Checklist for Spring Cleaning

You might as well know the worst about housework. Every year about forty pounds of dust sneaks into your house and settles into every possible nook and cranny. The good news is that it doesn’t arrive all at once and your regular housecleaning (however hasty) gets rid of some of it. The bad news is that the other thirty-eight pounds continue to lurk in less obvious places. Tracking down and scrubbing away this dirt is the annual rite known as Spring Cleaning. Here are some of the jobs you’ll want to consider for your own Rites of Spring. Warning: Attempting to tackle items on this checklist all at once can be hazardous to your mental and physical health! Spread them over a few weekends, so you don’t lose momentum or sanity.

1. Wash windows. Ideally, this should be done twice a year. It’s easier to do the job with a partner who cleans one side of the window while you do the other, helping you spot streaks and smears right away. Don’t forget to clean windowsills and the window wells that collect dead leaves and bugs.

2. Clean window screens. Remove screens and hose them down outside; use a stiff bristled brush if necessary.

3. Wash or dry-clean drapes.

4. Wash shower curtain with bleach and water mixture or buy a fresh curtain.

5. Wash walls and woodwork as needed.

6. Shampoo carpets.

7. Have upholstered furniture professionally cleaned. Don’t forget throw pillows!

8. Clean out clothes closets. Donate or give away unused clothes, shoes, toys, or other items. Anything you haven’t worn in a year should go.

9. Clean and straighten the linen closet.

10. Clean out medicine cabinets. Clean shelves and replace items that are used regularly. Discard expired medicines.

11. Clean out kitchen cabinets. Throw away expired food and wipe the interior. Change the shelf paper.

12. Move large appliances. Clean under and behind them. Vacuum dust from the front coil of the refrigerator (it’s important to do this at least twice a year).

13. Clean the refrigerator. Empty it out and thoroughly clean shelves and walls of unit; reorganize items as you replace them.

14. Clean the oven and stovetop. If needed, take burners apart and scrub them.

15. Go through bookshelves. Remove books that can be donated, given away, or sold. Dust books and shelves with soft cloth.

16. Clean ashes from fireplace. Scrub hearth.