The Ultimate Spring Cleaning and Decluttering Guide: Room-by-Room
When the feeling of Spring is in the air, it is often time to clean out our comfy Winter nest. Many people enjoy a good Spring clean, though some dread it. The following ultimate guide for cleaning and decluttering focuses on the average house, room-by-room, and can be used for ideas and inspiration or as a checklist to methodically work through. You can approach it in any order or use it in a disciplined approach by following it exactly.
With such a large environment as your home, Spring is the perfect time to take advantage of the new light, warmth and energy. After all, Spring is a time for new growth.
Get Started in the right mind frame for decluttering by:
Thinking about the space you will create
Thinking about having less to tidy, dust and clean
Thinking about how you will be able to make the items that are important to you much more accessible
Use these declutter box labels ready for the Ultimate Spring clean:
Donate: If you feel that an item still has use and another person may appreciate it, this is where your items go ready for charity or even on-display in the street for a passer-by to take (check that this is allowed in your neighbourhood). You can let people know about a free item by posting on an app such as Freecycle or Nextdoor.
Sell: If you feel there is monetary value in what you have, place it in this box and get it ready for a garage sale, on eBay, Nextdoor, Craiglist or your local car boot sale. Don’t expect much for it though. Often items sell for much less than we hope. Be prepared for the effort it takes to clean, photograph and write up your ad, and then the possible postage as well.
Fix-It: Sort items that may be worth fixing. For every item we repair and still enjoy, there is a positive impact on the environment through less demand for manufacturing of a replacement.
Recycle: If your item is recyclable, ensure that you give the environment a chance, rather than it being buried in landfill.
As a very last resort, put your items in a garbage bag ready for the next collection.
Extra tips:
Be prepared for lots of sorting. Many items you find will be out of place. On a surface within the room you are working in, sort your items into categories as you come across them. When you have finished the sort, ensure that each category has a specific home to be returned to after future use.
Try to cull duplicates. You usually only need one of the same item as you tend to use one thing at a time. You can replace most items cheaply when they have lasted their full use. Do you use two staplers at a time? Two pens? Two identical paint brushes? Choose the best quality of the two or the item you enjoy most.
Always seek permission before discarding something that belongs to someone else in your household.
Keep surfaces completely clear. Only keep an item on it if it is in daily use. If you must, only have one feature decoration on each surface. Too many decorations are overwhelming and more awkward to keep clean and clean around. The bonus is that your feature item will stand out aesthetically.
Only fill your drawers up to a third to a half of their capacity. Many of the items stored inside drawers are of no use and make it more difficult to locate what you do need, when you actually need it.
One helpful rule that can help is to begin at the top and work your way down, whether this be at the top of your house or at the top of the room you are working your way through.
Another rule that can help is to start with the largest items first and work your way down to the smallest. This way you are motivated by the impact of removing or cleaning the item makes.
Do an overall deep clean of the following repeated areas of your house first using a cleaning cloth, a bucket, cleaner and disinfectant:
Clean extraction fans and air grills
Clean the dust from your light bulbs, shades and fittings
Clean, disinfectant and wipe all your door handles, knobs and switches
Clean, wipe down and disinfect all staircase handrails and balustrades
Clean all tops of doors door frames, windowsills, mirror tops, picture tops, cupboard tops, curtain rail tops and the tops of kick boards/panels/baseboards running along the bottom of your interior walls
Wash all windows
Wipe down and dust all blinds and curtains.
Wipe down plant leaves and pots.
Then:
Check batteries in all your clocks or smoke and CO2 detectors and test them
Replace light bulbs and fuses
Bathroom
Clean limescale from fittings including sink holes and plugs
Clean makeup tools, hair combs and brushes
Clean or discard toilet brush and holder
Clean shower screens, glass and mirrors
Clean showerhead
Clean taps and fittings
Clean tiles and scrub grout
Clean toilet
Clean toothbrush holders
Clean towel rails, toilet holders.
Clean tub and shower
Clean vanity unit and any bathroom recesses
Declutter drawers and recycle used bottles and containers
Discard expired products including any medication
Bedrooms
Wipe down and disinfect your furniture
Sort your clothes into categories and donate any that don’t fit, don’t suit you best, are worn out, are unused duplicates.
Organise cupboards and drawers, ensuring everything has an easily identified place to return to.
Launder bedding including sheets, pillowcases, quilts, duvets and any other bedding.
Vacuum, air and turn over mattress
Vacuum or mop hard floors
Deep vacuum or shampoo rugs or carpets
Dining Room
Clean china and ceramics
Launder tablecloths, cleaning cloths and tea towels
Polish silver
Sort any stored cutlery, napkins and declutter the excess
Clean and disinfect furniture
Launder cushions or deep clean and vacuum if they are fixed to your furniture
Wipe down walls or dust with feather duster
Mop or vacuum floor
Shampoo carpets or rugs
Entrance and Hallway
Clean and disinfect coat rack
Clean and disinfect shoe holder/storage
Clean the entrance door, including paintwork
Hang jackets and declutter any that no longer fit, are worn out, or don’t suit your style
Launder, deep vacuum or shampoo hall runner or rug
Mop floors
Organise shoes and declutter those that no longer fit, are worn out, or don’t suit you
Shake out, vacuum and clean doormat
Sort key storage area and clean
Vacuum floors
Wipe down walls and surfaces
Kitchen
Clean all countertops and surfaces, move any items off the surface into cupboard or drawer storage
Clean and disinfect sponges and brushes
Clean any tiles and scrub grout
Clean cabinet doors and kitchen backsplash
Clean dishwasher inside and outside and descale it
Clean drawers and shelves in refrigerator and freezer
Clean fridge seals
Clean limescale of tap fittings and drains
Clean microwave inside and outside
Clean out sink drains
Clean oven extraction range hood, wash its fan filters and wipe down surfaces
Clean refrigerator inside and outside
Declutter cleaning products, especially those that are empty, expired or don’t serve a purpose
Declutter cutlery, glasses, mugs, plates, bowls etc. recycling any worn or broken items
Declutter drawers and get rid of any utensils, kitchen gadgets and appliances that rarely see use
Declutter pots and pans, reducing duplicates, broken or pans with worn out surfaces, particularly non-stick.
Deep clean stovetop
Defrost freezer
Degrease and deep clean oven
Feather dust and wipe down walls
Mop floors
Remove items from cabinets and thoroughly clean inside
Shake out and vacuum floor mats
Sort and get rid of expired food in cupboards, fridge and freezer
Laundry Room
Clean and disinfect all folding or sorting surfaces.
Clean and sort linen cupboard and declutter excess linen, including worn, stained, and hardly used items
Clean down ironing board surface and wipe down ironing board legs
Clean lint catcher/trap in dryer
Clean tiles and scrub grout
Clean washing machine inside and out, descale it too.
Descale you iron
Feather dust and wipe walls
Mop floors
Organise laundry supplies and recycle empty bottles
Sweep floors
Living Room
Disinfect and clean remote controls
Dust and wipe down electronics and digital gadgets
Launder cushion covers, sofa covers, blankets etc.
Shake out and deep vacuum rugs
Sort through books and media then declutter those that are rarely used or not used at all
Vacuum floors
Vacuum sofa and chairs and wipe down and disinfect
Wipe down all surfaces and disinfect
Wipe down and disinfect furniture
Child’s Room and Play Areas
Disinfect all toys with non-allergenic disinfectant or soap and water
Launder or hand wash stuffed toys
Declutter unused, worn out or broken toys (with your child’s permission and involvement)
Organise toys into categories and storage and teach your child how to put away their items
Vacuum, mop or shampoo floors, carpet and rugs
Office
Declutter excess stationary, particularly duplicates
Declutter your desk surface of all paper, decorations and excess stuff. Keep you items in drawers and a filing cabinet. A clean desk is good for your concentration and organisation
Digitally declutter your files, getting rid of past documents, notes and software no longer use. Sort into labelled files and backup to your cloud service if needed
Disinfect keyboard, mouse and other electronics
Sort paperwork into labelled files, recycle paper, and shred sensitive materials
Wipe down and disinfect furniture and surfaces
Garage
Clean doors
Clean walls
Declutter your tools and equipment and sort them into stored categories
Degrease the floor of oil or other spillages
Move on any stored items in boxes. It is time to decide what happens to them
Open the windows or doors and sweep out the dust and dirt
Sort cleaning products and liquids and store them safely
Enjoy your freshly invigorated and clean home, ready for more relaxed Spring and Summer days!
If you would like to learn more about decluttering and living with less, please consider reading my book, “Mindful Minimalism”