Start your spring cleaning by deep cleaning and de-cluttering your house in 30 minutes a day for the next 30 days. Don’t forget the FREE downloadable checklist!
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Yesterday was the first day of spring; so today, we opened our windows, let in the fresh air and started our spring cleaning. It’s maybe (definitely) still a bit chilly, but not so chilly we’re not accepting it’s spring.
Cleaning in our house is usually a weekend task and involves hours of cleaning and whining about cleaning… from me, from the kids, it just happens. And it’s a chore.
This year, I’m breaking down the basics (and adding a few) to about 30 minutes a day for the next 30 days. I’ll be sure to share some of my best tricks and favorite cleaning products too!
:: Kitchen ::
stove and oven:
Cleaning the glass cooktop on our stove is a regular chore in our house. I have a love/hate relationship with ours because it look dirty so freaking quickly. Weiman Cooktop Cleaner + Polish is a great to use regularly! If your glass top gets really nasty and you don’t plan on using it for about 24 hours (and aren’t opposed to those icky chemically cleaners), spray it with Easy Off Oven Cleaner and leave it alone until it’s dried to a powder. Wipe clean with a warm, wet washcloth. I’ve also read Arm & Hammer Toothpaste is great for burnt on food and stains. Rub it on with an old toothbrush (or your finger) and leave it alone for about 15 minutes. I haven’t had any bad stains in awhile, but l look forward to trying this trick!
Your oven probably has a cleaning feature. If you’re like me, you’ve probably never used it. If you’re like me, you also probably don’t clean your oven very often. Start by wiping out all of that crusty burnt food that fell to the bottom of your oven. It’s a mystery… you’ll probably never know where they came from. I suspect they’re runaway sausages from our frozen pizzas! There’s some debate that you shouldn’t use the self cleaning feature of your oven. I think if that’s the case it shouldn’t be there. Have at it! Just know it’s going to get really hot, probably smelly and you may have to wipe down the inside anyway. If you don’t need anything that extreme, tackle the inside of your oven with Easy Off. Be sure to take out your oven racks and give them a good wipe down too!
Weiman Cooktop Cleaner + Polish Easy Off Oven Cleaner Arm & Hammer Toothpaste Cleaning Vinegarmicrowave and small appliances:
The best trick to a clean microwave is to keep it from getting dirty in the first place. I love using these cover/splatter guards to keep all of those hot pop splatters contained. To clean the inside of your microwave, bring about 1/2 cup of water and a 1/2 cup of vinegar to a boil. It’ll loosen anything stuck to the sides, and you can wipe them away with a damp sponge or rag. Alternatively, put a sliced lemon in your water instead of vinegar for a fresh scent!
The only other frequently used small appliance in our house is the Keurig. Make sure to change the filters, if your Keurig has them. I also like to fill the reservoir with vinegar and run it through several cycles. I’ve never used them, but just ordered the kit with their cleansing pods.
Microwave Splatter Cover Keurig 3 Month Care Kitfridge and freezer:
Clean. Them. Out. We’re not just ‘cleaning out the fridge’ here. That’s a weekly job. What we’re going for here is next level. So, clear ’em out. Empty it. Throw away anything expired. Nobody wants year old condiments. Put everything to keep in a cooler (or basement/garage fridge) while you clean. I like to take the shelves and drawers out for easier cleaning. You shouldn’t need anything more than soap and water… rinse, dry, and reassemble. You can spray inside with a vinegar and water mix. Now you get to put everything back in the fridge and organize it to your heart’s content! Am I weird for enjoying this part? Maybe. Maybe not.
Side note: I’ve had these charcoal bags in my refrigerator for years and have never had a smelly fridge. I lay them in the window or outside every month or two to recharge. I’m amazed at how well they work!
Good job! That was probably a lot of work. Pat yourself on the back and then repeat the process with your freezer? Freezer burnt food? Buh-bye! Stuff you find in the back that’s unrecognizable? Toss it! Has it been in there for more than 3 months? Get rid of it. You can spray the freezer with vinegar water (50/50 mix) too.
Don’t forget to wipe the outside of your fridge to remove any sticky fingerprints that may be on it as well as the area around the ice/water dispenser if you’ve got one. Update any photos or refrigerator artwork and check this one off your list!
Air Purifying Refrigerator Bagssink, dishwasher and counter tops:
Your sink and counter tops should be getting wiped down daily. What we’re talking about here is removing everything on your counter/sink and giving it a good cleaning. Use your choice of cleaner. I’m a huge fan of Theives Household Cleaner! It smells wonderful and (bonus!) has natural antiviral/antibacterial properties.
Our dishwasher is on a *mostly* regular cleaning cycle with our Keurig and washing machine. More on that later. This is one of those super easy things that makes a big difference, especially if your dishwasher can get as smelly as ours does! Toss one of the Affresh tabs into the dishwasher and run it on a normal cycle. You can do this with or without dishes in the dishwasher, but I prefer to run the cleaning cycle while it’s empty.
The garbage disposal is another easy clean! No need to limit this to once a month either… especially if you have a habit of using it often. Prime the disposal by running hot water down it. Reduce running water to a small, steady stream running from the side of the sink (not directly into the disposal) and drop one of the packets into your garbage disposal. Turn it on and let it run for 1-2 minutes. You’ll see a bunch of fresh foam come up through the drain. Super simple!
Theives Household Cleaner Affresh Washing Machine Cleaner Affresh Dishwasher Cleaner Garbage Disposal Cleanerclean cabinets:
Another job for Pine-Sol! Fill the sink with some warm water and Pine-Sol; grab a rag and start scrubbing. That’s the easy part. The more difficult part is the organizing of the cabinets and drawers part. This is an awesome opportunity to purge. Expired spices? Toss ’em! Stash of souvenir cups you’ve never used? Bye! Even taking everything out of the cabinets to wipe your shelves down makes an impact. Use the opportunity to organize your cupboards as you put items back in.
Pine-Solpantry:
This one is easy, so I saved it for last. Take everything out and wipe down the shelves. Cover them with contact paper if you’re feeling super ambitious – of course, there are some pretty neat ones on Amazon these days. Throw out anything stale or expired, or that you don’t use. Put all the things back into the pantry, organized in whatever manner makes your OCD happy.
:: Bathrooms ::
toilets and counter tops:
I was hooked on Clorox Wipes well before COVID made them famous. When it comes to wiping down anything in the bathrooms, these are my besties. They work on the faucets, counter, shower and around the toilet… plus, then you just get to toss them, not add them to your laundry pile. I like the Clorox Toilet wands for the same reason!
We used to have some annoying mineral stains around the water line of our toilet. I tried so many ways of removing it before finding Bar Keepers Friend. One squeeze around and let it sit for about 1 minute, quick scrub and flush and I swear to you it looked like we put in new toilets! You can find this at WalMart or Lowes cheaper than with the Amazon link below – but included so you know what you’re looking for! There’s a spray and powder version as well, but this has worked best for me.
Clorox Toilet Wand Starter Kit
Bar Keepers FriendClorox Toilet Wand Starter Kit
sinks and tubs:
I love to use a daily shower spray on our showers… it makes cleaning day easier! We use a multi-purpose cleaner for our showers and tubs. Fill the sink with some cleaner and water, and use a rag to clean wipe everything down. If it needs an extra good scrub, no joke, use one of those wands you use on you dishes! You know the thing… with the little button to squirt out more soap. Hands down one of my favorite hacks to scrub that tub!
If you have a shower curtain, now would be a good time to take that down and wash it.
Clorox/Tilex Daily Shower Spray Dish Wandfloors and rugs:
Rugs. Take them outside and shake ’em, and then wash ’em! Now that the rugs are out of the way, your floors are ready for a cleaning. Do a once over with a vacuum or Swiffer to get any dust bunnies (or if you shed as much as I do, hair bunnies) out of the way.
Using your favorite floor or multi-purpose cleaner, make your bathroom sink a makeshift bucket – no sense in carrying one around when there’s a perfectly good sink right there!
If your bathroom floors have grouted tile, use a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water to scrub it. Use Bar Keepers Friend on the grout if it needs a little extra.
Deep Cleaning Brushdrawers, medicine cabinets and mirrors
No lie, one of my favorite parts of cleaning is the organizing part! I love it! I love taking everything out and making a bigger mess, throwing half of it away and putting the rest back looking all nice and orderly… call me crazy! And there’s always plenty of that to do in the bathroom medicine cabinet. Expired medication, products that I didn’t quite love… goodbye!
:: Bedrooms ::
bed and bedding
carpet and curtains
dresser and night stands
closets
:: Laundry ::
clean washer and dryer
organize laundry room
:: Living Areas ::
vacuum and/or mop floors:
We have at least 4 different vacuums in our house, one of those things that happens when you merge households. I came with my Dysons and my Oreck and Brian loves his Shark, so we have quite the lineup! I love my Dyson Ball for all things carpeted and my zippy little handheld cordless Dyson for quick cleaning on our hard floors, stairs and couches.
Once all the little dust bunnies on our hard floors have been vacated, we mop! Someone had told Brian to check out those spin mops (we use the O-Cedar EasyWring) and it was sound advice. We don’t have to wait forever for the floors to dry (puppies aren’t very patient with these things) and it does a thorough job. We’ll sometimes split this chore up with the kiddos – one vacuums and one mops. They honestly take about the same amount of time! You can use any number of floor cleaners, but our go-to is Pine-Sol… and I love all the smells (lemon and lavender) but that original Pine-Sol is where it’s at 😉
Abby’s Dyson Ball Abby’s Cordless Dyson Abby’s Oreck Brian’s Shark O-Cedar EasyWring Pine-Solwindows and window sills
floor boards/base boards:
If you vacuumed your floor boards while doing your floors, you’re ahead of the game. This is another good job for Pine-Sol! You can go over these when they’re dry with dryer sheets (yes really) to prevent dust from sticking to them. Plus, they smell good… and I love all the good smells!
Pine-Sol Dryer Sheetsdust
ceiling fans, vents and light fixtures
coat closets
doors and doorknobs
light switches and outlets
curtains and blinds
tv’s and electronics
new plug ins/good smells:
This is one of my favorite things to do anyway. I LOVE yummy smells. We have Air Wick plug-ins in (no exaggeration) every room of our house. I also have wax melters in a few rooms connected to smart plugs. I bought this 4 pack of smart plugs for $28 on Amazon. They’re all on timers, but also set up with Alexa so she can “turn on good smells” or just specifically kitchen, office or bedroom smells. All of the scents are changed our seasonally, because winter and summer smells are not the same thing. I have a serious stash of Scentsy bars, Pink Zebra sprinkles and some various other ones picked up at the Farmer’s market or local boutiques. Bridgewater Candle’s Sweet Grace is one of my absolute favorites!
Smart Plugs Air Wick Smart Plugs Sweet Grace Wax
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