There’s no denying it: the term ‘Spring cleaning’ is misleading.

The sad fact is, cleaning our home is a year-round responsibility—one that doesn’t disappear at the start or end of a new season, but rather changes as the seasons do. If you did clean your home just once a year…well, not only would that be an overwhelmingly colossal task, but also, gross!

Instead, try to tackle it twice a year: spring and fall. If you’ve been looking for a seasonal cleaning checklist you can easily work your way through, look no further. 

The Cleaning Checklist You Need for Every Season

Spring and fall are hands down (spray bottles up!) the best time to clean your home. Many people find that the summer heat makes household chores and maintenance tasks massively unpleasant. Likewise, attempting to do anything other than shiver away under your pile of blankets during winter months is next to impossible.

Thanks to these extremes, cleaning duties are often neglected during these seasons. The following cleaning and maintenance checklists will help make up for the time lost during summer and winter, and help you give your home or apartment the TLC it needs.  

Spring

Once your puffy jacket is back in the closet, the snow shovel has been retired, and winter has finally bid you farewell—it’s time to give your home the attention and fresh air it deserves after being shut up for months.

Spring Cleaning Checklist

• Declutter
• Spring is all about new beginnings, and a great opportunity to take a look around at all your “stuff.” Return those well-intentioned (but atrocious) Christmas gifts, sort through your winter clothes before you pack them away and donate those that no longer suit, and start filling up those Goodwill boxes.
  
  
• Deep Clean
• Deep cleaning can be divided into two main categories: soft goods and appliances.
• Soft goods include curtains, pillows, rugs, and carpets. Most curtains, pillows, blankets, and shams can be tossed into the washing machine (or dropped off at an industrial laundromat), subject to the care instructions on the tag, obviously. Rugs and carpets are best tackled with a carpet cleaner—rented from Sparetoolz, naturally. However, if you have pets, you may want to consider purchasing an inexpensive one from Amazon. Trust us…once you own it, you’ll be amazed at how often you use it!
• Appliances include everything from the fridge and microwave, which hopefully needs only a quick wipe, to the oven and stove…which, if you cook often, is probably due for a good, hard scrub! 
  
  
• Dust
• Bust out that feather duster and tackle your blinds, lampshades, bookshelves, electronics, and light fixtures.
  
  
• Wash
• No, not your laundry—your walls and baseboards. You’d be amazed at how much dust (and oily residue, in kitchens!) builds up on walls over months.
  
  
• Wipe
• Doors, cabinets, knobs, and handles should all be wiped down with a soft rag and gentle cleaner.
  
  
• Clear Out and Reorganize
• Hit your cupboards, pantry, drawers, and closets. Toss out any expired goods, reseal foods in more secure containers, and wipe down shelves as necessary.
  
  
• Rotate your mattress

But don’t think that spring is only good for giving your home a good scrub + sort. It’s also a great time to do some maintenance work!

Spring Maintenance Checklist

Here’s a spring maintenance checklist for you to work your way through:

1. If any grout in the bathroom or kitchen needs resealing, now is the time to do it. It prevents stains and damage.
   
   
2. Perform a smoke detector check to make sure they’re all working correctly.
   
   
3. Touch up on any paint jobs your interior is crying out for. Paint dries improperly in winter and too quickly in summer, so spring is your best bet for the perfect paint job.
   
   
4. Your air conditioner is going to be working overtime in the upcoming months, so it’s a good idea to change out your filters. If you haven’t had a professional maintenance check done on your unit in a while, consider calling in the pros to make sure your system is optimized.
   
   
5. Check your roof to make sure that the rainy season stays outside your home by looking out for cracks, missing shingles, and signs of leakage.

Fall

Fall is the perfect time to pick up your tool belt in preparation for the upcoming winter. As the days grow shorter, you need to capitalize on your available daylight hours. Nobody wants to be halfway up a ladder when the sun goes down!

Don’t have the necessary tools to get your home in order during fall? Rent the tools you need from Sparetoolz instead of buying them outright, considering since you only need some of them once a year!

Fall Cleaning Checklist

• Clean
• Hit all the typically neglected areas: under and on top of your refrigerator, under the bed, inside the closets, and garage. Scrub and disinfect your garbage cans. Deodorize drains with a white vinegar and baking soda solution.
  
  
• Swap
• It’s time to pack away your spring and summer wardrobe and bring out your winter gear. Switch your light cotton and linen bedding in favor of heavier flannel sheets and cozy down comforters.
  
  
• Vacuum
• Use your equipment’s attachments to vacuum your mattress (don’t forget to  rotate it!) and upholstered surfaces and furniture.
  
  
• Polish
• Make your wooden surfaces glow with a good polish. Erase fingerprints from TVs and computer screens with an electronics-safe spray cleaner.

Fall Maintenance Checklist

Fall maintenance jobs include:

1. Clean out any fallen leaves and debris from your gutters. A clogged gutter is a homeowner’s nightmare, because if left unchecked, it can cause water to pool and in turn damage your roof.
   
   
2. Get a professional to inspect and clean your boiler or furnace and chimney in preparation for winter.
   
   
3. Water your lawn in fall to help it heal from the stress of summer, and prepare for the harshness of winter that’s on its way. 
   
   
4. While you’re watering your lawn, eyeball the plants and trees on your property. If limbs and branches aren’t pruned, they could wreak havoc on your house. (A falling tree branch can equal a shattered window.) Limbs and branches should be kept at least 3 feet away from your home’s exterior. 
   
   
5. Just like you and I, bugs and vermin also like to find a cozy warm spot to wait out the winter. To make sure you don’t end up living with uninvited critters, stroll around your property and fill cracks and gaps as you find them.
   
   
6. Pipes can freeze in winter, so it’s recommended that you inspect all the faucets inside your home and out in your yard to make sure you have adequate water flow.    

Cleaning and maintaining your home properly is the best way to prevent expensive repairs and unnecessary replacements. After all, your house looks after you all year—you can look after it twice a year.

Just follow our super simple seasonal checklists to keep your home in tip-top shape.

(Need more in-depth detail? Check out this Comprehensive Spring Cleaning Checklist from the John Quinn Team.)