Top 10 Essential Spring Cleaning Tips

During the winter months, all I want to do is hibernate. I picture cozy evenings curled up on the couch with a warm blanket, sipping tea, and reading a book. I toss ingredients into the slow cooker for hearty soups and stews, slipping into my favorite fuzzy pajamas and slippers. (Come to think of it, maybe the winter comfort food fuels the hibernation instinct!) But after the holidays, it often feels like a long wait until spring. The idea of deep cleaning my home doesn’t even cross my mind.

As the weather starts to warm, I gradually emerge from my winter cocoon, realizing that my regular cleaning routine only scratches the surface. Spring represents a season of renewal and fresh beginnings, so why not extend that to your home? Spring cleaning is a cherished tradition for a reason—when the outdoors are filled with fresh air and blossoming greenery, we’re naturally drawn to refresh and beautify our indoor spaces. It just lifts our spirits. If the thought of tackling it all feels daunting, here are a few tips to help you begin.

10: Plan Ahead

No matter the size of your home, spring cleaning can be quite the task. Spring cleaning goes beyond your usual weekly dusting, mopping, vacuuming, and scrubbing. If you've never attempted it, the thought of where to even begin can be overwhelming. Like any large project, it's helpful to map out a plan. Yes, that means writing it down—whether in a notebook or a spreadsheet, whichever works for you.

Start by making a list of every room in your home, remembering to include spaces like the utility room, laundry room, garage, and closets. Consider tasks like cleaning baseboards, walls, windows, and window treatments, plus moving furniture to clean behind and underneath. Basically, these are the spots that don’t usually get cleaned on a weekly basis. If it helps, take a walk around your house while compiling the list.

If even the thought of making a list seems daunting, do a bit of research first. There are countless books and websites dedicated to cleaning. You can find a list to follow, or simply use it for inspiration—personally, I use a printed chore system posted on my fridge, which includes spring cleaning tasks when that season comes around. While there isn't an app specifically for spring cleaning, there are numerous cleaning apps available. They could offer you a good starting point.

9: Be Patient and Take Your Time

Do you want to finish quickly or do you want to do it properly? Once you’ve outlined your tasks, you might start to reconsider how much time you should devote to each one. Sure, you could rush through the basics in a weekend, but to really deep clean every corner, it’s going to take longer. And before you give up because taking a week off work isn’t feasible, remember: nobody has that kind of time.

The solution? The time-tested divide-and-conquer method. Revisit your list and break each task down into smaller, manageable sections. There’s no set deadline for completing your spring cleaning, and it doesn’t need to be done by the official start of spring. Estimate how long each task will take and figure out how to fit them into your daily routine. For example, while you’re cleaning the sink and counter in the bathroom, why not take the opportunity to organize and clean under the sink as well?

Be sure to schedule breaks to prevent burnout. I’m guilty of powering through tasks, only to find myself out of energy before finishing. But at the same time, be firm with yourself—now is not the time to get sidetracked flipping through old yearbooks or rereading letters from pen pals.

8: Prepare Yourself

I’m not just talking about mentally preparing yourself (although, if it’s been a while since you’ve checked under your couch, you might want to brace yourself for whatever you find when you move it). What I mean is making sure you’ve got all the cleaning supplies you’ll need. Spring cleaning might not be the most exciting task, but it will become even more frustrating if you have to stop and head to the store because you’re missing something.

You likely already have the basics, but at the very least, you’ll need an all-purpose cleaner for everything from walls to floors and a glass cleaner for windows and mirrors. Don’t forget specialized cleaners like oven cleaner, silver polish, or wood oil—these aren’t used as frequently, but they are essential. Also, check your cleaning tools: brooms, mops, etc. If they’re worn out, replace them—using a frayed broom could double the time it takes to sweep.

Spring cleaning is a great opportunity to go green. You can take it even further by discovering new uses for common household items like white vinegar and baking soda. You might not have them in the large quantities needed for cleaning, but purchasing them will cost you far less than traditional cleaners. If you can, try to avoid using paper towels (though I’ll admit that coffee filters are the best solution for streak-free windows). Microfiber cloths are excellent for dusting, and inexpensive white cloths known as bar mops work wonders for nearly every task. I also use a mop with a refillable head that can be machine-washed.

7: Tidy Up First

Spring cleaning might be a bit misleading because it's not just about cleaning. If all you’re doing is moving piles of stuff around and wiping them down, sure, your VHS tapes might look cleaner, but does your living room feel any more inviting after all that work? To clean effectively, you first need to declutter and organize. There are many ways to do this, but the simplest method is to set up three bins (or boxes, or whatever works best): keep, toss, and donate/sell.

For each item, ask yourself what it’s really doing for you. If it’s not adding value but you still feel attached, consider whether a photo might suffice instead of keeping the actual item (I'm looking at those dust-collecting souvenirs). If you don’t even want a photo of it, then why is it still sitting on your shelf? A common pitfall is letting the donate/sell bin pile up. Set aside time to properly deal with those items so they’re not sitting around in the middle of your otherwise spotless home.

Once you’ve sorted your "keep" items, think about the best way to organize them. If you're a hoarder of cooking magazines (guilty!), go through them, pull out the recipes you’re dying to try but haven’t yet, and either bind them in a folder or scan them. Recycle the rest. You can find inexpensive baskets and bins in all shapes and sizes at thrift shops or dollar stores.

6: Call for Reinforcements

You've got your plan in place, you've allotted your time, and you’ve gathered all your supplies... but it still feels like way too much work for just one person. There's absolutely no shame in asking for help. You might even need it for those big tasks that involve moving furniture or climbing ladders to dust light fixtures. Getting someone to help clean may even be harder than getting help to move, though.

If anyone else lives with you, that’s a great place to start. Their stuff and their mess are contributing to the need for spring cleaning, right? If you have kids, get them to tackle their rooms (and closets). Just remember, you'll need to keep them on track and make sure they didn’t just shove everything under the bed. Even small children and toddlers can do things like dusting baseboards; they’re usually eager to help, and there’s no better time than now. No luck at home? Offer to help a friend with their spring cleaning in exchange for help with yours (or maybe just food and/or drinks—if it works for moving, why not cleaning?). And if you can swing it, consider hiring a cleaning service to handle the bigger, more overwhelming jobs.

5: Start From the Top

There's nothing quite like cruising around in the gorgeous spring weather, top down in a convertible with the wind blowing through your hair. Keep that image in mind as you tackle your spring cleaning. If you don’t own a convertible, maybe reward yourself with a rental once you've accomplished your goals. Now, back to the task at hand. One classic tip for spring cleaning is to start with each room from the top down. Sure, you were supposed to make a list, but who always follows the plan? Not me. If you're more of a 'wing it' person, you can still be productive by entering each room and literally working your way from ceiling to floor.

My home is a split-level with really high ceilings in the main living area, so cleaning from top to bottom requires me to get out an extension pole. But the idea is simple. Begin by dusting and cleaning the ceiling, molding, and light fixtures. Then move on to wiping down the walls, cleaning the windows and window treatments, dusting artwork, and sanitizing doors and light switches. Once you've tackled the walls, shift your attention to the furniture and any storage pieces, both inside and out. You can either start with the closets or save them for just before you clean the floors, which will always be the final step.

4: Focus on High-traffic Areas and Shortcuts

Even with these tips in hand, and after getting some help, does it still feel like an overwhelming, impossible task? Fine. Go back over your list (if you made one) and see what can be removed. Start by focusing on the areas with the most traffic. The kitchen should definitely be at the top of the list, along with the room where the TV is (whether it’s the living room or den). What can you skip? Rooms like guest bedrooms, bathrooms that don’t see much action, or basements with minimal furniture. Organized closets can be left alone too. Essentially, the spaces where you and your family spend the most time are the ones that need cleaning the most.

To speed things up, consider taking shortcuts like spot-cleaning rather than tackling the whole job. Instead of steam-cleaning the entire carpet, focus on the stains in high-traffic areas. If you have a handheld clothes steamer, you can use it on curtains instead of removing them to wash. Washing windows from the outside is a classic spring cleaning task, but honestly, I rarely do it myself. I prefer to occasionally hose down the exterior of the windows to clear away bugs and leaves, and that works for me. A more meticulous person might take down the screens and scrub them, then clean the windows as well. It's your house—choose how to spend your time wisely.

3: Be an Early Bird

I know, I’ve said that there are no strict deadlines for completing your spring cleaning and that it doesn’t even have to be finished by the start of spring. However, putting it off can make it harder to get it done as the year goes on. When the warm, inviting weather of spring is calling you from outside, do you really want to be stuck organizing closets? Before you know it, summer will arrive, and you'll be scrambling to find beach toys in the garage, wondering why you didn’t get to that spring cleaning project earlier.

Here’s my wild suggestion: get a head start. The dull, cold winter days, when you don’t feel like going outside, are actually the ideal time to dive into spring cleaning. If you have a yard, you don’t need to worry about that work just yet. If you live in a place that gets a lot of snow, you can stay busy (and warm) indoors with cleaning tasks, then enjoy the spring sunshine guilt-free when it arrives.

2: Expired? Retired!

Supermarkets use a method called FIFO (first in, first out) to ensure that products with an expiration date are sold before they go bad. We should follow their lead and avoid wasting money and getting frustrated, but most of us don’t. Take a look around—you might have expired items hidden in your pantry and medicine cabinet right now.

When you tackle your pantry during spring cleaning, don’t just empty everything out and put it back. Actually inspect those jars, cans, and boxes. Most products have an expiration date. Whether you choose to keep things like pasta past their date is up to you, but being aware is key. You might clean out the fridge regularly, but don’t forget about your condiments. While they often last longer thanks to ingredients like vinegar or preservatives, they don’t last forever. When in doubt, toss it out. And while you're at it, try reorganizing your pantry so you stop buying cinnamon because you can’t find the one you already have.

Your medicine cabinet and other bathroom storage areas also need to be cleared of outdated items. Expired medications can be harmful at worst and ineffective at best. While cosmetics don’t typically come with expiration dates, liquid-based ones are more likely to grow bacteria and should be replaced every three to six months. If something looks or smells off, get rid of it.

1: Take it to the House

The term 'spring cleaning' doesn’t have to only refer to scrubbing the inside of your house. There are plenty of other home maintenance tasks that can benefit from your attention once the season changes. According to Murphy's Law, if your air conditioner is going to break, it’s likely to happen during the hottest part of the summer. So before the heat hits, have your AC checked to make sure it's ready to go when you need it.

If the winter was especially harsh, your roof might need a check for loose shingles, your siding could be rotting or loose, and your gutters may be clogged with debris. Get ahead of it before summer does its own damage. People often talk about weatherproofing to keep the warmth inside during winter, but if you missed that step, think about caulking around your windows and sealing any other leaks to preserve the cool air when you fire up the AC. As the weather warms, you'll likely want to spend more time on your deck or patio, so make sure to inspect it for wear and tear, and get it ready for relaxation. If you do it yourself, the mild spring temperatures might even make the task more pleasant.

Do you have a flawless, pristine, and perfectly organized house inside and out when spring arrives? Not me; there’s always something left to be done. But it’s nice to have goals, and perhaps this year you can make more progress with the help of these spring cleaning tips.