I’m not a huge deep cleaning person.

I’m not much of a cleaning person period, but there are two times a year when I almost can’t stop myself from de-cluttering and cleaning. Some of my friends would tell me to us somewhere like Green Facilities but I just enjoy cleaning myself. After Christmas when the house is exploding with the after Christmas mess, I can’t wait to get down the decorations, get rid of old toys, and clean clean clean. The other time is after a long hard winter, I can’t wait to open the windows, cull the blankets and heavy coats, and lighten up my house. I crave freshness and a clean slate. I crave minimalism and all things CLEAN! I know it’s crazy, but while I have the cleaning bug, I’m going to take advantage of it. After winter, it’s nice to be able to completely clean your home. One of my friends was telling me about her post-winter cleaning tips the other day. She said that her first job is removing any salt water stains on tile flooring. Apparently, after walking around outside in winter, ice melt can get stuck on your shoes and can enter your home. This can stain your floor and make the house look untidy. I’d never thought of that job until my friend told me, perhaps that’ll be the first job on my checklist from now on! Anyway, a tidy house feels so rewarding. I have to clean everything as the cleaning bug only comes twice a year for me! 🙂

In case you have no idea where to start or are just curious as to what I do in my own house, below is my Spring cleaning checklist. Feel free to use as you wish in your own home and modify for your own needs. I don’t go nuts, but I do try to hit the basics of deep cleaning. I know some people struggling with cleaning things such as an oven. You might now be wondering how to clean ovens properly, but it’s easy. So don’t worry.

Clean up your Cleaning Supplies

Homemade cleaning supplies have proved to be less expensive and safer for my family. I didn’t throw out all of my commercial cleaning supplies at once, but over time just didn’t buy anymore once they ran out. Here’s what I use in my home.

All-purpose Cleaner
Mop Solution
Peroxide and baking soda for my toilet bowls and sinks

If you are wanting more cleaning recipes and to learn how to declutter, organize, and streamline your home, check out my newest book, The Art of Keeping House.

DEEP CLEANING CHECKLIST

Kitchen

De-clutter duplicate, broken, or unnecessary kitchen utensils and tools
Wipe down top of cabinets
Wipe down cabinet fronts
Wipe down inside of cabinets and drawers
Wipe down backsplash
Clean oven
Clean microwave/toaster oven
Clean out inside of refrigerator
Vacuum under refrigerator and around coils
Clean out pantry and remove any unnecessary/expired food
Sweep/mop

Living Room

De-clutter movies, knick knacks, anything you don’t love
Dust cobwebs
Vacuum couches
Sweep/vac/mop/shampoo floors
Wash curtains/blinds

Bedrooms

De-clutter clothing, shoes, items that don’t belong in bedroom
Wash bedding
Flip mattress (although I read somewhere that some manufacturers recommend you don’t flip your mattress, so keep this in mind if you decide to buy one from some place like Leesa.)
Wash curtains
Vacuum/sweep/mop/shampoo floors