Your Ultimate Spring Cleaning Checklist

If there’s one ultimate season for a deep clean around the house, it’s spring. Why? Because it’s no fun to be crouching, scrubbing and organizing in the summer heat, and the garage, basement and attic are extra cold in the winter. Fall is such a busy time for post-vacation work or back-to-school, so spring is perfect for your place to blossom–just like the trees.

When you’re going through the spring cleaning motions this year, don’t forget to keep donations and recycling in mind. Not everything deserves to go to the dump!

We know everyone cleans house in their own way. Some go by room, and others go by category (thanks, Marie Kondo). Because of this, we’ve organized our spring cleaning checklist in two ways so you can find a format that works for you.

Spring Cleaning by Room

Garage

𝤿 Clear cobwebs if necessary

𝤿 Make sure garage door and lighting fixtures are working

𝤿 Remove everything from garage

𝤿 Go through vehicle supplies (oil, gas, cleaners)

𝤿 Clean and go through sports equipment (toss anything that’s old or broken)

𝤿 Go through gardening supplies and tools

𝤿 Organize and label items by category

𝤿 Clean and paint cupboards (or install shelving units)

𝤿 Mop floor

𝤿 Put all items back in garage

Bedroom(s)

𝤿 Remove items from shelves

𝤿 Sort items into keep/donate/trash

𝤿 Remove clothing from closets and dressers

𝤿 Sort clothing into keep/donate/trash

𝤿 Laundry (incl. dry cleaning and hand wash only)

𝤿 Dust surfaces and fixtures

𝤿 Clean mirrors and windows

𝤿 Put items back on shelves

𝤿 Put back clothing

𝤿 Vacuum/mop floor

𝤿 Clean or replace linens

Kitchen/Dining Room

𝤿 Remove everything from cupboards and drawers

𝤿 Toss old dry goods

𝤿 Organize and label dry goods

𝤿 Donate extra non-expired food

𝤿 Organize pots and pans by size

𝤿 Get rid of extra utensils or dishes

𝤿 Remove items from fridge and wipe down shelves

𝤿 Replace fridge items

𝤿 Wipe down all surfaces including cupboards, drawers, microwave and backsplash

𝤿 Wash towels and placemats

𝤿 Clean oven

𝤿 Organize drawers

𝤿 Clean trash can and recycling bin(s)

𝤿 Mop floor

Living Room

𝤿 Remove items from shelves and cupboards

𝤿 Sort items into keep/donate/trash

𝤿 Dust surfaces and fixtures

𝤿 Wipe down surfaces

𝤿 Vacuum/mop floor

𝤿 Put items back on shelves

Bathroom(s)

𝤿 Remove items from shelves, drawers and cupboards

𝤿 Sort items into keep/trash (check for expired products)

𝤿 Organize and label items by type (hair care, skin care, makeup)

𝤿 Dust surfaces and fixtures

𝤿 Clean surfaces (including shower tile, bathtub, toilet, faucets)

𝤿 Put items back

𝤿 Clean mirrors

𝤿 Wash towels and bath mat

Basement/Attic

𝤿 Clear cobwebs if necessary

𝤿 Remove items from shelves, drawers and cupboards

𝤿 Sort items into keep/donate/trash

𝤿 Organize seldom-used items into labelled bins

𝤿 Dust surfaces and fixtures

Spring Cleaning by Category (KonMari Method)

Ask yourself before adding anything to the ‘keep’ pile: does this item spark joy?

Clothing

𝤿 Remove clothing from all closets, dressers, shelves

𝤿 Sort by ‘keep’, ‘donate’, and ‘trash’

𝤿 Organize ‘keep’ pile by clothing type

𝤿 Tops

𝤿 Bottoms

𝤿 Clothes to hang up (jackets, dresses, etc.)

𝤿 Socks

𝤿 Underwear

𝤿 Bags

𝤿 Accessories

𝤿 Clothes for special purposes (swimsuits, uniforms)

𝤿 Shoes

𝤿 Fold carefully

Books

𝤿 Remove books and magazines from all shelves

𝤿 Sort by ‘keep’, ‘donate’, and ‘recycle’

𝤿 Organize ‘keep’ pile by genre (mystery, romance) or type (fiction, reference, travel guide)

𝤿 Dust shelves and put books back

Papers

𝤿 Put all papers in one place

𝤿 Insurance, banking, legal documents

𝤿 Bills and receipts

𝤿 Programs, ticket stubs, and other tourism/entertainment memorabilia

𝤿 Records

𝤿 Other (misc.)

𝤿 Sort by priority

𝤿 Paper that needs attention (bills, paperwork, forms)

𝤿 Paper you need short-term (current documents)

𝤿 Paper you need forever (marriage certificates, birth certificates)

𝤿 Find new homes for papers (filing cabinet, folders, shadow box)

Komono (Miscellaneous)

𝤿 Put all miscellaneous items in one place

𝤿 CDs/DVDs

𝤿 Skincare products/makeup

𝤿 Accessories

𝤿 Valuables (passport, credit cards)

𝤿 Electronics and small appliances

𝤿 Household equipment and supplies (first aid kid, sewing kit, cleaning supplies, tools)

𝤿 Kitchen goods/food supplies (pots, utensils, etc.)

𝤿 Other (spare change, collectibles)

𝤿 Sort by priority (long-term keep, short-term keep, memento, and trash/donate)

Mementos (Sentimental)

𝤿 Put all sentimental items in one place

𝤿 Sort by priority

𝤿 Keep

𝤿 Take photo, then let it go

𝤿 Let it go

𝤿 Find homes for ‘keep’ items