8 spring cleaning steps you can't afford to skip

As the days start to feel a little brighter and the air shifts, it’s the perfect time to refresh your home for spring with a thorough clean. Whether you’re shaking off winter or simply ready for a reset, a deep clean can help your space feel lighter, more organized, and easier to maintain.

While colder months tend to be about staying cozy indoors, this time of year naturally brings the urge to open windows, tackle overlooked spaces, and give your home a fresh start. That said, deep cleaning can quickly feel overwhelming when every room and surface seems to need attention—but it doesn’t have to be.

With the right approach, you can break the process down into manageable steps and clean your home efficiently, one space at a time. Here are our best spring cleaning tips to help you refresh your home, room by room.

1. Clean out your closets

Closets are the epitome of “out of sight, out of mind.” When the doors are closed it’s easy to forget about all the clutter that you’ve tucked away. However, when you make up your mind to start on spring cleaning, your closet is the place to begin.

Go through all of your closets and make piles for items that need to be tossed or donated. Once you’ve gotten rid of all the extra stuff, swap out your winter coats and sweaters for spring and summer clothes.

Since you’re spending all this time in your closets, now could be the time to upgrade your closet organization with a good closet organizer like the Rubbermaid Configurations Deluxe Closet Kit. This will help keep your closet tidy year-round and make next year a total breeze.

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2. Clean and upgrade your gutters

It’s time to head outside, but when it comes to cleaning your gutters, it’s best to wait until all the snow and ice have melted. Plus, it will be safer to get up on a ladder to examine what’s going on. Removing leaves, acorns, and other debris after a long winter will help your gutters flow properly and prevent water from backing up around your home.

If you’d rather not deal with cleaning every few months, you may want to consider a gutter protection system like LeafFilter. It uses a fine micro-mesh screen to keep leaves and debris out while still allowing water to pass through—helping reduce buildup and cut down on maintenance over time.

LeafFilter also offers professional installation and can work with your existing gutters or replace them if needed, along with cleaning services to help keep everything in good shape.

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3. Clean your windows and doors

Gutters cleaned? Time to wash windows. Months of dirt, dust, and water stains will have accumulated on your window panes, and all that gunk will catch the light, making your windows look less-than stellar.

For a basic clean on your windows, grab a great glass cleaner like the Chemical Guys Steak Freek Window Clean Glass Cleaner, and a microfiber cloth, and wipe both sides of your windows.

If you want to take it to the next level, you can purchase a window washing kit with professional cleaning concentrate. We recommend the Unger kit, which comes with both tools and window treatments.

Also scrub the sills of your windows with warm water. This will remove any dust and grime that’s built up. Install screens where needed so you can get some air flow into your home.

You can also give your doors a good clean using a multipurpose cleaner or a vinegar-based solution.

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4. Dust off your ceilings and fans

Through the winter when the windows are shut, your home can get stuffy and dusty. If you’ve got dusty ceilings in your living room or bedroom it’s time to act.

Grab an extendable duster like the Swiffer Heavy Duty Duster to bust away the dust bunnies.

If your walls feel truly dirty, they may need a quick clean. A simple solution of water, vinegar, and dish detergent can clear away grime. If you have a lot of surface area to cover, then make use of one of your old paint rollers as a mop for your walls.

Don’t forget about ceiling fans. Dust clings to the blades, but it's easy to wipe away any build-up. While you’re cleaning your ceiling fan, go ahead and adjust its settings. In the spring and summer, ceiling fans should spin counter-clockwise to push air down and create a breeze in your home

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5. Downsize the kitchen pantry

Your pantry and kitchen cabinets may also need some attention this spring. Take everything out of the cupboards and use a dustpan and brush to sweep out any food or crumbs that may have escaped their packaging.

With everything out of the cupboards, it’s a great time to downsize your pantry. Any non-perishable you’re looking to get rid of can be donated to a local food pantry. Just make sure to check the date on the products before doing so. If it’s expired, toss it.

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6. Clean out the refrigerator

Hopefully, you're cleaning your refrigerator more than once per year, but if you're not, now's the time to do it.

First, take everything out to survey what you have and take the time to throw out any expired, wilting food.

While you've got an empty fridge, clean the interior with a good glass cleaner. You can also use a simple cleaning solution of baking soda and white vinegar, or a few drops of dish soap and hot water. Using a damp cloth, wipe clean all the spills and crumbs.

Before replacing your food, insert a new box of baking soda to absorb the odor of future leftovers.

7. Wipe down surfaces

Dust across all the surfaces in your home; this means countertops, side tables, and dressers, as well as exposed light bulbs which sneakily collect dust.

Once that's done, clear off surfaces and actually clean them using a gentle multi-surface cleaner like Mrs. Meyers All-Purpose Cleaner and paper towels.

Use these to clean shower curtains in the bathroom, and detail your kitchen. Then let everything air dry.

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8. Vacuum and disinfect floors

Last, but certainly not least, look down and tackle your floors. If you’re in need of a good vacuum, now is the time to invest. Pick a good vacuum like our favorite affordable all-purpose vacuum, the Shark NV352, which can tackle the whole house.

Then, it’s time to get mopping. In the winter we track in so much water and snow that grime builds up quickly. A classic Swiffer Wet Jet is a fantastic mop for cleaning up any mess on your floors.

If you want something with a little more power behind it, then swing for a steam mop. Using just water and heat, a steam mop will disinfect floors to rid your space of dirt and bacteria. It takes a bit of patience so it’s the perfect task to do during a thorough deep clean.

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