Spring Cleaning Tips To Keep Your Home Spotless and Looking Great

Spring has officially arrived! If you’re like most people, you probably enjoy taking the opportunity to open up the windows and tidy up the house at this time of the year.

Spring cleaning can be overwhelming, especially if you’re not sure when or how to clean certain household areas. Having A detailed spring cleaning list can help.

Here are some of the best cleaning tips for you to follow - and keep in mind that they can be followed at other times of the year, like fall and winter, too!

Spring Cleaning Tips

Use Old Items (or Food!) From Around the House for Spring Cleaning

Believe it or not, you don’t have to invest in several hundred dollars’ worth of cleaning supplies in order to give you the sparkle and shine it deserves.

Instead, just look around you.

For example, you can use an onion to scrub your grill grates. You can use cream of tartar, on the other hand, to create a paste for cleaning toaster and tea kettles. Using a window squeegee is a great way to get pet hair out of the rug or couch, while old towels can come in handy by serving as “coasters” for your tables and couch when you slide them across the room.

Need to clean some air vents. Use a butter knife. Can’t reach those tough corners to remove dust and cobwebs? Swat them away by tying a towel over the bristle end of a broom. You can even use old socks as dusting mitts!

Simply put, there’s no shortage of ways you can repurpose items you have lying around the house so you don’t have to make a trip to the store before you start your spring cleaning list of things to do.

Declutter

Spring cleaning is all about in with the new, and out with the old. One of the easiest and best spring cleaning tips is to take the time to declutter your home. You’ll be much less stressed afterward, we can promise you that!

Start small and don’t feel the urge to attack the entire house at once. Try to clear just one room or closet at a time. Sort everything, going through your space to get rid of belongings you no longer need. Create separate bins for things you want to keep, store, sell, donate, or toss.

Freshen Up

After you’ve gotten rid of the excess clutter, it’s time to really start scrubbing. We’ll give you some good spring cleaning tips and information on how to clean certain tough items below. To get started, make a detailed list of everything that needs attention (don’t worry if the spring cleaning list doesn’t have a lot on it first - you’re guaranteed to find more problem areas as you work!).

Begin by emptying and cleaning your kitchen fridge. Sweep up under and behind large appliances and pieces of furniture. Some to pay attention to include:

Dressers
Beds
Desks
Refrigerators
Stoves
Washing machines

You will likely be surprised - and probably disgusted! - at how dirty these places are.

You can also take the time to wash all of your linens and bedding. Have your curtains or drapes professionally cleaned if you can’t wash them at home yourself and make sure you thoroughly clean any vinyl or wood blinds. The easiest way to do this is by using a microfiber cloth and wor from left to right. Do it before you sweep to limit your work!

Curtains tend to get particularly gross, as they collect dust and pet fur. Even if you can’t get to the dry cleaner, most fabrics will respond well to being popped in the dryer with a damp towel for 15 minutes. This can get rid of dust and built-up odors.

Flip your mattress and wash both your pillows and mattress covers, too.

Once you’re done with the most in-depth, through tasks, you can go through your usual cleaning routine of scrubbing, dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping.

While you work, make sure you open up the windows and let some of that fresh air inside! You’ll not only enjoy the opportunity to breathe in the fresh springtime air, but it will let some of those cleaning chemicals escape the confines of your home, too.

Remove Water Stains

Organic Cleaning Products For Spring Cleaning

From hard water to the normal grime that tends to accrue on appliances and fixtures, faucets can get pretty disgusting over the course of a year! You can restore your faucets to their former luster and shine by using a lemon.

Lemons have lots of citric acid, so by using the lemon to wipe down your faucet, you’ll be able to eliminate hard water stains and dirt in a jiffy. Then, you’ll have a lemon left over for our next cleaning hack, too!

Clean Microwave

Because you usually don’t see the inside of it, a microwave has the potential to get grimy in a hurry. A quick way to clean a microwave is to cut a lemon in half and squeeze its juice into half a cup of water (you can also use store-bought lemon juice, if you’re in a hurry).

Microwave the cup of lemon water for three minutes. Keep the door of the microwave shut for a few minutes after that. The lemony steam will loosen up all that caked-up grime on the inside of the microwave so you won’t have to scrub for hours in order to get it off.

Remove Shower Head Buildup

Showerheads naturally become clogged over time as they accumulate mineral deposits from your water. These deposits are difficult to avoid, especially if you don’t have a water softener, and they can be particularly irritating to deal with. Clogged showerheads result in reduced water flow and pressure.

To remedy this situation, pour some white vinegar into a plastic bag. Then, tie the plastic bag over these, however, securing it with a rubber band. Leave the bag there overnight to remove buildup. Make sure you run the shower for a few minutes the next time you get in, though, or you’ll smell like vinegar all day.

Clean Stainless Steel Sinks

Stainless steel sinks are quite a sight to behold. They’re sparkly, they’re easy to clean, and they look absolutely fantastic. However, if it’s been some time since your sink has seen any TLC, you might be wondering if it’s possible to ever restore your sink to its former luster.

Luckily, it is - you just need some baking soda. All you need to do is wet the faucet and sink them and sprinkle baking soda everywhere. Scrub the baking soda into the sink with a sponge and you’ll find that the sink is shiny and sparkling like new in no time. If you need a bit more help, you can add some salt to the mixture, too, which will give you better grit for your scrubbing.

Clean Dirty Windows and Mirrors

Instead of tossing that newspaper in the trash when you’re done reading it, save it. You can use it to clean dirty mirrors, windows, and other glass surfaces.

Why newspapers? Its consistency is as such that it offers a streak-free shine. The ink on the paper serves as a mild abrasive, too, so you don't need to use that much elbow grease.

When you scrub with newspaper, whip up a solution of a quarter cup of white vinegar, two teaspoon of dish soap, and two cups of water. You can spray the solution onto your surfaces with a spray bottle before wiping it away with the newspaper.

When you wash your windows, make sure you wash the inside all the way down to the sills. You may want to open up your windows and use a damp cloth to capture anything living between the screen and glass top.

Don’t neglect the window screens, either. You can use a scrap of carpeting to brush dirt out of the screens. If you want a really deep clean, pull the screens out and rub them with kerosene before using a soapy solution to wipe them down. Just make sure you rinse and dry them thoroughly before replacing them in your windows.

One more tip? Since you’re already working around the windows, take the time to investigate for drafts and leaks. You should also look for paint that is peeling or chipped, as this can signal water damage.

Organize Fridges, Cabinets, Cupboards, and Closets

Spring Cleaning Tip: Organize Everything

It’s easy for storage areas in your home, like the kitchen cabinets and refrigerator, to quickly become disorganized and cluttered over the course of a year. Spring is a great time to organize and declutter, but you shouldn’t stick to the old familiar organizational standbys.

Instead, invest in some rotating turntables or Lazy Susans for your refrigerator and pantry. These will help make it easy for you to see what kinds of staples you have in stock so you can avoid food waste and make the most of your space. Before reorganizing your cupboards and other specs, just make sure you go through and get rid of anything that has expired.

Don’t stop in the kitchen, either. Take some time to organize your bedrooms. If your dresser drawers are particularly messy, consider stacking your clothes vertically instead of folding them flat. This will not only save space, but it will also make it easier for you to see the contents of your drawers so you don’t make a mess of them as soon as they’re neatly folded.

Remove Burnt Residue on Stovetop

A ceramic stovetop is great for cooking, as it offers a flat surface that provides even, steady heat. However, unlike raised burners that can be removed and left to soak in the sink, they are difficult to clean.

A simple solution is to place a wet dryer sheet atop your ceramic stovetop. This will remove burnt-on residue with minimal effort on your part. Let the sheet sit there for about twenty minutes. You’ll be able to wipe - instead of having to scrub - the gunk away.

Clean TV Screens and Computer Screens with Coffee Filters

Spring Cleaning Tip: Use old coffee filters to wipe away dust

Coffee filters have a ton of uses - they can be used to fertilize your garden, they can be used as sieves, and of course, they help you make your coffee!

But did you know that coffee filters are also great for cleaning? If your computer or television screen is absolutely covered in fingerprints, you might want to bust out your trusty coffee filters. The fibers in coffee filters are gentle enough to avoid scratches, but just strong enough to get off tough prints. Don’t press too hard but instead just wipe the prints away.

Clean Keyboards

Keyboards are often-neglected areas that tend to get disgusting in a hurry. You might not even realize that your keyboard is dirty until your keys start to stick!

If your keys aren’t clicking the way they used to, dirt and crumbs could be to blame. All you need to do is stick a cotton swab under the keys. By running the swabs beneath your keys, you’ll be able to gently dislodge any debris that’s getting in the way. You can also use a can of compressed air, which will get rid of any light dust or residues.

When you’re done removing the dirt, make sure you wipe everything down in rubbing alcohol. This will kill germs and give you a better surface to work on the next time you’re sitting at your computer.

A Few Basic Tips For Spring Cleaning For Warmer Months Ahead

When you’re getting your house ready for the warmer months ahead, it’s important that you follow some basic spring cleaning tips. For example, you will want to avoid mixing ingredients like bleach and vinegar. Vinegar and bleach, though powerful cleaners in their own rights, can be dangerous when used together. You’ll create deadly chlorine gas!

Instead, stick to one type of cleaner - and perhaps just clean one thing at a time. That way, you’ll stay safe and also avoid the sheer overwhelm and exhaustion that can come as a result of trying to tackle the whole house at once.

Happy cleaning!

Rebekah Pierce is a professional social blogger and has worked on several online publications including Citrus Sleep. Rebekah is an experienced content writer and copyeditor. You will find many of her works throughout CitrusSleep.com that cover a wide array of subjects including sleep education, natural, sleep products, electronics, fashion and many more. She is passionate about her work and family.

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