Spring has sprung, friends! The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and spring cleaning is right around the corner.
Spring cleaning can be a really big job for a lot of people. While it’s a bit of a hassle, it’s a great opportunity to get your home organized, sanitized and tidied up after a long winter. It’s especially beneficial if you’ve been spending more time cooped up at home lately.
While you’re scrubbing, mopping, and rearranging, make sure to add these 15 commonly forgotten household chores to your to-do list!
1. Clear out expired items from pantry
We’re all friends here. When’s the last time you cleaned out your pantry? It’s okay if you can’t remember! Toss all the items you opened and forgot about that hide in the back of your pantry. That stale bag of chips? Time to go.
Check the expiration dates for all the other items on your shelves and toss anything that has already expired or will expire relatively soon.
2. Wipe down all the baseboards
Have you looked at your baseboards lately? If you aren’t cleaning them regularly, I can guarantee they aren’t a pretty picture.
If you’re not super thrilled about getting down on your hands and knees, you can start by using a vacuum to clear off the dust and dirt from your baseboards. Then, you can use a Swiffer or a similar tool to give them a good cleaning.
3. Clean your mattress
Surely, you’re already washing your sheets and duvet covers once a week (at least, I hope you are!). But how often do you consider cleaning your actual mattress?
It isn’t so hard to clean your mattress. All you need to do is sprinkle some baking soda on your mattress and let it sit for awhile, at least for an hour. When you come back, all you need to do is vacuum up the powder and there you have it! A clean and healthy mattress.
4. Freshen up your curtains
One of the most overlooked items in your home is probably your curtains. Remember them? It’s easy to forget they are even there, let alone that they need to be cleaned.
Make sure that you give the care labels a good lookover so that you don’t ruin them. Once you’ve done that, go ahead and give them a good clean! Want to maintain that lovely scent? Use your fabric spray to spruce them up every now and then.
5. Dispose of all outdated medicines.
If your medicine cabinet looks anything like mine, a good springtime purge is very overdue. You probably haven’t even thought about going through your medicines before, have you? Yeah, me neither.
There are probably a lot of items in your medicine cabinet that need to be tossed. If the date is expired, do yourself a favour and toss it now before it continues taking up space. Not sure how to dispose of your medicines? No worries! You can check out this super helpful article from FDA that helps you to properly dispose of outdated or unused medicine.
6. Dust off ceiling fans
There are few household chores I despise more than dusting off my ceiling fans. Neglecting to dust off your ceiling fans can really aggravate allergies and other throat and nose irritations, like asthma. With a fiancé who’s allergic to everything under the sun, it’s a must in our home!
If you’re worried about making a mess while you clean, you can try out the pillowcase hack! All you need to do is get one of your extra pillowcases out from the linen closet and put the opening over a ceiling fan blade. Slide the pillowcase off, making sure not to let any of the dust fall. Voila!
7. Clean the hard-to-reach spots
While you might think you’re giving your house a deep clean, you probably aren’t getting into every nook and cranny as often as you should. There are probably dust bunnies hiding in spots you don’t even realize!
Unfortunately, this means moving around furniture… I know, it’s no fun! But the spots behind your refrigerator and oven are probably in need of some major TLC. Thorough vacuuming and mopping will really spruce up the space and at least freshen them for a while.
8. Organize the junk drawer
So, maybe using that one drawer in your kitchen or foyer as a junk drawer isn’t the best idea. We all do it though. While I can’t blame you for it, I will recommend clearing out your junk drawer during your spring cleaning binge.
If you come across an item that you know you’ll never use, toss it. If you find something that belongs somewhere else, make sure to put it away before you feel tempted to toss it back in the drawer. This is also a great opportunity to buy a drawer organizer that might give you a semblance of organization.
9. Sanitize remote controls
If I’m being honest, I rarely remember to clean my remote controls. They are one of the most high-touch areas in your home, constantly being touched and usually with food-covered hands.
You can easily disinfect a remote control using rubbing alcohol or a disinfecting wipe. If you have an Apple TV remote, it is recommended that you use a lint-free cloth and 70% isopropyl alcohol. And don’t forget to clean your Apple TV remote cover, too!
10. Scrub down garbage cans
Garbage cans are GROSS, y’all. They hold the ickiest things in your home. And while you might be using liners for your garbage can, it’s still most likely getting gross.
There are a million different mixtures out there that are great for cleaning out your garbage can. Whichever you choose, it’s important to take this chance to fully and properly scrub out and disinfect your garbage cans. I can’t express how relieved you’ll be once all that gunk is cleaned out!
11. Dig into your couch crevices
We all have a laugh at those TV scenes where actors find all sorts of strange things in between their couch cushions. The results are often super entertaining. But have you realized that your own couch is probably a treasure trove?
While this might not be one of the more intensive tasks on this list, it’s still super important! For starters, cleaning out your couch is just a great way to freshen up your space and make sure that there’s nothing down there that could present problems, like food. But finding things like lost items or money is always a bonus!
12. Remove the dust bunnies from under your bed
Chances are, you don’t make cleaning under your bed a priority. This is especially true if you’re like me and you have a bed without legs. It’s a total inconvenience to have to lift up your mattress and clean it under there.
However, the dust under there is probably contributing to your nighttime sniffles and overall stuffiness. So it’s definitely a good idea to clean it out every now and then. If you have a bed with legs, you’re already winning! Get your vacuum under there and go to town.
13. Change out batteries in detectors
All homeowners should know that it’s crucial to frequently check and change the batteries of your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. It’s said that you should be testing the detectors once a month, replacing batteries every 6 months, and switching out the detector itself every 10 years.
If you time it correctly, you can replace your batteries during your spring cleaning. That way, you’ll know exactly when you changed them and time your next replacement for the fall. Since you’re cleaning up everything else, it’s easy to get this task out of the way too!
14. Purge and organize your closet
If you’re like me and have WAY too many clothes, spring cleaning can be a great chance to get rid of the items clogging up your space. It may be hard to let go of those beloved, but hardly used items. But it’s time.
When you have the time, take everything out of your closet and go through it all. Decide what you’d like to keep, what should be donated, and what can be sold somewhere like Facebook Marketplace. It’ll be a huge weight off your shoulders when you’re not frantically cramming your clothes into the closet every morning.
15. Prepare your outdoor furniture for the season
Lastly, if you’re doing your spring cleaning, that means that warm weather is on its way. If you have an outdoor space like a backyard, porch, or terrace, this means you probably have some outdoor furniture that’s been collecting dust in storage over the winter months.
Luckily, it’s time to dust off your furniture and bring it out for the season! If your fixtures are looking a little less than sparkly, maybe it’s time to give them a good cleaning. You can head to this link to find out how to clean your outdoor umbrella to make it last, too!
Are you ready to crack open your windows and let your home shine again for the season? I certainly am.
I’ll definitely be adding these 15 chores to my spring cleaning to-do list. I know for a fact that there are a few entries on this list I’ve been neglecting in my own home…
Let me know in the comments if there are any commonly missed areas of your home that you make sure to clean during spring cleaning!
Once you’ve gotten your hands dirty with the tasks on this list, check out my post, 3 Quick Ways to Keep Your Home Clean so that you don’t have to spend hours cleaning next time!
