The snow is beginning to melt, Mother Nature is popping back to life with a variety of colors, and your phone and TV are filling up with ads for cleaning products. As you slowly bid goodbye to winter, your mind and body instinctively start to get out of hibernation mode as you gear up for the season of flowering and spring cleaning.

While many people are eager to prepare and then tick off tasks on their spring cleaning checklist, others might dread the seemingly massive challenge of giving their whole house a good scrub down.

But did you know that thoroughly cleaning your house in springtime is beneficial not just for your physical wellbeing but also for your emotional, mental, and even spiritual health?

This ultimate spring cleaning guide offers interesting facts about the annual ritual of doing a spring clean, as well as a spring cleaning checklist and tips to inspire even the most demotivated cleaners.

Spring Cleaning: What is it?

In North America, spring cleaning tends to mean doing a deep clean of your whole house, usually at the beginning of springtime. Why do North Americans wait until spring comes to do general cleaning?

The snow and cold tend to limit your movement and energy during winter. You want to focus your resources on keeping you and your loved ones as warm and comfortable as possible during wintertime. And let’s be honest, the winter holidays and the cold months are perfect for just chilling, binge-watching movies or shows on online streaming services, and bonding with loved ones indoors. Making a spring cleaning checklist and vacuum around the house can be more challenging when the cozy fireplace and couch seem tempting.

As the days become longer and the climate turns warmer, you may notice that you slowly regain your energy and can pull yourself away from the TV to tidy up and sweep a bit. This natural phenomenon can be linked to your body’s natural response to springtime. The flowers are blooming, plants are growing, the air is fresher, the weather is sunnier – it seems like the perfect time to give yourself and your home a fresh start.

And that is actually what spring cleaning is for others, not only in Canada and the United States but also in many other countries and cultures. In fact, for Iranians, Chinese, and Jews, this is an annual religious or cultural tradition that is generally rooted in sweeping out the bad and ushering in the good as they commemorate a new beginning.

In countries that experience four seasons, there are also practical reasons why spring is the most favored time to schedule general cleaning in the home. Extreme winter cold causes several problems to the structure and quality of a house, such as the following:

1. Cracks on driveways, window frames, or drywalls
2. Stuffy and dusty interiors after using the fireplace for many months and not opening doors and windows for better ventilation
3. Mold growth in poorly insulated or poorly ventilated parts of the house
4. Damaged patios or yards due to the frost

Since it is challenging or impossible to tackle these issues during wintertime, many homeowners can quickly grab the opportunity to deal with these problems when spring arrives.

Even in historical times, cleaning the fireplace, sweeping up the soot, and dusting were done in springtime since the climate is warm enough to open doors and windows, and there are high winds that can help carry the dust out of the house.

Spring Cleaning in Canada

It looks like most Canadians are also eager to put in some elbow grease and are willing to spend some cash to get their house spic and span as spring rolls around the corner. Redecorating and spring cleaning services are in high demand. The 2015 GDP of warehousing and storage was $3.025 billion in Canada (as reported by Statistics Canada).

Another report from a market research group in 2005 indicates that 24% of Canadians clean their home daily, and 78% do it once a week. Those numbers may even be higher nowadays as COVID made more homeowners more particular about keeping a safe and clean home environment.

While sanitizing and disinfecting the most used surfaces in your home on a day-to-day basis can be manageable, doing a deep clean of your whole house can take up more energy and time. With more Canadians working from home and juggling housework and their kids’ schedules and needs, too, all those tasks on your spring cleaning checklist can seem impossible to accomplish.

Luckily, you can hire our spring cleaning services here at Life Maid Easy to help get you and your home ready for a fresh start. We implement high standards of cleanliness and hygiene and ensure our staff follows strict COVID protocols to ensure your family’s safety. We service several Canadian cities, including Toronto, Calgary, Burnaby, and Vancouver, so feel free to contact us for your cleaning needs.

After the harsh Canadian winters, it can be rewarding and exciting to welcome sunnier days and warmer weather with a cleaner, more organized, and newly renovated home. Plus, it can be a lot easier to deal with allergy season when you minimize the number of allergens in your home after a deep clean throughout your whole dwelling.

Yes, it’s going to be a big task, but with the help of our professional cleaners and tips, plus the checklist below, you can be more motivated and better prepared.

Spring Cleaning Checklist

A spring cleaning checklist gives you a game plan on how to tackle all the rooms and items in your house and ensures you don’t miss a spot. This allows you to be as thorough and efficient as possible and helps manage your time and energy better. Most importantly, it helps you get started, which can be the most challenging task.

One way to avoid getting too overwhelmed is to tackle one task, area, or room at a time. Choose the method that helps you stay the most focused, organized, and productive.

Preparation

1. Gather all your cleaning tools and materials in a bucket or basket so you can easily keep them organized and take them with you as you move along your house.
2. An article by Elizabeth Larkin in The Spruce about helpful spring cleaning tips recommends preparing three boxes. Use them to help declutter and sort out the items you come across in your home. One box should be labeled as Donate/Consign, the second as Repair, and the third as Put Away (to temporarily store any items misplaced or things you want to transfer to another room or storage area).
3. An additional tip from the same article suggests keeping a pen and paper with you so you can list tasks that pop up as you clean. It also allows you to take note of bigger items that you want to give away, repair, or relocate that won’t fit into the three boxes you prepared for decluttering.
4. Stay protected. Have a mask, gloves, goggles, and sanitizers and disinfectants ready.

All Rooms

1. Open windows and doors in the area you are working into the air out the room and allow better ventilation (this helps with the dust, molds, chemicals, and other toxic particles you get exposed to).
2. Still, have a holiday or seasonal decor on display? Take them down, clean them, then store them back in their boxes.
3. Aim high. Your ceilings, moldings, hanging or recessed lights, ceiling fans, and other fixtures and structures in higher places tend to get neglected the rest of the year.
4. Clean your walls. Dusting or vacuuming can do the trick, but stubborn stains may need some more elbow grease. Wipe the stain with a soft cloth and a cleaning mixture of warm water, soap, and vinegar, then rinse it off with another cloth or sponge and water.
5. Remove curtains and blinds and wash them following the manufacturer’s instructions.
6. Wash your windows, doors, and screens. Include the frames and jams of your windows and doors.
7. Empty out and then dust shelves, cupboards, drawers, and cabinets.

8. Wipe down tables, dressers, counters, and chairs.

9. Vacuum sofas, couches, and cushions; make sure to get into those nooks and crannies.

10. Get those pillows and linens washed.

11. Carefully clean mirrors, hanging art or photos, lamps, decor, and appliances.

12. Don’t forget HVAC vents and grills, and ventilation fans.

13; Check if any indoor plants contain pests. Clean their containers and wipe off the grime and dust from their leaves.

14. Attend to your carpets, rugs, and doormats. Make sure you give them a deep clean.

15. Tackle the baseboards and floor. It is best to remove floor coverings and move furniture so you can give your flooring a thorough clean.

16. Make sure the furniture, linen, and all room areas are properly dry before you start arranging and decorating again.

Bedroom

1. Wash your bed linens, comforters, and pillows (check labels for instructions).
2. Clean the headboard and bed frames if you have them.
3. Sprinkle some baking soda mixed with essential oil over your mattress. Leave on for a few minutes, then vacuum the top and the sides. Flip your mattress at least twice a year; make sure also to clean the side you will be sleeping on. You can also use an iron or garment steamer to kill dust mites that are near the surface of your mattress.
4. Declutter and organize your closet. Go through your winter clothes and shoes. Are any of them torn, stained, or worn out? Do all of them still fit you well? Segregate them according to those you are keeping, repurposing, or giving away. Please do the same with your spring/summer clothes before arranging them in your closet.
5. Place your children’s plastic toys in the dishwasher and put them on a quick/crystal cycle (make sure to skip heated dry). As for soft toys, check the care tags first, then clean them according to instructions.

Bathroom

1. Check the plumbing and faucets for leaks, clogs, and other problems and repair them.
2. Soak shower heads in water and vinegar to get rid of rust, hard water buildup, and other gunk.
3. Wash your shower curtain and bathmats.
4. Clean the mirrors and glass compartments of the shower area.
5. Wipe shower curtain rods, shower niches, toilet paper holders, handles, and doorknobs.
6. Ensure you deep clean your sink, bathtub, and toilet.
7. Don’t forget to clean and disinfect your loofah scrubs, exfoliating brushes, hair accessories, combs and hairbrushes, and makeup sponges and brushes.
8. Go through your cabinets and shelves and get rid of expired and unused toiletries, makeup, and medical products. Clean your drawers, cabinets, and shelves before organizing items back into place.
9. Give your tiles, floor, and grout a thorough cleaning.
10. Leave windows and doors open and ventilation fans on. You want to make sure your bathroom will dry thoroughly.

Kitchen

1. Purge your fridge and pantry for expired food and products that are still good, but you have to give them away because of a change in your diet. Give your refrigerator and pantry a deep clean.
2. Get your stovetop and oven sparkling clean.
3. De-gunk your exhaust hood.
4. You use your kitchen appliances frequently, so make sure to give them a good clean, including their accessories, cords, and plugs.
5. Give your eating and cooking utensils a thorough clean. This is the time to put elbow grease into scrubbing your pots and pans, polishing silverware, and removing stains from coffee mugs or teacups.
6. Sanitize and get rid of stinky smells from your garbage disposal by throwing in lemon rinds then flushing it with cold water.
7. Give every nook and cranny of your kitchen floor a good sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping to get rid of any crumbs and stains hiding in hard-to-reach spaces.
8. Wash and disinfect your kitchen sponges, brushes, and hand towels or rags.
9. Check if your dishwashing gloves and sponges need to be replaced.

Laundry Room

1. Get rid of dryer lint and fire hazards by cleaning out the filter (it’s even better and safer to do this after every load).
2. Add vinegar to your washing machine, then let it run on a cycle. Wipe down all the parts of your washing machine, including the lid and dispensers. Add baking soda and let the machine run on another cycle. Then leave the cover open to completely dry.
3. Organize your laundry supplies.

Home Office

1. Clean computers, printers, and other appliances.
2. Declutter, clean, and organize desks, drawers, and shelves.
3. Go through files, throw away or shred old/unimportant papers, then properly manage any remaining documents.

Garage

1. Organize tools.
2. Take this opportunity to check and reassess the items you stored in your garage. What items are broken or haven’t been used since last spring? Is there anything you can donate or give away?
3. Bring out equipment and other items you will most likely use during spring and summer, such as bicycles, outdoor furniture, and gardening supplies.
4. Properly store your winter items.

Patio

1. Wash your patio furniture with soap and water, then let them air dry.
2. Sweep and power wash your patio.
3. Check which plants need to be pulled out and replaced.

Car

1. Inspect the glove compartment, toolbox, trays, and between and under seats for misplaced items or forgotten trash hiding in certain crevices.
2. Wash the floor mats.
3. Vacuum and wipe down the interiors. Don’t forget to disinfect.
4. Give the outside of your car a good wash (you can always take it to a car wash).

Miscellaneous

1. Wash and air dry your cleaning tools (sponges, rags, brooms, mops, etcetera.
2. Clean your vacuum. Wash or replace the filters, clean the dust cup, replace the bag (if your vacuum has one), and get rid of any dust or threads stuck on the brushes.
3. Get rid of those nasty germs on your cellphones, remote controls, computer mouse, and other electronics. Items like these that you frequently use and place in your hands should be cleaned and disinfected.
4. Your reusable grocery bags and your favorite purse or backpack can also do with some spring cleaning. Check the inside compartments of the bags for small items hiding in the nooks and crannies and for stains. Make sure to read care labels before cleaning or washing.
5. Go through your old newspapers and magazines and sort them out into what you can recycle.
6. Store reusable, paper, and plastic shopping bags in one place and an organized manner.
7. Attend to clothes, shoes, appliances, and other items that need repairs.
8. Clean and organize your collections and hobby supplies.
9. Sort out and organize photos and important documents before storing them safely.

What other projects or tasks do you want to add to this spring cleaning checklist?

Spring Cleaning Tips

The checklist we gave you is pretty comprehensive, but we want to motivate you even more with these tips for a more efficient spring cleaning experience.

Get everyone involved.

If you live with your family or roommates, request everyone to participate in the big clean-up. Just remember to assign age-appropriate chores to the younger or older ones. This can spread the load and cut down the time spent on cleaning the whole house.

Clean on a schedule that works for you.

Not everyone can afford to spend a whole weekend on general cleaning. And if you have quite a lot of stuff and a big house, two days might not be enough. You can work on certain tasks for 30 minutes to one hour a day or spread out the chores throughout several weekends. Just remember to stick to a realistic deadline.

You don’t need the latest and too many cleaning gadgets or products.

The cleaning industry is taking advantage of the increasing interest and demand for cleaner and safer homes during the pandemic and has introduced many new products. However, even with basic cleaning supplies, you can get the job done if you have the right tools and knowledge.

Clear the clutter first.

It is more difficult to clean when so much stuff is lying around.

Remember that a checklist is just a guide.

There are so many spring cleaning checklists you can find online, and each one offers a different technique or process. You don’t have to stick to these lists word for word. It would be better to use these as guides and create a personalized checklist. You are the homeowner, so you are the best one who knows what areas of your house require more attention.

Take advantage of spring cleaning tips.

Cleaning anything can be simpler with the right products, tools, and techniques. For example, those pesky window blinds? You can soak them in the bathtub with water and a gentle cleaning product. After a few minutes, rinse them in clean water and allow them to dry before hanging them back up properly. Don’t forget to check first if they are washable.

Practice spring cleaning all year round.

Why wait to do a deep clean in your home until next spring? Try to spread out heavier tasks, like cleaning tile grout throughout the year. You can spend an extra 10-15 minutes scrubbing your grout every time you wipe down your shower. This way, you can be in better control of the amount of grime that sticks onto the surfaces of your bathroom and not have to deal with a whole year’s accumulation of gunk in next year’s big clean-up.

Conclusion

So, are you ready to roll up your sleeves and spring clean? Or does hiring spring cleaning services sound more practical?

You deserve to have a clean, safe, and healthy home, so get the best cleaning service in your area with Life Maid Easy. Check out our website for more details, including available franchise opportunities, or talk to us at 1 833 247 MAID (6243).

We give free disinfecting with every clean house service, and we use non-hazardous, non-toxic, environmentally friendly products that are safe for children, pets, and the atmosphere. Get in touch with us for a free cleaning estimate.

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