Spring Cleaning Checklist

Reasons to Create a Checklist for Spring Cleaning

Thoroughly cleaning your home is important to keep your home healthy, organized, and happy—especially after a long winter. Dust, dirt, and germs can settle in over winter, making your house stuffy, musty, and dirty. When you use a customized cleaning strategy, cleaning your home thoroughly is easier and faster.

Tips to Create a Spring Cleaning Checklist

Molly Maid is here when you need us, and if you decide to tackle spring cleaning on your own, a checklist like ours can make it a lot easier. However, your lifestyle and cleaning needs are unique, so use our checklist as a spring cleaning guide for creating a custom cleaning strategy that fits your needs and your cleaning style.

All Room Spring Cleaning List

A spring cleaning checklist for your home should start with tasks that apply to all rooms. Make sure hallways, foyers, and other entrance areas are included in this whole-house cleaning phase. Here are some essential areas to focus on to get you started.

• Dust ceiling fans and light fixtures.
• Clean window sills and tracks.
• Vacuum curtains and blinds.
• Wipe down baseboards and shoe molding.
• Test batteries in all your smoke detectors.
• Disinfect doorknobs, cabinet handles, and light switches.

While you're moving through the house, note any needed repairs and replace dirty air filters and burned-out lightbulbs. It's also a good idea to declutter as you go. Grab dirty laundry and haul it to the laundry room, and put everything back in its place.

Bathroom Cleaning Checklist

We know you'll shine the mirrors and make the faucets sparkle, but don't forget to dust up high in the corners and around light fixtures. Here are a few more bathroom chores you'll want on your spring cleaning schedule:

• Organize cabinets and drawers.
• Properly dispose of old medicine and toiletries.
• Scrub the shower and bathtub.
• Wash the shower curtain and floor mat.
• Scrub the toilet and tile around the toilet.

When you're done, stock toilet paper, soap, and other necessities, then sweep the bathroom floor and give it a good mopping on your way out. Add caulking to your to-do list if you find gaps or mildewed caulk.

Living Room Cleaning Checklist

The first task on your living room spring cleanup list should be taking down curtains or drapes and following the care instructions to clean them. If you have metal or vinyl blinds, remove them and clean them in your tub. For wooden blinds, use a spray on furniture polish with lemon oil to restore the appearance. Now that you have plenty of light let's clean that living room.

• Begin your living room cleanup by decluttering—get rid of what you can and put everything else where it belongs.
• Dust where the walls meet the ceiling, then work your way down to light fixtures, fans, window sills, and baseboards (use a dryer sheet to keep dust and pet hair off baseboards for weeks).
• Dust furniture, electronics, knickknacks, shelves, lamps, and other items.
• Remove the covers from pillows and furniture cushions and wash them with your throw blankets or take them outside and give them a good beating.
• Vacuum carpeting and the nooks and crannies of your upholstered furniture.
• Sweep hard-surface floors and follow the manufacturer's directions for cleaning them.

Put back the pillows, cushions, and throws where they belong, then open the windows and turn on the ceiling fan to air everything out.

Kitchen Cleaning Checklist

No spring cleaning checklist is complete without a top-to-bottom kitchen cleaning. Since you'll be cleaning the whole kitchen, you should toss old food, organize your cabinets, and declutter while you work your way through the grease and grime. It's a little extra work, but it also means you won't have to do it later. Here is a kitchen cleaning game plan you can follow:

• Wipe down your microwave, coffeemaker, and other small appliances.
• Empty the refrigerator and defrost the freezer (discard expired items).
• Clean refrigerator shelves (they may fit in the dishwasher!).
• Clean behind and beneath the refrigerator (those coils get dusty!).
• Clean your oven and scrub the stovetop (don’t forget the oven glass).
• Clear out cabinets and wash the shelves (discard expired items).
• Sanitize the sink and clean the inner rim of your sink guard.

Learn More About Disinfecting Countertops the Right Way

Finish up by taking out the trash, wiping down the counters, sweep and vacuum. Give your kitchen floor a good mopping to remove the last of the dirt and germs.

Bedroom Cleaning List

Your bedroom should be a haven, but after months of being shut in with dirt, dust, and germs, it can be more of an eyesore. Dust, vacuum, and sweep like you usually do and add these cleaning chores to your checklist.

• Organize drawers and closets (donate items you haven't worn in a year).
• Wash bedding and pillowcases (spray mattress and pillows with disinfectant.
• Rotate your mattresses.
• Disinfect kids' toys.

Learn More About How to Sanitize A Mattress

To keep your bedroom fresh longer, put on clean sheets each week and rotate your mattress about every three months instead of waiting until spring.

Laundry Room Cleaning Checklist

You can begin your laundry room cleanup by washing and drying all those dirty clothes and towels you've gathered. Fold the clean laundry, put it away, and then declutter your laundry room counters and cabinets. Grab your vacuum cleaner and broom to tackle the rest.

• Unplug your appliances and pull them out far enough to get back there with a vacuum hose or broom.
• Clear out the dust and dirt and retrieve any stray socks, then wipe down the exterior of the appliances.
• Use your vacuum crevice tool to clean the lint trap and its housing in the dryer. Remove the filter from your washer and clean it in the sink.

Learn More About How to Clean A Smelly Washing Machine

If you have a helper, another good idea is to disconnect the dryer hose from the dryer and clean it. Use your vacuum to clean the vent hose and the opening it attaches to on the dryer. Finish the job by vacuuming the baseboards, then sweeping and mopping the floor.

How Can Molly Maid Help You With Your Cleaning

A spring cleaning checklist will help you focus on important cleaning tasks and keep you on track so you can get them all done. If you need help keeping your home clean, partner with Molly Maid for spring cleaning services or general cleaning services that make keeping your home clean and tidy a breeze. Call your local Molly Maid to schedule cleaning services, request a free estimate, or to learn more about the Neighborly Done Right Promise^®.