Spring Cleaning Checklist

woman standing a step stool cleaning a doorway baseboard with the words SPRING CLEANING checklist over the image

Not sure where to start with your spring cleaning? Here’s a handy checklist along with some helpful cleaning tips

Before You Start:

  • Gather all your cleaning supplies together. Here’s a suggested cleaning supply list.
  • Remember to clean top to bottom and left to right in order to maximize your cleaning efforts and to keep from cleaning the same area twice.
  • Wear gloves to protect your hands.
  • Put on some music to make cleaning more enjoyable.

Around the House- Spring Cleaning Checklist

  • Ceiling Fans: Use a microfiber duster to remove any dust that accumulates on the blades.
  • Shelves: Remove items from shelves and book cases to give shelves a good dusting and polish with a microfiber cloth. Polish the glass on any framed photos.
  • Blinds: Dust blinds dry first in order to remove dust using a microfiber duster. Be sure to turn blinds in one direction to get as much of the surface area as possible. If dirt still persists after your initial dusting, and if the blinds are plastic, you may need to take the blinds down and soak them in a bathtub to remove dirt and grime. Allow them to air dry outside before re-hanging.
  • Windows: After a long winter, your home’s windows will need a good cleaning. Window cleaner and a sponge should do the trick. Melamine eraser sheets which are thin and flexible will help you get into tight corners to really get them clean. Don’t forget to wash both the interior and exterior of the window.
  • Walls: Spot clean your walls using a damp eraser sponge.
  • Carpets & Area Rugs: shampoo carpets and area rugs. For spot cleaning, use a carpet-safe cleaning solution, a little water and an eraser sponge.

Continue reading Spring Cleaning Checklist

Five Spring Cleaning Tips

Helpful Spring Cleaning Tips

Spring is in the air! Which means, it’s time to put away your heavy winter coats, and bring the spring wardrobe out of the closet. And, that means it’s time to do some serious spring cleaning.

Doing a deep-clean of your home once a year is important. It prevents dirt built up on your floors and tile, and also gives you a chance to clean places that you typically leave alone during a normal clean. Plus, it’s a great time to de-clutter your home and get rid of things you haven’t used in the last 12 months or so.

Read on for some spring cleaning tips you won’t want to miss.

We’ll help you keep your spring cleaning to-do list manageable, so you can get your home in tip top shape and can enjoy the spring season.

Spring Cleaning Tip 1: Get Organized

No one likes to be cooped up inside all day vacuuming when the weather is nice, so it’s important to get organized about your spring cleaning and get ahead of it: the more you plan and organize, the less time you’ll waste, so you can get back to your regularly scheduled spring programming in no time.

Make a list of all of the items you want to tackle this spring-cleaning season. Suggestions from House Beautiful include cabinets, windows, the inside of your dishwasher, your fridge shelves, silverware, oven, wood floors, carpet, storage areas, pantry, washing machine, mattress, painted walls, bookshelves, and outdoor furniture.

Spring Cleaning Tip 2: De-Clutter

Helpful Spring Cleaning Tips The best thing to do first when spring cleaning is to de-clutter. Take everything out of your closets, first. Get rid of winter clothing that you didn’t wear this season or last season, and pare down by getting rid of anything you don’t love anymore. Make sure you donate clothing that’s still in good shape to your local Good Will or charity.

Make a pile of shoes you need to get repaired, and call around local shoe repair shops to get the best price. You should also wash or dry clean your winter coats before packing them away for the spring and summer season when you won’t need them.

In the kitchen, take everything out of your pantry and throw away any items that are expired. Don’t forget to check your spice cabinet, too—if you don’t cook frequently, some of those spice bottles may be too old to use!

Wipe out the cabinets and vacuum the bottom of your closet before putting everything away.

Spring Cleaning Tip 3: Visit the Outside of Your House

Choose an overcast day to tackle the outside of your home. Wash the windows (inside and outside), and dust and clean the porch furniture that’s been sitting in your garage all winter. If you need to do some mild landscaping before the spring hits, get that out of the way too.

Use your garden hose to get rid of spider webs or built up dirt on the siding of the house, and if you need to, rent a power washer from your local hardware store to get pollen build up off the side of your home.

Sweep the porch and the deck, clean your welcome mats, and get everything set up for the spring!

Spring Cleaning Tip 4: Tackle the Inside of Your House

Helpful Spring Cleaning Tips Take it one room at a time in the interior of your home, and plan to split this process up over a few days; getting everything done all at once won’t work!

Take down all of the curtains and wash them to remove dust and any other build up. Dust everything! Don’t forget places like the back part of your bookshelves, ceiling fans, sconces, baseboards, night stands, coffee tables, and any other surface that collects dust.

If you have a pet, use the attachment on your vacuum cleaner to get rid of hair and fur on your upholstered surfaces, including your headboard, couches and chairs.

Vacuum and shampoo the carpeting in each room, moving your furniture as you go so that you clean the entire carpet rather than just the traffic areas.

Good Housekeeping says you shouldn’t forget to vacuum your mattress! Use the crevice tool on your vacuum to remove dust from your mattress.

Clean the kitchen next: wipe down your cabinets—if they’re wood, use a wood cleanser so that you don’t dry them out. Clean your appliances, including your oven, microwave and dishwasher, and use vinegar to deep-clean your stainless-steel pots and pans. Don’t forget the fridge: remove all of your food, toss out expired items, and use a disinfectant spray to wipe down the shelves. You may be able to remove them and pop them in the dishwasher.

Spring Cleaning Tip 5: Pay Attention to Your Walls

Your walls can build up with grime from fingertips and other grease, so use an eraser sponge, like the ones we offer here at SpongeOutlet, to freshen up areas around door knobs, light switches, highly trafficked corners, and more.

Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be overwhelming: follow these tips, and stock up on cleaning supplies from SpongeOutlet before you dive in. If you stay organized and stick to a schedule, your home will be cleaner than ever in just a few days!

 

Items that Rarely Make Spring Cleanings Lists

Washing Machine

If you’re committed to spring cleaning, you probably have your “to-do list” made up. Many of us focus on scrubbing the floors we often neglect, clean hard to reach windows, and clean out that forgotten fridge shelf.

Regardless, there are some common household items that are often neglected during spring cleaning to keep in mind as you start to spruce up your home for the new season.

Wash Your Washing Machine

Your washing machine cleans your dirty clothes which means that your washing machine gets dirty often. When cleaning this spring, give some attention to the appliance that is constantly cleaning everything else. Both the inside and the outside of the washing machine can grow soiled which results in mildew, strange scents, and otherwise. Use minimal water when scrubbing the outside of your washing machine to get grime off.

Décor in Dark Places

You probably have made the bathroom a focus of your spring cleaning. It’s important to scrub out the tub, wipe out the sinks, and disinfect the toilets, among many bathroom chores. However, the details often get neglected when it comes to bathroom cleaning. If you have home décor in your bathroom, it’s important to wipe down and disinfect your décor as well. Items such as decorative soap dishes, jars, and containers need to be wiped down and scrubbed to avoid bacteria from settling in.

Careful with Cleaning Supplies

It might be easy to assume that your cleaning supplies are, well, clean. However, most of them are probably quite filthy especially if you’ve had them for quite some time. From old brooms to outdated toilet brushes, many of your cleaning supplies are probably holding onto bacteria. Before you start your spring cleaning, make sure all of your supplies are clean themselves.

Are you in need of some reliable sponges for your spring cleaning tasks? Visit Spongeoutlet, home of the eraser sponge.

Best Places to Spring Clean

Spring Cleaning

The days are getting longer, and the weather is getting warmer. Yes, it’s that time of year again. Spring is upon us, and that means so is spring cleaning.

However, don’t fear. Cleaning may not come top of mind for fun things to do, but a good spring cleaning session can actually reinvigorate you and your home. It’s a great opportunity to give your home an annual deep clean and address those problem areas that you keep putting off month after month.

As you approach this year’s spring cleaning, make sure to add these areas to your cleaning to-do list, and you’ll be sure to keep your home sparkling all year round.

GENERAL CLEANING

Carpets & Area Rugs: Spring cleaning is an opportune time to shampoo your carpets and area rugs. For spot cleaning, use a carpet-safe cleaning solution and a sponge.

Windows: Add a sparkle to your home by washing your windows. Window cleaner and a sponge should do the trick. Don’t forget to wash both the interior and exterior of the window.

Walls: Spot clean your walls using a sponge and a paint-friendly cleaning solution

Bedding: Wash all your bedding, including comforters, sheets and pillow cases.

Ceiling Fans: It’s natural for a dust to accumulate on your ceiling fans. Spring cleaning is a perfect time to bust out your latter and get your ceiling fans looking like new again.

Bathroom: Give the shower tiles and bath tub a deep cleaning. A bathroom cleaning solution and a sponge will help you address tougher spots.

GIVE YOUR KITCHEN SOME LOVE

Kitchen Cabinets: Use a sponge and a kitchen cleaner to wipe down kitchen cabinets.

Refrigerator: Wipe down the exterior and interior of the refrigerator. Take out shelves and wash in the sink.

Oven & Microwave: Give your microwave and oven a deep clean. This type of routine maintenance will help keep your appliances looking and working like their brand new.

THE ART OF DECLUTTERING

Closets: Go through closets and identify old clothes and items that you can donate.

Book Shelves: Look through shelves to see if you can part with any old books, DVDs or CDs.

Garage: Spring cleaning is a good time to declutter your garage by identifying anything that you can donate as well as organizing this space.

For more information on cleaning supplies and sponges, visit Spongeoutlet.

Are You Ready to Start Your Spring Cleaning?

The first day of spring is less than a week away, which means that it’s just about time to open your windows to let some fresh air in as you start your spring cleaning routine.

After a long, cold winter indoors, there is nothing better than the thought of wiping away all the germs, brushing the dirt outside and starting anew.

While you’re busy washing the windows, wiping down the counters and scrubbing the bathroom tile, you might begin to wonder when and why spring cleaning came about?

The tradition actually began hundreds of years ago and was performed in cultures across the globe.

Why?

Because homes were heated by fireplace and it wasn’t until the weather warmed up that families could open all the doors and windows to sweep out all the soot and grime that had accumulated during the frigid winter months.

Lucky for us, spring cleaning isn’t quite such a big chore nowadays, and can easily be spread out and completed over the course of a few days or weeks.

As the spring season draws nearer, we recommend writing down a list of the big chores you would like to tackle, then deciding when you will perform each one.

Not sure where to start with your big cleaning project?

Here are some of the chores that SpongeOutlet recommends doing about once a year:

  • Clean Beneath and Behind Appliances
  • Clean Inside Oven
  • Wash Windows
  • Clean Curtains

Along with these big tasks, spring cleaning is also a great opportunity to wipe down your baseboards, cabinets, counters and other surfaces as well as wash and vacuum the floors.

Now that you’ve decided what you will be cleaning this spring, it’s time to order the supplies you will need to get the job done.

From Eraser Sponges to Melamine Floor Pads, SpongeOutlet has everything you need to make cleaning a breeze this year!