How to Spring Clean Fast – A Plan for Busy People
Spring clean fast with these top tips for busy people. Plus grab our no-fail, fast deep cleaning checklist and get your home in top shape this spring.
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How to Spring Clean Fast
Spring Cleaning is about deep cleaning your home. If I’m being honest, I’ve never done it before. While I love the idea of a squeaky clean house, I don’t love to do the actual cleaning. Who does?
Plus, spring cleaning sounds like such a huge project. Cleaning all those nooks that never get cleaned sounds like a tough project to take on. But it doesn’t have to be.
I’m going to share with you my plan for a fast spring clean so it doesn’t take up too much time. Because spring cleaning is about deep cleaning, you won’t find daily, weekly, or monthly cleaning tasks on this list.
This is a plan for busy people so they can spring clean fast. Not a 10 page list of every cleaning task you’ll ever need to do in your house.
First, I’m going to give you my favorite spring cleaning tips for busy people. Then I’ll show you what’s on the quick deep cleaning list. Last, I’ll give you the step by step spring cleaning process so you know exactly how to spring clean in the correct order to save you time.
Make a Spring Cleaning Plan
Alway make a plan before you start your spring cleaning. This will help you stay on task and speed up your time spent cleaning. Think of everything you plan on deep cleaning and make a list. Put every task in order of what you’ll clean, first to last.
Step 1 – Decide if you’ll be doing your spring cleaning all on one day or broken up over a week. Some people have busy weekends so a couple of tasks each night will work better for them. Others would rather clean all day to get it done. Think about your family’s busy schedule and set up what works best for you.
Step 2 – Consider your schedule before setting a date for spring cleaning. Don’t pick a busy weekend or week. Plan ahead and mark off a date/dates in advance. Let the whole household know they need to be home that day or by a certain time each night, so no making plans.
Remember that there is no right or wrong way to do spring cleaning so if you need to break it up into 20 minute tasks for two to three weeks then do it. The most important thing is to get it done the best way you can.
Make it a Family Affair
If you’re not living alone then the entire house hold needs to be involved in spring cleaning. We’re spring cleaning fast so the more hands helping out the better.
If you live with a roommate or partner then come up with a spring cleaning date and plan together so you both know exactly what to do when the day comes.
If you’re spring cleaning with your family then make sure everyone has some tasks that are age appropriate. Remind kids that this is their home and therefore their mess too. Working together to keep it clean will teach kids how to be more respectful of the house.
Make it Fun
Most people don’t like to clean. It’s not fun and we’d rather spend the time doing something else. However, there are ways to make spring cleaning fun.
- Play your favorite music or podcast. Play them on your phone and tuck your phone into your back pocket. That way as you switch from room to room, your tunes go with you.
- If you’re cleaning with your family then consider playing some games or adding a competition component to your cleaning. First one to finish their task correctly gets to pick the next hour of music.
- Create fun cleaning tasks for kids outside. Set up a toy cleaning station like a car wash or doll salon so kids can have fun while they clean their toys. Getting kids outside gives you more room to clean inside.
- Take small breaks so kids and adults aren’t cleaning non-stop. Have a yummy treat ready for your break. Make sure the treat won’t create more work. We don’t want chocolate fingers on freshly cleaned walls.
- Consider having a picnic outside for lunch. It will be a nice, long break in the fresh air. You’ll take your lunch mess outside so you don’t create more mess inside. You can also consider going to a favorite fast food spot for lunch to get out of the house completely.
Spring Clean Fast With Eco-Friendly Cleaning Supplies
Using eco-friendly cleaning supplies is better for you and the environment. When you’re cleaning with your family like we mentioned above, you’ll really want to make sure those cleaning products you use aren’t causing any harm to your little ones.
Personally, I like to use homemade cleaning products with items found in your pantry. Most homemade cleaning products can do more than one job which saves you time and money. When we are spring cleaning fast, an all-purpose cleaner can honestly save time.
Check out some of our favorite homemade cleaning products:
All Natural Cleaning Products, the Ultimate Guide to Making Your Own
Streak-free Homemade Glass Cleaner
The Secret to Removing Stubborn Hard Water Stains
Declutter Before Spring Cleaning
Even though more and more people are adding it to their spring cleaning list, decluttering your home should not be a part of the spring cleaning process. It is, however, important to do before you start spring cleaning.
The more clutter you have laying around your house, the more things you’ll have to move around in order to clean. You’ll never be able to clean quickly when you have to remove a million items from a surface before you can wipe it down.
The beginning of the year is the best time to declutter. You’ve just got new stuff from Christmas and your ready to start the new year off on the right foot. If you haven’t decluttered your home in a while then you should plan to do that before you start your spring cleaning.
Spring is around the corner so if you need to declutter first you’ll need to start now! Check out The Last Decluttering Guide You’ll Ever Need and get to work.
Have a Regular Cleaning Routine
Spring cleaning is not the time to clean your whole house for the first time all year. If your house is a constant mess then you need to set up regular cleaning schedule.
We’re doing a fast spring cleaning so you can’t add all the chores that should already be done. Set up daily and monthly list to keep up with cleaning tasks. Look for ways to add spring cleaning items to your daily or monthly cleaning list to speed up spring cleaning.
If you need help setting up a schedule that works for you then you definitely want to check out this post about creating a realistic cleaning schedule anyone can keep. You’ll learn how to keep your home clean on a schedule that works for you. You’ll learn plenty of tips and there’s even some free printables to download that will keep you on track.
What to Include for Fast Spring Cleaning
When you look at my list for Spring Cleaning Fast you aren’t going to find daily tasks like washing the dishes on there. You also won’t find many weekly or monthly tasks on there either. Like I said before, spring cleaning is about deep cleaning.
- Remove and clean light fixtures
- Remove and clean air vent covers
- Dust higher and out of reach places like ceiling fans and tops of fridge
- Wipe doors and door frames
- Dust baseboards
- Dust and clean photo frames and wall art
- Dust and wipe down lamp shades
- Wash inside and outside windows, frames, and screens
- Wash curtains and/or blinds
- Scrub oven vent
- Clean inside of oven
- Clean refrigerator coils and behind the fridge
- Clean cabinet fronts in kitchen and bathroom
- Clean and disinfect trash cans
- Wash shower curtain or liner
- Remove toilet seat to scrub down out of reach places
- Dust and clean electronic surfaces
- Disinfect keyboards and controllers
- Vacuum and rotate mattresses
- Wash pillows
- Wash stuffed animals and kid toys
- Clean washer
- Clean out dryer vents and lint screen
- Clean dishwasher
- Deep clean area rugs
- Spot clean carpets
- Mop floors
Remember, we are going for a fast spring clean so we don’t plan on getting into every nook and cranny. Consider cleaning while you declutter to save more time. When you get things out of cupboards and cabinets to sort through clutter, give the shelves a quick wipe down before putting items back in.
Outdoor cleaning and maintenance is saved for another time too. Spring might be nice enough to clean inside with some windows open but it’s still a bit chilly to clean outside in my area. I wait until the kids are out from school before cleaning outside. I like to start the summer off with outdoor projects to get the family used to being outside more.
Spring Cleaning Fast – A Plan for Busy People
Now that we have a list of items to spring clean fast, we need to get started. Here’s a quick rundown of how your spring cleaning day could look. If you’re breaking your spring cleaning up into shorter stints through out the week then consider working on this list in batches (all windows today) or by rooms.
1. Always start at the top and work your way down. You don’t want to vacuum your floors and then dust everything. The dust will fall all over your freshly clean floors.
2. Start your spring cleaning by collecting all linens from around the house except your bed sheets. Leave them on your beds until you’ve dusted above them. Remove towels, mats, rugs, curtains and start washing them in batches. Take area rugs outside to beat them (fun job for kids) and to be able to clean the area they normally sit on.
3. Next, remove light fixtures and ceiling and floor vent covers. Place them in the dishwasher along with glass decor that needs to be washed. Make sure the dishwasher is full and then run it. Some kid toys can also go in the dishwasher so when the first wash is done throw appropriate toys in next.
4. Move on to dusting high surfaces like ceiling corners, ceiling fans, window seals, and door frames. Don’t forget to dust high surfaces that don’t get cleaned often like fridge and cabinet tops.
5. Look for harder to clean surfaces like the oven or the toilet (with the seat removed) and spray them down. Move on to the next task while they soak.
6. Take sheets off of beds and check the washer to see if you can switch loads yet. Sprinkle mattresses with baking soda and let sit.
7. Let kids take items like toys or trashcans outside to give them a good scrub while you continue to clean inside.
8. Clean window blinds if you have them then move on to windows. Clean windows both inside and out. Take screens off to get to outside windows and scrub screens while they are down. Now that windows are clean and screens are back on, open them up to let fresh air into the house.
9. Wipe down frames and art hanging on the walls while partner or older kid cleans electronic screens, keyboards, and controllers.
10. Go back and clean those harder to clean areas you sprayed down earlier. They should be ready to wipe up without too much scrubbing. If they still need a bit of a scrub then use some baking soda and dawn dish soap on the area. The two work great together.
11. Use the a little baking soda and multi-purpose spray to clean oil off of cupboard fronts and backsplash. Give counters a quick wipe down to remove any dust that’s fallen down on them.
12. Move the fridge so you can clean behind and under it. Make sure you move the kick stop as well and clean the coils.
13. Once your done using the washer and dryer, you’ll need to wash those. Wipe down the outside and inside. Clean the soap dispenser on the washer and scrub the dryer lint cover. Vacuum out dryer vent as well.
14. Consider washing the dishwasher.
15. Vacuum the baking soda off of mattresses and rotate them. Put clean bedding back on.
15. Vacuum carpets including under beds and furniture. If you have any furniture that sits close to the ground then consider working with a partner to move the furniture before vacuuming. Otherwise just use an attachment to clean under things.
16. Once everything else is done and back in their proper spots, start sweeping and then mopping hard surface area.
17. Spot clean any heavily soiled spots on your carpets and area rugs. Put area rugs back in their spots. Try to avoid freshly cleaned spots until they have completely dried.
18. Order in or go out to eat. You’ve earned a night off from cooking and cleaning up dishes. Plus, your home will stay sparkling for the night. Tomorrow you’ll return to your normal cleaning routine to keep your house glowing.
Spring Clean Fast Recap
It’s easy to spring clean fast when you have the right tools and don’t focus on every day cleaning tasks. Any busy person can get it done when they focus on the right deep cleaning items. Remember to:
- Make a plan
- Get the whole household involved
- Make it fun!
- Use Eco-friendly products that can be used on many surfaces
- Declutter before spring cleaning
- Have a regular cleaning routine to follow
- Start from the top and work your way down
- Use the dishwasher to clean items instead of scrubbing by hand
- Let cleaners sit while you work on other projects
- Get those windows open to let the fresh air in
When you use these main tips you will be able to spring cleaning fast. You are going to feel so good after!
