divide Your Home Into Sections

The first part of your strategy is to determine what major areas you have to clean in your house. Many of us will have a kitchen, living room, bathroom, and bedroom, but not everyone will have an attic, garage, or basement. Make a list of all the major areas of the house you have to clean first.

Then, create a smaller list under each major area of all the little things you need to do in each quadrant to get it clean.

For instance, you might have “Living Room” as a major section in your spring cleaning plans. Beneath “Living Room” you can then list things like, clean scuffs off the walls, vacuum under the couches, shampoo the carpet, and whatever else you need to do to get your living room in perfect order.

Schedule Spring Cleaning

Don’t just talk about spring cleaning and plan to spring clean. Make spring cleaning happen by putting it on a schedule.

And don’t try to do all your spring cleaning in one day. That’ll just exhaust you and make you never want to do spring cleaning again. Instead, schedule the different areas of your home to be cleaned on certain days.

One popular way to tackle spring cleaning is to dedicate a full month to it. The first 4 days can be centered around getting the kitchen all done. The next 4 days can be dedicated to doing cleaning projects in the bathrooms. And you can plan out your entire month like that until all the cleaning you need to do is divided up into doable chunks across the span of a month.

The #1 Best Cleaning Tip You’ll Ever Get

Use what I like to call, the Pile Method.

The pile method is the best cleaning method you’ll ever get because it makes multipart cleaning jobs into one single job (or pile). In fact, renowned cleaning and organizing experts like Marie Kondo use this method when helping a client declutter their life.

She’ll have a client remove everything from their closet and put it on a big pile on the bed. This helps them see just how much they have and helps them reevaluate their inventory. So not only can you reorganize and clean, but you can declutter and get rid of things too by using the pile method.

Here’s how the pile method works:

1. Remove everything from the area you want to clean and place everything in one pile or location.

2. Thoroughly clean, sanitize, dust, and wipe down the now empty area.

3. Once the area is cleaned out, mindfully replace each item making sure everything has its own place and is in better order than it was before.

So in practice, the best, fastest, and easiest way to clean your bedroom is to make your bed, put everything on the floor of your room or cluttered on surfaces on your bed in a big pile, and then put away the big pile, getting rid of things and reorganizing as you go.

Now instead of cleaning a whole room, you’ll just have to take care of one pile.

The Master Spring Cleaning Checklist

The Kitchen

• empty all the kitchen cabinets

• clean the insides and outside of the empty cabinets

• if your cabinets are made of wood try using a wood polish to refresh their shine

• refill the cabinets, reorganizing and tossing old or unnecessary items

• wash, dry, and put away all your dirty dishes so there aren’t any dirty dishes lying around the house

• once all your dishes are put away, clean the inside of your now empty dishwasher. you can put a cup of baking soda or white vinegar in the dishwasher and run the hottest cycle to clean the inside of the dishwasher

• clean the basin and faucet of your kitchen sink

• use drain cleaner on the kitchen sink

• clean the inside of the oven with oven cleaner and brushes. this gets messy so make sure you put newspaper down first

• clean the stovetop including burners, drip pans, and knobs

• empty the fridge and thoroughly sanitize it

• empty, defrost, and then clean the freezer

• pull the fridge out of its spot and clean under the fridge, behind the fridge, and the usually covered sides of the fridge

• wipe down all kitchen counters and surfaces

• wipe down the dining table and dining chairs, don’t forget the table and chair legs as well

• wipe down kitchen walls, baseboards, and any windows and window sills

• take apart and clean any light fixtures in the kitchen

• dust and clean the kitchen ceiling

• empty out trash cans to clean and disinfect them inside and out

• remove and clean any rugs or floor mats you might have in the kitchen

• sweep and mop the kitchen floor

The Living Room

• tidy up any clutter, reorganize so that everything has a place

• move the couches to vacuum under and behind them

• vacuum the couches with a vacuum brush extension. don’t forget to vacuum all sides of the couch cushions and under the couch cushions as well

• rent or buy a shampooer and shampoo the couches and couch cushions

• dust and wipe down surfaces

• wash, steam, and iron any fabric curtains and wipe down any plastic ones

• wash the windows, window sills, and window tracks

• vacuum, sweep, and mop the floor

• if you have carpet in your living room then shampoo the carpet as well

• wipe down baseboards, walls, the ceiling, and ceiling fans

The Bathrooms

• empty the bathroom cabinets and drawers

• clean out drawers and cabinets like you did with the kitchen cabinets and drawers. don’t forget to wash the outsides of the bathroom cabinetry too

• refill the drawers and cabinets in your bathroom and reorganize everything. try using boxes to help you organize and give everything a specific place

• wipe mirrors down with glass cleaner

• clean the bathroom sink basin and faucet

• use a drain cleaner on the bathroom sink’s drain

• clean the bathroom vanity and counters

• clean and sanitize the inside and outside of the toilet, including the toilet bowl and all the nooks and crannies behind the toilet

• scrub the bathtub or shower. don’t forget the faucets and showerhead

• replace or wash shower curtains

• wipe down the shower curtain rod

• wipe down spots on the bathroom walls and ceilings.

• get rid of any bathroom mold with bleach. remember to use gloves and other protective gear when using harsh chemicals

• use a drain cleaner on the bathtub or shower drain

• clean the bathroom floors

• clean the bathroom trash can and replace the trash bag

The Bedrooms

• wash bed sheets, pillowcases, and pillows

• refresh your mattress with a shampooer

• reorganize and put away all your clothes

• reorganize all your other items, giving everything a place

• clear and organize your desk, the surface of your dresser, and nightstands

• remove everything from under the bed and find a specific place for everything

• clean the floors. if you have carpet in your bedroom use a shampooer on the carpet

• clean windows, window sills, and window tracks

• wash any window curtains

• spot clean the baseboards, walls, ceiling, door, door frame, and doorknob

The Closets

• take each closet in the house one at a time, find new and better ways to organize them, and give each closet a central purpose

• start by emptying the closet

• clean the closet, the closet floor, the closet walls, the closet door, door frame, and any shelving

• implement a new and better organizational system

• refill the now more organized closet

The Hallways

• don’t forget to clean the floors, baseboards, walls, doors, doorknobs, door frames, light switches, light fixtures, and air vents in the rest of the house

The Stairs

• if your stairs are carpeted then use a handheld vacuum to vacuum them thoroughly

• then use a handheld vacuum shampooer to shampoo your carpeted stairs

• otherwise, sweep and mop your stairs

• don’t forget to clean the staircase railings, walls, and baseboards

The Basement, the Attic, and the Garage

• remove all the items to empty out the space

• thoroughly clean the space, use a pressure washer on your garage

• implement a new and better organization system for all the items you can’t get rid of

Outside the House

• use a pressure washer on the porch, front steps, etc.

• use a pressure washer on the outside siding of your home

• take apart outdoor lighting fixtures and clean out all the bugs

• replant a fresh new spring flower bed

Make Everyday Cleaning-Life Easier on Yourself

Once you’ve done all this work spring cleaning your entire homestead, don’t let the cleanliness slip away! Keep your home clean and organized by scheduling at least 15 minutes each day to clean something.

Spring cleaning might be all about a big house cleaning makeover, but for the rest of the year, cleaning is about keeping things under control by doing a little bit each day.

In Conclusion,

It's important to do your spring cleaning before summer starts because that's when our year tends to be the busiest. Then the colder months and lots of different holidays begin and before we know it the year has come and gone! Schedule time each spring to give your house a good deep clean before the year gets too busy.