Spring Cleaning Checklist: What to Clean Around Your Home

A spring cleaning checklist can help you clean more thoroughly after winter and identify areas often missed during regular cleaning. Bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms, living areas, and appliances can all benefit from extra attention, especially if you haven't cleaned them in a while.

Spring cleaning does not necessarily mean cleaning every part of your home at once. A room-by-room checklist can help you work out what needs attention and where a professional cleaner could help with more time-consuming or detailed jobs.

What is spring cleaning?

Spring cleaning is a more detailed clean of the home that goes beyond regular weekly or fortnightly cleaning. It often focuses on areas that receive less attention during routine cleaning, such as skirting boards, ceiling fans, window tracks, appliances, wardrobes and spaces underneath furniture.

Although it is traditionally associated with spring, you can arrange a seasonal clean whenever your home needs a more thorough refresh.

For households that already use regular cleaning services, a spring clean is a chance to add detailed tasks that aren't part of the usual service.

Spring cleaning checklist

The areas that need cleaning vary by home, but this checklist covers some of the most commonly overlooked parts of the house.

Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the most frequently used rooms in a home, so it can accumulate grease, food residue and dust in places that are easy to overlook.

A spring cleaning checklist for the kitchen can include:

• Cleaning the oven, cooktop and rangehood
• Wiping cupboard doors, handles and plinths
• Cleaning inside cupboards and drawers
• Emptying and cleaning the refrigerator
• Checking pantry items and removing expired food
• Cleaning the microwave and dishwasher
• Wiping walls, splashbacks and other surfaces
• Cleaning underneath and behind accessible appliances
• Cleaning sinks, taps and other fixtures

If appliances need to be moved, check with your cleaner what they can safely access and whether this is included in the service.

Bathroom

Bathrooms can develop soap residue, limescale, and grime in areas that aren't cleaned as often.

Include the following in your spring cleaning checklist:

• Cleaning shower screens, tiles and grout
• Cleaning taps, basins and toilets
• Wiping bathroom cabinets and shelves
• Cleaning mirrors
• Dusting exhaust fans and vents
• Cleaning skirting boards and door frames
• Checking seals around showers, baths and basins
• Removing expired toiletries and other unwanted items

A more intensive clean may be appropriate if there is significant build-up in grout, shower screens or other bathroom surfaces.

Bedrooms and wardrobes

Bedrooms can collect dust underneath furniture and inside wardrobes, while bedding and soft furnishings can also benefit from periodic cleaning.

Your checklist can include:

• Cleaning underneath and behind accessible furniture
• Dusting bedside tables, headboards and other surfaces
• Cleaning wardrobes and drawers
• Vacuuming wardrobe floors
• Cleaning mirrors
• Washing bedding and other washable furnishings
• Cleaning mattresses according to the manufacturer's instructions
• Dusting ceiling fans, vents and light fittings

Wardrobes are also worth checking during a seasonal clean, particularly when switching between winter and summer clothing.

Living room

The living room is another area where dust can collect around furniture, electronics and soft furnishings.

Consider including:

• Vacuuming carpets and rugs
• Mopping hard floors
• Cleaning underneath accessible furniture
• Dusting shelves, picture frames and other surfaces
• Cleaning skirting boards and door frames
• Dusting ceiling fans and light fittings
• Cleaning air-conditioning vents
• Vacuuming upholstery where appropriate
• Cleaning windowsills and tracks

Curtains, cushions, throws and other soft furnishings may require separate cleaning services depending on their material and condition.

Windows, doors and other overlooked areas

Some of the most noticeable spring cleaning jobs are also among those that can be missed during regular cleaning.

Add these areas to your checklist:

• Window glass and frames
• Window tracks and sills
• Flyscreens
• Internal doors and handles
• Skirting boards
• Architraves
• Cornices
• Light switches
• Ceiling fans
• Air-conditioning vents
• Accessible areas behind and underneath furniture

These details can take additional time, particularly in a larger property.

Don't forget your appliances

Appliances work year-round but are often cleaned only when they visibly need attention.

As part of a spring clean, consider including the oven, rangehood, microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator, washing machine, dryer and vacuum cleaner.

Clean the dryer lint filter regularly, and clean washing machine filters and other removable components as the manufacturer's instructions require.

If you are booking a professional cleaner, check whether appliance cleaning is included. Some cleaners offer oven and other appliance cleaning as additional services.

How often should you spring clean?

There is no set schedule for spring cleaning. Some households book a detailed clean once a year, while others arrange one when the home needs additional attention.

The frequency of regular cleaning can also affect what is needed. A home cleaned regularly may require fewer intensive tasks, while a property that has gone longer between cleans may need more time and a broader range of services.

You can also use the checklist to identify specific areas that need professional attention rather than booking a whole-house clean.

When should you hire a professional cleaner?

A professional cleaner can help when your spring cleaning checklist includes many detailed tasks or areas that require specialist equipment or extra time.

This is especially relevant for larger homes, properties that haven't been thoroughly cleaned in a while, or households preparing for guests, an inspection, or a move.

Before booking, provide as much information as possible about your property size, the rooms that need cleaning, and any additional services you require. This gives cleaners a clearer idea of the work involved when preparing a quote.

If your spring cleaning checklist is longer than your available time, you can post a cleaning job on ServiceSeeking.com.au and compare quotes from cleaning professionals who can help with the work you need done.