The Ultimate Spring Cleaning Checklist to Tidy Up Every Room in Your House

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With warmer temps, budding flowers, and brighter skies on the horizon, there’s no better time than spring to hit the refresh button. While your cleaning routine likely already includes tasks like dusting the bookshelves and disinfecting every surface in your home, why not expand your spring cleaning efforts beyond those chores?

We rounded up all the to-dos into one tidy list, helpfully divided up by room, so you can consider this your ultimate spring cleaning handbook. Tackle one of these areas each week, and your entire home will be ready by the time summer rolls around. Gather your spring cleaning supplies, put on some motivating music, and roll up your sleeves.

Related: Our 40 Best Spring Cleaning Tips of All Time

Throughout the Home

Ceiling Fans

Use an extendable, microfiber duster to cross this off the list. Alternatively, try the pillowcase trick: Envelope a blade with a pillowcase, then slide it off. This will trap the dust inside the case, so it doesn’t spread everywhere. Don’t forget to dust the lightbulbs and soak any glass shades.

Ceilings and Walls

Swipe ceilings and walls with a clean, dry microfiber mop. The wide mop head removes cobwebs and dust, and the long pole helps you reach every corner and behind furniture. This speedy technique is ideal for painted or wallpapered surfaces. For textured ceilings or stucco walls, use a feather duster instead.

Windows and Curtains

Toss curtains in the dryer for 15 minutes (on the coolest setting) to shake dust, and in the meantime, clean windows with a flatweave microfiber cloth. Wipe window trim with a regular, damp microfiber cloth. Hang curtains ASAP so they don’t wrinkle.

Blinds and Pleated Shades

Use the long-bristle attachment on your vacuum to suck up dust along pleated shades and blinds. In kitchens, you might need to use a damp microfiber cloth to wipe dust off—grease makes particles stick, so a vacuum is less effective.

Wall Art

Wipe glass with a flatweave microfiber cloth that’s been sprayed with glass cleaner. Never spray the frame directly, as moisture can seep behind the glass. Use a soft brush (like a paint brush) to dust off detailed frames.

Lampshades

Bust out the vacuum again for this—just run the long-bristle attachment up and down your lampshades. Alternatively, use a lint roller if you don’t want to lug out your Hoover.

Plants

Plant leaves need a little TLC too. Use a damp cloth or paper towel to wipe off dust from leaves. Wipe the planter, too!

Baseboards

A vacuum with the brush attachment is great for this task—or just run your broom along the baseboard to knock off dust. Gunky baseboards can get a light scrub of soapy water. Dry thoroughly afterward.

Area Rugs and Carpeting

No need to empty a room completely before vacuuming, simply move furniture out of the way—and then replace—as you go. Roll area rugs and vacuum beneath to remove dirt and debris. In a room with wall-to-wall carpeting, use the edger attachment of your vacuum to clean the space where the baseboard meets the floor. While you're at it, use the long-bristle attachment to clean the baseboards.

On carpeted stairs, use static electricity to make your life simpler: Put on a rubber dish glove, then run your fingers along the edge of each step to bring out dirt caught in the crevices (this works especially well for picking up pet fur). With a handheld vacuum or vacuum attachment, suck it up as you go.

Floors

If the floor is particularly dirty, start by sweeping or vacuuming to remove crumbs and debris, then mop. When you're done, toss the reusable mop head or microfiber pad in the washing machine. Pro Tip: Always start mopping at the far corner of the room and work your way toward the door, so you don't accidentally trap yourself in the corner and have to walk back across your freshly cleaned floor.

Related: 5 Things You Can Put in Mop Water for Fresh-Smelling, Sparkling Floors

Kitchen

Kitchen Cabinets

Kitchen cabinets don’t actually need any kind of fancy cleaners—just dish soap and water will do the trick. Vacuum the interiors with a hand vacuum or your regular vacuum with a crevice attachment, then wipe everything down with the soapy water solution. Follow up with a water-dampened cloth to pick up residual soap.

Oven

To clean the oven, prepare a paste of baking soda and water, apply inside on the walls and floor of the oven, then spritz with vinegar in a spray bottle and wipe down. Grease and cooked-on food should come right off.

Refrigerator

Wipe the top of the refrigerator with a water-dampened microfiber cloth—for greasy dust, moisten the cloth with cleaner. If possible, move the refrigerator away from the wall and clean the coils with the brush attachment on your vacuum—removing dust will help the appliance run more efficiently, says Reichert.

Microwave

Caked on food can be hard to clean in the microwave—but the microwave itself can help you do the job so you get a deep clean. Just microwave a bowl filled with two cups of water and two tablespoons of vinegar for three minutes, then let the bowl steam and sit in the microwave for 15 minutes to help soften the crumbs. Use a microfiber towel and the water-vinegar solution to scrub away the dirt on the interior, then wipe the exterior with an all-purpose cleaner.

Small Appliances

Don’t forget to tackle these hardworking machines! Wipe the exteriors, as well as the cords, with a damp cloth. Shake your toaster over the trash and descale your coffee machine with vinegar.

Cutting Boards and Containers

Slice a lemon in half, squeeze onto the soiled cutting board surface, rub, and let sit for 20 minutes before rinsing. Rub lemon juice on dishwasher-safe containers, let dry in a sunny place, then wash as usual.

Countertops

Dip the cut side of a lemon half in baking soda and use it to gently scrub the surface. Wipe with a wet sponge and dry. For marble (and other natural stone surfaces), stir 1 tablespoon liquid Castile soap into 1 quart warm water, dampen a cloth with the solution and wipe the surface, then dry with a clean cloth.

Sink

Rub lemon juice onto faucet taps and let it sit overnight, wiping with a damp cloth to combat lime scale. To freshen up the garbage disposal, cut a lemon in half and run both pieces through the disposal.

Dishwasher

Wipe the interior down with a cleaner like Bon Ami and a damp microfiber cloth. Follow that up with a dishwasher cleaning tablet like Affresh or just place a small bowl of vinegar on the top rack and run an empty cycle.

Related: 5 Things You Can Do to Extend the Life of Your Dishwasher

Bathroom

Bathtub and Shower Head

Spray your shower cleaner of choice over tiles, and while that sits, use a melamine foam sponge to scrub down your tub. Pour about 2 cups of white vinegar into a zip top bag and tie it over the showerhead, making sure it’s submerged in the vinegar. Let it sit overnight, then remove in the morning.

Shower Curtain Liner

Remove mildew and soap scum from your shower curtain liner with little effort by throwing it in the washing machine with a few fluffy towels and laundry detergent. Put it in the dryer on low heat for 10 minutes to soften and remove wrinkles. Hang it back up, looking like new.

Mirror and Medicine Cabinet

Empty out your medicine cabinet and wipe down the shelves, decluttering anything that’s expired or barely used. Spritz the mirror with glass cleaner and a flatweave microfiber cloth.

Sink

A melamine foam sponge will scrape off hardened toothpaste, then spray vinegar all over the sink basin and faucet to remove mineral buildup.

Combs and Brushes

It’s easy to forget your hair tools! Fill a container with 1 1/2 cups water, 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar, and 20 drops tea-tree, lavender, or eucalyptus oil. Soak combs and brushes for 20 minutes, then rinse and air dry.

Toilet

Apply a disinfecting toilet bowl cleaner all over the bowl’s interior, making sure to address the rim. Follow packaging directions for disinfecting, then scrub. Wipe the exterior of the bowl with a microfiber cloth to remove dust and gunk, then follow up with a disinfectant. (Definitely target the handle!)

Living Room

Upholstered Furniture

Your upholstered furniture can use a deep clean, too. Remove the cushions (if you can) and vacuum them on all sides, and use the crevice tool to get into the nooks and crannies of the couch. If your sofa needs a deeper spring clean, you can use a teaspoon of dish soap in a gallon of water for washable fabrics, and leather cleaner to revitalize leather furniture. While you're at it, toss any washable throws that live on your sofa into the laundry for a quick freshening.

Related: The 6 Best Upholstery Cleaners of 2024, Tested and Reviewed

Television

Spray glass cleaner onto your microfiber cloth and wipe your television down.

Coffee Table and Media Console

If your coffee table and media console are solid wood, just wipe with a barely damp microfiber cloth to remove dust and grime, and use glass cleaner if there’s a glass top.

Bookshelves

If you’re ambitious, take out all the books and wipe down your bookcase from top to bottom. Before placing books back, tackle the bindings with a Swiffer duster.

Bedroom

Closets

Take advantage of a couple of indoor hours to cull the contents of your closet. Pull everything out and purge items you no longer wear and are ready to part with. Put the keepers back into your closet organized by type (all jeans together, all skirts together, and so on). For a simple upgrade, use all matching hangers and hang everything facing the same direction.

Mattress and Headboard

Wipe hard surfaces of your bed frame down with a clean microfiber cloth and vacuum upholstered sections with the long-bristle attachment.

Related: How to Clean Your Mattress Without Harsh Chemicals

Nightstands

Declutter your nightstands and wipe off the surface with a damp microfiber cloth. Don’t forget to dust your alarm clock and lamp!

Laundry

Washing Machine

Detach the detergent dispenser and scrub it clean with dish soap and water, then wipe the washer door and gasket with a microfiber cloth. (Really get into the folds!) Then, add 1/2 cup of liquid chlorine bleach to the detergent dispenser drawer and fill the bleach dispenser compartment with chlorine bleach. Run a normal cycle setting with warm water. While that’s doing its thing, wipe the exterior of your machine with your favorite multipurpose cleaner.

Dryer Vent

Vacuum or brush the dryer vent tubing, then address the lint screen. Brush off dust and scrub with a toothbrush and soapy water. Let it air dry. Finally, sweep or vacuum around your machine.

Miscellaneous Laundry Piles

Some items may have taken up residence in the laundry area because they are in need of a little extra TLC. Now's the time to tackle hand washables and other delicate pieces. Also, make a pile—or sort through your pile, if you already have one—of clothes or accessories that need minor repairs such as reattaching a button or fixing a fallen hem. Carve out some time to listen to a podcast while you make these simple fixes.

Related: Yes, You Need to Clean Your Washing Machine

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