As we move forward into Spring anticipating warmer weather and blooming buds, it’s time to take your home out of hibernation and bust open those cleaning supplies. Whether you need to do some minor upkeep or blitz the whole house, sometimes the hardest part of the process is knowing where to start.

Pleasant Grove Self Storage wants to help you out. We’ve created a handy, downloadable Spring Cleaning Checklist that you can keep with you, and we have developed a cleaning guide that offers the best tips for cleaning every room of the house. Think of us as your spring cleaning coach and use our guide as simply that – allow yourself the freedom to do all of the tasks or just what speaks to you.

Spring Cleaning Checklist

The Weekly Cleaning Schedule

If you don’t have a weekly cleaning routine to maintain your house throughout the year, may we suggest you consider following one? Spreading cleaning chores throughout the week makes the tasks seem less daunting.

The Spruce suggests that a weekly cleaning schedule will save hours of time. Consider budgeting your time when you’re starting your weekly cleaning schedule. Try to work as fast as possible or set a timer for 10-20 minutes and clean as much as you can during that time. Don’t allow yourself to get bogged down trying to accomplish a day’s task.

The key idea here is consistency. If some of the dusting doesn’t get completed this Monday, remember you have next week to catch those areas. Give yourself some grace. It’s okay if you skip a day or week of cleaning when needed. Your house will recover.

Restock Your Supply List & Check it Twice

Don’t let running out of a cleaning product halt your cleaning efforts. Make sure you’re stocked with the necessary household supplies, such as an all-purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, mildly abrasive cleaner used for all surfaces, scrubbing brush, and towels.

Martha Stewart lists the best cleaning products to keep your home spotless:

Wipe Down/Vacuum Walls, Ceilings & Baseboards

Remove dust and cobwebs by vacuuming and taking off surface grime with a solvent-free degreaser. Test the degreaser in an inconspicuous area to make sure it won’t ruin the surface you will be cleaning. Use a microfiber cloth to wipe down your baseboards with a mixture of 3–4 drops of dishwashing soap along with warm water.

Scrub & Reseal Grout Lines

If you’ve noticed the cement-based lines between your tile, walls and flooring are wearing down or are stained, that means it’s time to clean and reseal your grout lines. To properly clean grout lines, you can use almost any commercial grout & tile cleaner paired with a scrub brush that you don’t use for the kitchen.

For more information on how to use grout cleaner, read Home Depot’s How to Clean Grout step-by-step guide.

No Dust Left Behind

Okay, obviously you can’t get every single speck of dust off of your furniture, bookcases, and shelves, but you can dust more thoroughly by removing knick knacks, books, and other personal belongings before dusting. Dust from the top of the room to the bottom and vacuum the floor at the end to catch the dust that settled. A feather duster or a clean microfiber cloth will handle most dusting jobs, and a dusting brush or vacuum crevice tool helps you get hard-to-reach places. For areas you can’t reach, such as the top of ceiling fans, try using a cobweb duster with an extension pole.

Just Beat It

Take all of the cushions out of the room you’re cleaning, walk outside, and gently beat the dust off by hand. This is also a good time to check for any rips or stains on the upholstery. Manufacturers usually sew a tag on a seam that explains how to properly wash and dry. Use the crevice tools from your vacuum to suck up in between and underneath the seat cushions for the finishing touch.

Clean the Windows & Window Treatments

Most of the time when we don’t open our windows during the cold winter months, they collect dust, dead bugs, spiderwebs, sometimes mold or mildew. But don’t worry! We have the solution courtesy of Molly Maid – mix equal parts white vinegar and water into a spray bottle and use a wet toothbrush or small-sized brush to rid the window sill of the mold. (Just a precaution, this could be a temporary fix to a larger problem, such as moisture coming from cracks or leaks.)

To clean the window screens, remove them from the window and wash them with warm water and a mild dishwashing liquid. Scrub with a screen brush and rinse completely. You can also use mild dishwashing soap for metal and vinyl blinds, while wooden blinds can be wiped with a damp cloth.

Vacuum/Shampoo Carpet & Rugs

Once you’re done with dusting, sweeping, and mopping, you can vacuum and consider shampooing the carpet and rugs. Be aware that synthetic carpets and rugs without any waterproof backing need to be professionally cleaned, while flooring with waterproof backings can be cleaned with a carpet shampoo machine. Rug Pad USA has everything you need to know on how to waterproof a rug (it’s easier than you think).

Polish Door & Window Hardware

Use a polish-saturated cloth or liquid polish for cleaning easy-to-medium tarnished surfaces such as metal door brackets and doorknobs. Livspace recommends various solvent mixtures for the following metals:

Copper: Rub lemon or a mixture of salt and vinegar to get rid of grime.
Chrome and Steel hardware: Clean with a vinegar-soaked cloth; but, for rust, use an aluminum foil soaked in water and then scrub. Avoid using steel wool or rough cloth on stainless steel, since they can damage the surface.
Brass: Because brass is made of about 85 percent copper and 15 percent zinc, it creates a “patina” (a dirty sheen when exposed to oxygen for long periods of time) that doesn’t easily corrode; but without proper care, it can be easily tarnished. This is treated with a mixture of half a cup of vinegar, one teaspoon of salt, and some flour to make a paste or use commercial polishing products like Brasso or Simichrome.
Pewter: Clean easily with a mixture of vinegar, salt, and flour paste.
Silver: Mix one tablespoon of ammonia with one pint of water and wipe with a soft cloth.

Wax On, Wax Off

Your wooden furniture requires special care. We recommend removing the dirt and dust before waxing. Start by lightly dampening a soft cloth with water and mild dishwashing liquid to gently remove any grime. Then fold a cotton rag into a square pad and apply a paste wax such as Minwax or Howard Paste onto the wood surface. After it dries, buff the wood with a clean cloth.

Before you begin waxing the floor, consider what type of flooring you have. All hardwood, terra-cotta, other unglazed floor tiles, and vinyl composition tile (VCT) need to be waxed. Some require wax cleaning every six months. Others, every two years. Floors that don’t need waxing or need a specific paste are laminate wood floors, engineered hardwood, natural stone, bamboo, luxury vinyl tile (LVT), and ceramic tile. Check with the manufacturer of your flooring for their recommendations.

For a quick reference on whether you should wax your floors, check out the Family Handyman article, Why You Should (or Shouldn’t) Wax the Floors in Your Home.

Home Safety

Last but definitely not least, we offer some safety tips:

Check the batteries in your home’s smoke detectors – usually done twice a year.
Clean both the outside and inside of your HVAC units – usually located in the garage, attic, basement, or crawlspace. Read Family Handyman’s article, Cleaning Air Conditioners in the Spring for a free step-by-step guide (pictures included).

Pairing these techniques with this downloadable Spring Cleaning Checklist will make your spring cleaning easy breezy. Contact us at 916-772-1500 to talk to our friendly management team at Pleasant Grove Self Storage and read our other blog posts to learn the tips & tricks on best storage practices and how to declutter your home.

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