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Spring cleaning checklist: what to clean, room by room

April 04, 2024•6 min read

A spring cleaning checklist covers the jobs a weekly clean skips: baseboards, door frames, ceiling fans, window tracks, blinds, under the furniture, inside the fridge and oven, and the grout. Declutter first, work top to bottom in each room, and spread the house over a few weekends so it actually gets finished.

The list below is long on purpose. Nobody does it in a day. Pick a room, finish it, cross it off.

Why spring, and why does it feel so good?

People have been clearing out their homes at this time of year for a long time. In Iran, families do khaneh tekani, "shaking the house," before Nowruz, the new year that starts on the spring equinox. Many Jewish households clear every crumb of leavened bread before Passover. Add longer days, open windows and the end of a winter spent indoors, and the urge makes sense.

There's a practical side too. Winter leaves dust on every high surface the heat blew around, grit at every door and a film on the windows. Finishing a room you've ignored for months feels better than another quick wipe.

What do you need before you start?

Microfiber cloths, a lot of them
A vacuum with a crevice tool and a dusting brush, ideally with a HEPA filter if anyone has allergies
An extendable duster for fans and corners
A mop and bucket
A squeegee
A grout brush or old toothbrush
An all-purpose cleaner, a glass cleaner and a bathroom cleaner
Baking soda and white vinegar
Rubber gloves
Three bags or boxes: keep, donate, toss

If you're using strong cleaners, open a window and read the label. Never mix bleach with vinegar or ammonia.

What order should you spring clean in?

Declutter first. Go through closets, drawers and counters with the keep, donate, toss boxes before you pick up a cloth.
Top to bottom. Ceiling fans, light fixtures and cobwebs first, then window tops and blinds, then furniture, then baseboards, then floors. Dust falls, so the floor goes last.
Dry before wet. Dust and vacuum before you wipe or mop, or you'll turn dust into mud.
One room at a time. Finish a room completely before starting the next. Half-done rooms everywhere are how spring cleaning stalls.

What should you clean in every room?

Ceiling fan blades and light fixtures
Cobwebs in corners and along the ceiling line
Light switches, door knobs and door frames
Baseboards, hand wiped
Window sills, tracks and the inside of the glass
Blinds, dusted or wiped slat by slat
Under and behind furniture you can move
Vents and returns, vacuumed with the brush
Curtains washed or vacuumed, per the care label
Floors vacuumed, then mopped edge to edge

Kitchen

Empty the fridge, wipe the shelves and drawers, toss anything expired
Clean the oven, or run the self-clean cycle and wipe out the ash
Empty a few cabinets at a time and wipe the insides
Degrease the range hood and wash the filter
Wipe cabinet and drawer fronts and the handles
Clean the microwave, the dishwasher filter and the sink drain
Pull out the toaster and coffee maker and wipe underneath
Check the pantry for expired food

Bathrooms

Scrub shower grout and tile, and descale the glass
Soak the shower head in vinegar to clear the nozzles
Wash or replace the shower curtain and liner
Wash the bath mats
Clear out the medicine cabinet and vanity, toss expired products
Dust the exhaust fan cover
Clean behind and around the base of the toilet

Our guides on cleaning bathroom tiles and removing limescale from shower glass go step by step.

Bedrooms

Wash all bedding, including the duvet, pillows and mattress pad
Vacuum the mattress, sprinkle it with baking soda, leave it an hour and vacuum again
Flip or rotate the mattress if the maker says to
Swap winter clothes out of the closet and donate what nobody wore
Clean under the bed
Dust lampshades and the tops of dressers and headboards

Living and dining areas

Vacuum the sofa, under the cushions and the cushions themselves
Wash throw blankets and pillow covers
Dust shelves, décor, picture frames and the tops of door frames
Dust the TV and electronics with a dry cloth
Polish wood furniture and wipe the dining chairs

Entry, laundry room and stairs

Wash or replace the doormat
Wipe the front door, inside and out
Clean out the coat closet
Wipe the washer and dryer, clean the lint trap housing and run a washer cleaning cycle
Vacuum the stairs and wipe the railings

Don't skip these

Change the furnace or HVAC filter
Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
Clean the outside of the trash and recycling cans
Wash window screens outside with a hose and a soft brush

How do you split it over a few weekends?

A whole house in one day is how people end up with a clean kitchen and nothing else. Try this instead:

Weekend 1: declutter every room and closet, and change the filters.
Weekend 2: bedrooms and living areas, top to bottom.
Weekend 3: kitchen.
Weekend 4: bathrooms, entry, laundry room and windows.

In South Jersey, the spring pollen that coats cars also settles on sills, screens and window tracks. If you can, leave the windows and screens until after the heaviest pollen has passed, so you only do them once.

For the dusting part of the job, see how to dust your home.

What Deep Cleaning includes

Deep Cleaning, PureRenewal, includes hand-wiped baseboards, doors and door frames, light switches, door knobs and handles, reachable ceiling fans and light fixture exteriors, cobweb removal, window sills and ledges, dusted blinds, under and behind furniture that moves easily, and wiped stair railings. In the kitchen, cabinet and drawer fronts are fully wiped with the hardware detailed, the stovetop is degreased and the top of the refrigerator is wiped where it can be reached. In the bathrooms, the tub, shower and tiled walls are scrubbed with the soap scum and grout treated, and the shower door glass is descaled. Every item on the list is cleaned whether or not it looks like it needs it.

Inside the refrigerator, inside the oven and inside cabinets and drawers are add-ons you can pick when you book. The fridge needs to be emptied first and the freezer isn't included, the oven's self-clean cycle should be run first, and the cabinets need to be empty.

Organizing, sorting or decluttering possessions, washing walls and exterior windows aren't on any of our cleaning checklists. The decluttering weekend stays yours.

FAQ

What should be on a spring cleaning checklist? The jobs a weekly clean skips: baseboards, door frames, light switches, ceiling fans, window tracks, blinds, under the furniture, the inside of the fridge and oven, and the shower grout. Add washing bedding, curtains and pillows, and changing the HVAC filter.

How long does spring cleaning take? For a whole house, plan on two to four weekends rather than one marathon day. A room a day, or one room plus the kitchen on a weekend, gets it finished without burning out.

What order should you spring clean in? Declutter first so you're cleaning surfaces, not stuff. Then work top to bottom in each room: ceiling fans and light fixtures, then walls and windows, then furniture, then floors last. Save the kitchen and bathrooms for a day when you have energy to spare.

When should you start spring cleaning in New Jersey? Late March into April works for the inside of the house, once you can open the windows. Leave the windows, screens and sills until the heaviest pollen has passed so you only do them once.

What does Deep Cleaning include? Deep Cleaning includes hand-wiped baseboards, doors and door frames, light switches and handles, reachable ceiling fans and light fixture exteriors, window sills, dusted blinds, and under and behind furniture that moves easily. Every item on its list is cleaned whether or not it looks like it needs it.