How to Spring Clean Room by Room - Checklist, Speed-Cleaning Ideas and Tips

​Spring cleaning week is almost here! It is that time of the year, when you should tidy up your home! It is an opportunity to let fresh air in and boost your spirit and self esteem. When it comes to spring cleaning, organising and maintaining your property, try using our extensive spring cleaning checklist full of helpful tips and ideas!

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Table of contents:

1. Overall spring cleaning chores.
2. Foyer and hallway areas.
3. Kitchen cleaning is ¼ Your spring clean.
4. The bathroom spring cleaning checklist.
5. Bathroom cleaning ideas and hacks.
6. Bedroom cleaning ideas and tips.
7. How to Spring Clean Your Dining Room.
8. The Living Room Spring Cleaning Checklist.

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Overall Spring Cleaning Chores:

• Clean up cobwebs off cornice moulding and baseboards.
• Clean cobwebs and dirt off ceiling corners and walls.
• Dust off mirrors and other wall hangings.
• Wipe marks and stains off your baseboards.
• Dust off and wipe lamps and lighting fixtures.
• Wipe dust off your lampshades and ceiling fans.
• Wipe and polish doors inside and out - clean handles from fingermarks, smears and dirt.
• Clean up / touch-up repaint any unwanted wall spots and smudges.
• Wipe and polish your windows’ glass, both inside and out.
• Laundry all curtains and dust-wipe your blinds.
• Dust-off your furnishing - bookcases, shelving, cupboards, drawers etc.
• Wipe and vacuum dust off upholstery - cushions and underneath.
• Remove upholstery stains - DIY or via professional cleaners.
• Wash and wipe hardwood, tiles, linoleum and carpet flooring.
• Shake out and vacuum mats, rugs and carpets. Clean flooring beneath.
• Wash your carpets - DIY with shampoo or book carpet cleaning help.
• Wipe dust and dirt off air vents and fans - a germ hot spot.
• Shake out and wash AC and furnace filters.
• Test your smoke / carbon monoxide detector.

Tip:
Break down spring cleaning to distinctive stand-alone tasks.
Plan your cleaning schedule for the week..
Use a timer.

Freshen Your Foyer and Hallway Areas.

Your foyer is where outside dirt and dust gather the most.  It is where you start and end your day. Spring clean your foyer to boost how you feel in the morning!

How to spring clean your foyer and hallway areas:

• Start with your welcome mat - shake out dust and wash thoroughly. Replace if needed.
  
• Dust off lighting fixtures, switch plates and sockets.
  
• Wipe your walls and remove cobwebs from flooring and ceiling corners.
  
• Clean your foyer closet - wipe walls, base and corners. Sort out all seasonal clothing.
  
• Properly sweep and wash all hallway flooring.
  

Tip:
Throw out worn out shoes you mostly love to hate. Get rid of old umbrellas that work no more, unused shopping bags and revolting flip flops. It’s time to freshen up! A hat you have not wore for quite a while? Let it go!

Kitchen Cleaning is ¼ Your Spring Clean.

If you’re unwilling to cook your favourite meal in your own kitchen, it means you are more likely to order pizza, junk food or one of the many unhealthy alternatives. When your kitchen is properly organised, spotless-cleaned and runs smoothly, it is a pleasure to cook and thus spending more quality time with you family.

How to spring clean your kitchen:

• Clean up everything you either don’t need, or does not belong in the kitchen.
• Clean and disinfect your coffee machine.
• Wipe and polish worktops and near-sink areas.
• Clean and organise cabinets, drawers and shelving.
• Tidy plastic and storage containers.
• Tidy cabinets with cups, mugs, and other glass ware.
• Tidy cabinets with plates, bowls, and other dining ware.
• Disinfect cutting boards.
• Tidy beneath your kitchen sink.
• Remove unusable spices and herbs.
• Clean and degrease your oven interior and exterior.
• Remove grime from extractors, hobs or hood vents.
• Wash or change filters if possible.
• Scrub dirt off stove top burners and gas control knobs.
• Wipe your microwave inside and out.
• Defrost your refrigerator. Clean up grime, mildew and dispose of unwanted food deposits.
• Replace the refrigerator water filter yourself or ask for qualified help.
• Vacuum refrigerator coils.
• Clean washing machine inside and out, including rubber edging.
• Wash and polish sinks and shine taps.
• Remove accumulated limescale.
• De-grease and polish wall tiles.
• Clean up any mould from grout.
• Rinse soap drawers and filters.
• Wipe your dishwasher interior and exterior (if accessible).
• Clean appliances incl. kettle and toaster.
• Clean smears off cupboards, shelving and drawers.
• Stack and arrange cutlery, utensils and other dinning inventory.
• Clean windows from within and wipe down sills, ledges and frames.
• Wipe smears from woodwork (doors, handles, door frames, furnishing and skirting boards).
• Wipe down radiators.
• Disinfect door handles, lighting fixtures and pulls.
• Clean and disinfect bins - wash and dry in fresh air.
• Hoover, mop and polish floors.
• List needed kitchen supplies.

Idea:
A cleaning hack to help you deep clean your dishwasher:
Poor white vinegar into a cup or plastic container. Run the hottest programming possible. When done, sprinkle a bit of baking soda and run a short, yet hot cycle.

The Bathroom Cleaning Checklist:

Bathrooms are used most frequently and acquire types of dirt you won’t find elsewhere in your home. Don’t let the list length discourage you, though. Once finished, you’ll be delighted with your results. ​

How to spring clean your bathroom:

• Empty the room - bathtub surround, caddy, mats etc.
• Empty cabinets, drawers and shelving.
• Wipe air vents, fans and filters if accessible.
• Wipe light switches, lamps and lighting fixtures.
• Wipe and polish mirrors and glass surfaces.
• Wipe reachable bathroom tiles.
• Cleanup hard water stains.
• Cleanup smear from basins, taps and fittings.
• Scrub and rinse accumulated dirt from toothbrush holders.
• Descale, rinse and wipe, shower heads, faucets and any metal surfaces.
• Remove accumulated lime scale if present.
• Rinse and refill soap dispensers.
• Wipe and rinse your shower caddy.
• Wipe and clean shower curtains and liner.
• Wipe marks and stains from shower screens or cabin.
• Scrub and rinse bathtub marks and signs of mildew (if present).
• Wipe and polish radiators and towel rails.
• Scrub and rinse WC and bidet.
• Scrub and wash plumbing behind WC if accessible.
• Make sure to clean drainages from leftovers like hair etc.

Bathroom Cleaning Ideas and Hacks:

A speed cleaning hack to avoid scrubbing:
Spray your whole bathroom with any average all-purpose cleaner. Leave the hot water on for a while. Make sure you properly steam the whole room. Turn hot water of and leave it for a few minutes. When ready, wipe it all with a dry cloth or regular paper towel. This bathroom cleaning hack will help you achieve a fresh and clean look and feel, without any of the hassle, effort nor nerves of cleaning by hand. When done - properly ventilate.

A speed cleaning hack to avoid hand washing curtains and liner:
Fill your washing machine with curtains and a few bath towels and try one of the following cleaning ideas:

• 1/2 cup baking soda to your detergent during the wash cycle and 1/2 cup vinegar during the rinse cycle. Let dry naturally, don’t use a dryer.
• 1/2 cup chlorine bleach and 1/4 cup laundry detergent. Let the washer on for a few minutes. Set your dryer at lowest and load your shower curtains and towels. Hang-dry when ready.
• 1/2 cup laundry detergent and 1/2 cup baking soda. Run regular warm water programming. Add a cup of vinegar at rinse #1. Hang-dry curtains before the spin cycle starts.

How to easily clean air vents via dining utensils:
Use a clean rag and soak it in your cleaning solution of choice. Wrap your rage around your spoon, fork or knife clean those hard to reach air vents.

A cleaning hack to minimise your effort on tiles:
Apply a coat of car wax to tiles at least once a year. It will minimise ceramic tile water marks.

3 handy toilet cleaning hacks:

• Use two antacid tablets or a denture tablet plus baking soda directly in your toilet. Give it a good 20, 30 minutes so everything can fully dissolve. Scrub and flush. It's a good practice to diversify - use a vitamin C tablet instead.
• Use mouthwash to clean your toilet by simply pouring half a cup into your WC. Let it settle in for about 30 minutes. Scrub the bowl with a toilet brush, flush it all and you're all good to go.
• Cola/Coke is among the best cleaning solutions I can recommend. It can dissolve rust and even blood stains. Tip a can of cola into your toilet and leave it for about an hour. Once again - scrub and flush.

A handy tip for shower doors:
Mix distilled white vinegar and baking soda to a paste. Make sure it's thick enough so you can apply it directly to your door (it has to stick). Leave the paste to do its thing for an hour or two and then wipe it off. Rinse it properly and dry it up.

How to Spring Clean Your Bedroom:

Taking care of dust and dirt should be your Step 1.
The best way to clean is by wiping the room top to bottom.

The bedroom spring cleaning checklist:

• Cleanup clothing - fold clean ones, laundry the rest.
• Get rid of trash and unused belongings - magazines etc.
• Cleanup cobwebs from ceilings and flooring corners.
• Dust off reachable surfaces - wardrobes, shelving, cupboards etc.
• Wipe off accumulated dust and dirt from top of doors.
• Wipe off dust from top of pictures and wall hangings.
• Wipe off curtain rails.
• Launder curtains and blinds.
• Launder bed linens and mattress covers.
• Dust off skirting boards and decorations.
• Dust off light fittings and lamp shades.
• Wipe and polish metal ornaments (if present).
• Wipe and polish switches and AC controls.
• Remove / repaint dirty walls marks (if possible).
• Carefully clean power sockets and extension cords.
• Empty drawers, dust off, place everything back in.
• Repeat with closets.
• Thorough vacuum of all mattresses.
• Mop hard floors and laminate.

Bedroom Cleaning Ideas and Tips:

A clever cleaning hack to help whitening pillows:
The tricky part here is to mix in everything properly. All detergents have to fully dissolve. It is a really simple and yet efficient solution. It is recommended to choose the longest washing program available, preferably one having 2 rinses.
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• A cup of liquid or powder laundry detergent
• 1/2 cup of washing soda
• A cup of dishwasher detergent
• A cup of regular bleach

A spring cleaning idea to whiten bedding:
Try baby shampoo. Its formula is meant to treat baby skin as gentle as possible and yet still dissolve various body oil stains.

Extra Tip: Hire a steam cleaner.
If you can't afford to buy one, you could always rent it for your mattresses and upholstery. Steam cleaners have become even more accessible, not to mention efficiency and simplicity to use. They are easy to carry and will help a great deal with spring cleaning.​

How to Spring Clean Your Dining Room:

• Launder curtains and wipe off blinds.
• Wipe dust off tables and chairs.
• Wash chair pads, if possible.
• Wipe and polish interior decorations.
• Dust off pictures and wall hangings.
• Wipe off window sills.  
• Take out and rinse window screens.
• Wipe marks and dirt off switches and plates.
• Wipe walls and trim.
• Wipe off doors and knobs.
• Wipe floor registers and other vent covers.

The Living Room Spring Cleaning Checklist:

• Vacuum upholstery thoroughly.
• Clean stains or call for professionals.
• Launder cushions and blankets.
• Wipe dust off shelving and furniture.
• Wipe dust and dirt off lamps and shades.
• Clean windows and sills.
• Rinse window screens, if applicable.
• Wipe your TV screen.
• Gently wipe and polish electronics.
• Remove books and magazines while dusting off thoroughly.
• Sort books and magazines.
• Set apart what can be recycled.
• Clean hard plastic children's toys.
• Donate older ones.
• Wipe marks off switch plates.
• Wash doors and knobs.
• Wash floor registers and other vent covers.
• Remove carpets and shake out outside.
• Clean carpets via hot water extraction, if you can afford it, or wash them yourself.

Our mission is to inspire & educate the UK to spring clean not just for your home but for your life as well! A real spring clean throughout your home can brighten your every day. So bring a little more light into your house by joining National Spring Cleaning Week!

Image credits:
Images courtesy of Flaticon.com

Author and visual edits:
Dmitri Kara - cleaner at Fantastic.