Spring is definitely around the corner, even though this past week was so cold and rainy for us in Bulgaria. If you are like me, I am sure that you are already feeling done with winter and are looking forward to warmer days with windows wide open while you work your way your daily to-do list.
Yes, spring feels very close to us which automatically means that it’s time for the annual spring deep clean! Spring cleaning is definitely not the most fun activity for warmer days but you don’t have to feel overwhelmed by it. The key is to prepare and have a game plan. If you’d prefer to do it all in one or two days, that is great. I prefer to spread it out over the course of two weeks and do small chunks of work every day. It doesn’t seem as big of a job and fits easier into my busy schedule.
Follow my spring cleaning checklist (you can also download it below). Check off the list as you go and, when you’re done, your home will be ready for the fresh spring air we’re all waiting for.
KITCHEN
Let’s start with the kitchen as this is probably the messiest room of our homes. Every time I clean my kitchen, I start by emptying my fridge and pantry – I throw away old expired food and drinks so that I can make more space for fresh products. I use a mixture of 1 part baking soda and 1 part water to scrub the inside of the fridge with a cleaning rag, whereas for the pantry shelves I use my general dust spray. Once they are dry, I put everything back in an organized way: sorting like with like such as veggies, fruit, milk products, etc.
Then, I move to cleaning all of my kitchen appliances – oven, microwave, kitchen sink, coffee machine, blender, kettle, etc. Even though I clean them regularly every week, I still like to include them on my deep clean schedule and make sure that they are sparkling clean for spring.
The third and fourth days of my checklist are dedicated to all of the cupboards and drawers in the kitchen – this might be a daunting task, but taking one cupboard or a drawer at a time will make it a lot more manageable. Take everything out, dust carefully the surfaces and bring everything back in. Don’t be afraid to get rid of any utensils that you don’t use anymore.
And the last day for the kitchen is all about those counters. I am sure that we all clean out counters multiple times per day but now it’s time to focus on every little corner and places that are hard to get and are often forgotten about.
Bonus tip: Use these kitchen organizers to store food or spices in your pantry. They will save you some much needed cabinet space!
BEDROOM
Moving on to the bedroom, start by removing and washing all your bedding. Personally, we have another set of bed sheets and bed cover for the warmer days of the year so now it’s a great time to change into those. Don’t forget to wash all the blankets and robes you use on a daily basis as well.
The second day of the bedroom cleaning schedule is dedicated to the wardrobe and any other dressers you might have in your bedroom. Starting from the inside out, take out everything in any drawers, dust the inside of them with a dusting rag, and then fold or sort everything back in a neat fashion.
Once that is done, starting from the top down, dust everything in sight: dresser, mirrors, fans, bed, and then the base boards. Next you should sweep, vacuum, or mop depending on your bedroom surface.
BATHROOM
The next two days of the cleaning calendar are dedicated to our bathroom. Start by spraying the inside of the toilet, tub, shower, and sink with your favorite bathroom spray. Leave it to sit. Throw any towels or bath rugs into the wash. Next, take everything out of the bathroom drawers and go through and throw away any old medications, makeup, or bath products. While you’re organizing, dust the inside of anything and put everything back using a small storage bin with labels of your choice.
Next, using a toilet brush, clean the inside of the toilet. Then using a separate rag, clean the outside of the toilet. Counter tops, sink, handles, and other surfaces are next but don’t forget to change the rag. Lastly, sweep and mop the floors. Feel free to put back any washed towels or bath rugs.
LIVING ROOM
Starting from the top down, dust everything in sight: fans, cabinets, bookshelves, and baseboards. Then use a microfiber cloth or a vacuum with brush to clean the couch. Sweep and vacuum last. Do this for every remaining room.
HALLWAY
We have a relatively small hallway in our current apartment but this is the room where we store the majority of our shoes and coats that are currently in season. When the new season begins, I like to change all of the shoes in the hallway cupboard and the coats/jackets hanging from the hanger with the pairs that are more appropriate for the new season. Before putting the winter shoes and coats in storage, I either hand wash them or take them to the dry cleaner’s so that they are fresh and washed for next year.
Once this is done, I dust all the surfaces, vacuum and mop the floor and, finally, replace the air freshener with something that smells more like spring.
WINDOWS + BALCONY
The last room that I need to tackle in my calendar is my balcony. The good thing is that our balcony is really small so it won’t take me much time to sweep and mop the floor, dust the window sills and the railing, I might even consider planting some spring flowers to beautify it even further. As this won’t take me much time, I decided to combine it with the windows cleaning in the whole apartment.
To be perfectly honest, doing the windows is the least favorite chore of mine so I rely on Kaloyan’s help heavily every year. He still doesn’t know that I have planned this chore for this month so keep your fingers crossed that he will still agree to help me out, lol!
FINAL SWEEP
And finally – the last day of the cleaning calendar, the final sweep! I love to finish everything off with a final vacuum and mop of all floors in our small apartment. Then, I change all the air fresheners and add a few fresh flowers in the living room so that spring can finally be welcomed!
What is your routine when spring cleaning? Any tips that you would like to share with me? Let me know in the comments.
