Ultimate Spring Cleaning Checklist by Room + Free Printable PDF!
This ultimate spring cleaning checklist that includes a free downloadable printable pdf is sure to help make the task of cleaning your home feel less overwhelming.
Spring is in the air and that means it is time to start spring cleaning your home.
Without any guidance, it can easily be a task with forgotten chores, but I’ve put together an ultimate spring cleaning checklist for your home so you won’t forget a thing.
So put on some good music and pour yourself a bottle of water, it’s time to get started!
Remember while you clean to start at the top and work your way down. That means cobwebs and ceiling first and cleaning the floor last.
Related Articles:
- Daily Cleaning Schedule Printable PDF
- Weekly Cleaning Schedule Printable PDF
- Deep Cleaning Kitchen Checklist
Living Room
Many people like to start with the living room since it is the first room you typically see when you walk in the front door. If you prefer to start somewhere else feel free to!
Dusting
- Remove cobwebs
- Dust the ceiling
- Wipe off ceiling fan blades
- Wipe off door and window frames
- Wipe off mirror frames and picture frames
Walls
- Wash all the walls high and low
- Scrub the light switches
- Wash door handles and window handles
Electronics
- Unplug electronics
- Clean electronics
- Clean cords (also check for damage!) and remotes
- Plug electronics back In
Surfaces
- Clean off tables and shelves, dust them then put back only what you want
- Clean Lampshades, vases, and other smaller items
Furniture
- Remove all the cushions and lay them outside in the sun
- Move the furniture and sweep or vacuum
- Treat stains on the cushions and vacuum them
Fabric
- Wash any blankets you keep in the living room
- Take down your curtains and wash them (or the blinds)
(You may also want to read this article on how to freshen up your home for spring).
Glass
- Clean windows inside and out, be sure to dry to prevent streaks
- Wipe down any glass surfaces or glass items in your living room. Including clock faces
Floor
- Clean rugs and doormats
- Vacuum the floor or sweep it
- Do hardwood floor maintenance
- Downsize – Use this as an opportunity to get rid of anything you don’t really love anymore. You can leave the space empty or fill it with something else you’d like to have on display.
Kitchen
Cleaning the Kitchen is the most daunting, most difficult chore in the entire house. If you want to consider breaking it down over a few days to make the task a little less daunting.
You can also leave the kitchen to last and while you’re cleaning the rest of the house have the dishwasher running constantly to clean everything in your home that is dishwasher safe.
Getting Started
- Do the dishes and put them all away
- Remove anything from the room that doesn’t belong
- Put all fabrics in the laundry (towels, curtains, rugs, aprons)
- Dust the ceiling and remove cobwebs
- Dust the top of cabinets
- Dust light fixtures
Drawers
- Clear out the junk drawer. Try getting rid of some of the things
- Clear out other drawers and wipe down.
- Clean drawer organizers
- Wipe off the front of drawers and knobs
- Put back only what you want/need
Cabinets
- Pull everything out of the cabinets, wash anything that has collected dust
- Wipe down the inside of the cabinets and shelves
- Check to ensure that all food is within date
- Put back only what you want/need
- Wipe down front of cabinets and knobs
Countertop
- Empty utensil jar, throw away any you don’t use, wash the rest
- Wash the jar inside and out
- Wash and put away any small appliances you don’t regularly use
- Clean out the crumb tray on the toaster and toaster oven
- Wipe down all small appliances
- Descale the coffee machine or kettle
- Clean the microwave inside and out
- Wipe down the knife block
- Wipe down the paper towel holder
- Clean the fruit bowl
- Wipe down backsplash and walls
- Wash countertops (remember to move the microwave!)
Stove and Oven
- Clean inside and outside the range hood
- Remove all knobs and grates, then wash them
- Put oven on self-cleaning cycle
- Clean stove top
- Replace knobs and grates after they’ve been washed
- Check that oven is clean after self-cleaning cycle is complete. If not, consider a commercial cleaner
Pantry
- Pull out all the food
- Throw away expired food, write down what you throw away so you can buy more in the future
- Transfer open items to containers or jars
- Wipe down pantry shelves
- Put items back in the pantry with food closest to expiring at the front
- Wipe down front of pantry door and knobs
Refrigerator and Freezer
- Pull out all food
- Throw away any expired food
- Remove shelves (if removable) and wash top and bottom
- Remove drawers and wash inside and out
- Wash ice trays
- Check for excessive ice buildup, if necessary allow some to melt
- Put food back inside with food nearing expiration towards the front
- Declutter the top of the fridge
- Wash the top of the fridge and replace items you want there
- Take down all magnets and papers, throw away papers you no longer need
- Wash the outside surfaces of the fridge/freezer that you can reach
- Put magnets and remaining paper back
Sink/Dishwasher
- Clean drains and garbage disposal
- Scrub and polish sink, faucets, and knobs
- Throw away old sponges and brushes (get new ones)
- Wash dish drying rack
- Empty food trap of dishwasher
- Wipe down dishwasher inside and out
- Run dishwasher on high heat sanitizing cycle while empty
Others
- Wipe down remaining walls
- Wipe down light switches
- Wipe down kitchen door and knobs
- Wash windows
- Take out the trash, recycling, and compost
- Wash trash cans, recycling boxes, and compost buckets
- Sweep floor
- Mop floor
Dining Room
Cleaning the dining room might be the easiest thing you do all week. Or it might be one of the most difficult. It really depends on how much dried food is stuck in the carpet and rug.
- Walls and ceiling
- Dust light fixtures and ceiling fans
- Remove cobwebs
- Wipe down light switches
- Clean window sills
- Wash windows
- Clean curtains/blinds
Table
- Wipe down the top and bottom of the table, including the legs
- Wipe down the chairs
- Vacuum chairs if upholstered
Floor
- Remove rug and wash
- Vacuum or mop floor
Home Office
Having a clean and tidy home office to work from has been proven to improve your productivity and how much you love the work you do. So keeping it a clean environment you enjoy being in will literally make you money.
- Ceiling and walls
- Dust and remove cobwebs
- Wipe down the walls and window sill
- Wipe down the light switches
- Wash curtains/blinds
Desk
- Clean off the desk. Throw away trash and put everything else where it belongs
- Wipe off the desk
- Wipe down computer monitor and mouse
- Remove the keys from your keyboard and clean the keyboard
- Wipe down computer
- Go through the drawers and organize them
- Vacuum chair
Bookshelves
- Remove all the books from the shelves to dust and wipe down
- Downsize books you don’t want or use
Floor
- Vacuum carpet
Bedroom
Having a clean bedroom is so important! Think about how many hours you spend there every day compared to the rest of your house.
Make sure that the air quality in the room is high and keep your windows open for many hours after cleaning the room.
Getting Started
- Remove the bedding and curtains to be washed
- Clear everything from the room that doesn’t belong
- Remove dirty clothes to be washed
- Deep clean closet
Ceiling and Walls
- Dust and remove cobwebs
- Wipe down light switch
- Clean light fixture
- Wipe down walls
- Wash the window and window sill
Bed
- Wipe down headboard and footboard
- Deep clean mattress and pillows
Drawers
- Clean out all drawers and sort through contents. Discard anything you don’t use.
- Wipe down the inside of drawers
- Fill drawers again in a neat and orderly fashion
Related: How to Spring Clean Your Closet
Kid’s Bedroom
Many of the things you need to do in the kid’s bedroom are exactly the same as an adult’s bedroom. The only differences in the two rooms are the number of toys in the room and the number of germs.
It never hurts to disinfect everything in a child’s room because little fingers get everywhere and they’re more likely not to cover their faces when they sneeze.
- Do everything listed under bedroom before continuing.
- Empty toy boxes, remove any broken or unused toys
- Disinfect toys
- Wipe down toy boxes inside and out
- Wipe down all furniture with disinfectant
Bathroom
While cleaning the bathroom it is very easy to get overwhelmed by the strong chemicals many people use to clean the bathroom.
There are natural alternatives you can go for instead of these if you’re concerned about you and your family breathing these chemicals.
Having the door and window open while you clean the room is vital no matter what you use to clean the bathroom.
Getting Started
- Empty cupboards and shelves so nothing remains
- Put bath mats, towels, and other cloths in the Laundry
Ceilings and Walls
- Dust walls and remove cobwebs
- Clean vents and fans
- Wipe down walls
- Wipe down light switches
- Clean window and window sill
- Wipe down mirror
Shower
- Remove shower curtain and clean it
- Wipe down shower door with glass cleaner
- Wipe down shower walls
- Clean shower grout
- Wipe down shower head and knobs
Toilet
- Remove seat and wipe the seat clean
- Wipe down toilet inside and out
- Put the seat back on the toilet
Sink
- Wipe down counter and sink
- Wipe down sink knobs
- Wipe down medicine cabinet, inside and out
- Wipe down cabinets and drawers
- Go through everything you removed from the bathroom. Throw away expired and unused items
- Check your toothbrush, add a new one to your shopping list anyway
- Put everything back
Floor
- Mop the floor
- Clean the grout
Garage
While you’re cleaning the garage be on the lookout for any spiders, snakes, or other dangerous creatures in your area that may have made your garage their winter home.
The garage is the one place in the house you’re most likely to run into unwanted critters.
- Remove everything from the garage and sort it into three piles; keep, donate, and trash
- Dust and remove cobwebs
- Check floor for stains (if there are any under where your car gets parked get your car looked at)
- Wash floor
- Put everything back in the garage in well organized areas
Attic
This checklist is assuming that your attic is just being used as a storage space. If your attic has been converted use the bedroom or office checklist, or whichever you think is most appropriate depending on what you use your converted space for.
- Remove everything from the attic and sort it into three piles; keep, donate, and trash
- Dust and remove cobwebs
- Check insulation
- Put everything back in the attic in an organized fashion
Garden/Outside
Cleaning the outside of your house may be a monumental task, or it might be a quite small one considering a lot of different conditions.
This list includes the basics that you might see in a suburban house. While cleaning outside you will have different considerations than inside the house.
While you’re cleaning up outside look for signs of weather damage and make note of any repairs you may need to do.
- Wash outdoor furniture
- Wash outside walls of home, repaint if needed
- Wipe down outside of windows
- Wipe down doors and handles
- Spray the front and back porch/patio
Clean Door Mat
- Pull any dead plants from the garden
- Make a shopping list for new plants
- Clean out the gutters
- Mow the yard
- Remove weeds if necessary
- If lawn is looking thin add grass seed
Final Touches
Now that you’re done cleaning your home you still have some things to take care of. Chances are you’ve still got a lot of laundry do.
You may also need to take things to a local thrift store to donate them. Schedule time for this now so these items don’t end up back in the bottom of your closet or collecting dust in the garage.
Smells
Seek out any bad smells and clean them up! When you’re all done you can reward yourself for a job well done by using some essential oils in the room or lighting a candle. To keep the air smelling fresh consider getting an indoor plant that purifies the air.
Mari S.
Friday 8th of March 2024
This is fantastic! Thank you!!!