Spring is officially here, which means it’s time to spruce up your apartment and start the season with clean slate. If you’re starting the spring cleaning of your home, here are are a list of areas to focus on for each room, as well few tips and reminders to make sure everything goes smoothly. Use our room-by-room checklist to complete your apartment spring cleaning, and get ready for the warmer temperatures on the horizon.
Apartment spring cleaning checklist
Cleaning your living room
Supplies needed:
- Multi-surface spray cleaner
- Wood cleaner or polish
- Sponges, rags, microfiber cloth
- Fabric or carpet cleaner
- Warm water and bucket
- Glass cleaner
- Paper towels
- Broom and dustpan
- Mop
- Vacuum
- Carpet cleaner vaccuum
- Trash bags
Living room spring cleaning checklist:
- Dust all shelves and surfaces
- Wipe tv screens and windows with glass cleaner and micro fiber cloth
- Sweep and vacuum all floors and carpets
- If needed, rent a professional carpet cleaner for tough stains
- Clean any stains on your furniture with fabric cleaner or remove cases and wash on a gentle cycle
- Mop hardwood or linoleum floors
- Use wood cleaner to polish any wood furniture including end tables, shelves, and coffee table
- Run a wet, soapy rag along the baseboards to get rid of any dust
- Dispose of any trash
Cleaning your kitchen
Supplies needed:
- Multi-surface antibacterial spray cleaner
- Soft cleaner such as Bar Keepers Friend
- Warm soapy water and bucket
- Sponges and scrubbers
- Broom and dustpan
- Mop
- Dish soap and dish washing detergent
- Oven cleaner
- Glass cleaner
- Rubber gloves
- Paper towels and rags
- Trash bags
Kitchen spring cleaning checklist:
- Wipe down all counters with antibacterial cleaner
- Clean out any expired food from the fridge
- Take out each fridge shelf and drawer and clean with warm soapy water
- Clean out any old food from the pantry
- Clean the stove with a soft cleaner such as Bar Keepers Friend
- If you have stove drip pans, remove them and soak in warm soapy water before scrubbing with a rough scrubber
- Spray oven cleaner in the over and leave for the recommended time
- Wash all dishes in warm soapy water or dishwasher
- Run dishwasher on a sanitizing cycle
- Run garbage disposal
- Clean and disinfect kitchen sink
- Clean the inside and outside of your microwave
- Wash any windows with glass cleaner
- Wipe down kitchen tables and chairs with warm soapy water
- Sweep and mop all floors
- Wipe down baseboards with warm soapy water
- Take out any garbage or recycling
Cleaning your bedroom
Supplies needed:
- All purpose cleaner
- Paper towels and dust rags
- Landry basket
- Warm soapy water and bucket
- Vacuum, mop, and floor cleaner
- Trash bags
Bedroom spring cleaning checklist:
- Wash sheets and comforters
- Wipe down any surfaces, including bedside tables, dressers, and tv stand
- Pick up any trash
- Pick up and wash any clothes
- Clean windows with glass cleaner
- Wipe down baseboards with warm soapy water
- Sweep and vacuum the floor
Cleaning your bathroom
Supplies needed:
- All-purpose disinfectant cleaner
- Sponges
- Toilet-bowl cleaner
- Toilet brush
- Glass cleaner
- Paper towels and cleaning rags
- Bucket with warm soapy water
- Mop, broom, and dustpan
- Replacement shower curtain liner (if applicable)
- Garbage bags
Bathroom spring cleaning checklist:
- Clean and disinfect toilet
- Wipe down counters and sink with cleaner
- Clean mirrors and windows with glass cleaner
- Wash and wipe down shower walls and bathtub
- Replace shower curtain liner if needed
- Wipe down all baseboards with warm, soapy water
- Disinfect all doorknobs and handles
- Sweep and mop floor
- Empty bathroom garbage
Cleaning your hallways
Supplies needed:
- Multi-surface spray cleaner
- Sponge and/or cleaning cloths
- Broom and dustpan
- Bucket with warm, soapy water
- Mop and vacuum
- Trash bags
Hallway spring cleaning checklist:
- Wipe down walls and baseboards with warm, soapy water
- Sweep area with a broom
- Disinfect all doorknobs and handles
Cleaning your closet
Supplies needed:
- Trash bags for clothes donations
- Bins for seasonal clothes storage
- Hangers
- Multi-surface cleaning spray and paper towels/cleaning cloth
Closet spring cleaning checklist:
- Go through all clothes and isolate items for donation
- Switch out all seasonal clothing and store any winter clothing in bins
- Organize clothes by color or style for easy access
- Wipe down any shelves with multi-surface spray cleaner
- Fold and organize any clothing on shelves
Cleaning your laundry area
Supplies needed:
- Bucket with warm, soapy water
- Sponge and/or cleaning cloths
- Broom and dustpan
- Mop
- Trash bags
Laundry area spring cleaning checklist:
- Remove lint from dryer
- Wipe down washer and dryer
- Clean out and recycle any empty detergent bottles
- Run the washer on a sanitizing cycle
- Sweep and mop floors
- Dispose of laundry room garbage
10 tips for spring cleaning your apartment
- Set a game plan – Choose a day of the week to dedicate to your spring cleaning. Purchase all cleaning supplies ahead of time. Take advantage of discount stores to save money.
- Look into homemade cleaners – If you want to go the more natural route for cleaning, look into making your own cleaners. There are many recipes online for homemade solutions you can try.
- Move from high to low – Start by dusting off the surfaces in your apartment–from the tops of shelves to ceiling fans–and move your way down. Vacuum once you’re all done dusting, that way you’re not doing double the work.
- Make sure you ventilate the area – When using any chemicals like bleach or antibacterial cleaner, be sure to open a window to ventilate and prevent any inhalation of fumes.
- Rent tools to tackle bigger cleaning projects – If you need to rent a steam cleaner or carpet cleaner, they are easily available for rent at your local grocery or home improvement store and can make cleaning touch stains much easier.
- Get the whole household involved – If you live with roommates or other members of your household, set a time to clean that works best for everyone. Delegate rooms or areas for everyone to clean, and the process will go by much faster.
- Pay attention to your neighborhood trash schedule – If you know you will have a lot of garbage to throw out, pay attention to your city or neighborhood trash schedule to be mindful of when the trash will be picked up. Also, if you plan of disposing of larger furniture items that are not able to be donated, there will likely be a big trash day that takes once a month for each area. Consider timing your spring cleaning with this trash schedule.
- Outsource help for bigger cleaning jobs – Sometimes, you need to call in the professionals. If your cleaning job is more than you can handle, consider hiring a cleaning service to help ease the burden.
- Donate or sell items before tossing them – Use this spring cleaning as an opportunity to do a good deed and donate any unwanted items. If you’re looking to make a profit, you may even consider listing items in an online marketplace such as Facebook or Ebay.
- Treat yourself – Spring cleaning is no easy task. Try to make it fun by rewarding yourself. Maybe you’ve been eyeing a new piece of furniture for your space, or a new spring wardrobe. Reward your cleaning efforts with something fun for you to enjoy.
Going room by room ensures your entire home will be spotless! Whether you’re cozy in your current home or looking for a new place, these tips are sure to bring refreshed energy, just in time for the new season. Happy cleaning!
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