For many, this means taking care of chores that have been overlooked in the day to day routine. Things like wiping down baseboards, emptying cabinets to clean them down, and even scrubbing the inside of the oven often make the list.
While these can be fantastic for the overall health of the home, it can be less beneficial if you are using toxic cleaners to get the job done. We have some tips to help you learn how to spring clean your home naturally.
How to Spring Clean Your Home Naturally
Spring Cleaning the Kitchen
When cleaning the kitchen it can be easy to overlook certain areas. During spring cleaning you have the opportunity to take things a bit deeper and give your kitchen a full cleaning. When spring cleaning your kitchen there are a few areas you should definitely be focused on.
Here are a few tips for spring cleaning the kitchen to help get you started.
5 areas to spring clean in the kitchen:
- Oven - It’s time to deep clean the oven. Use a natural oven cleaner or a paste of baking soda with a vinegar spray to deep clean the inside of your oven. Once you have cleaned out the inside of your oven, pull out your oven to clean behind it and along the sides as food particles can drip down the side of the oven.
- Cabinets - Pull out all of the dishes and food items. This is your time to remove any expired food, donate dishes you won’t use, and thoroughly wipe down the inside of the cabinets. Use a natural all-purpose kitchen cleaner with a towel to wipe down the inside of the cabinets. Make sure you are also cleaning the outside doors of all cabinets.
- Baseboards and ceilings - Take some time to use a quality all-purpose kitchen cleaner to wash down baseboards and clean kitchen ceilings. Too often, these areas get overlooked. Don’t forget to clean your walls, too.
- Refrigerator - Remove all removable shelves and wash them with a safe dish cleaner or spray. While these are drying, it is a good time to focus on disposing of expired food. You will also want to deep clean the inside of the refrigerator. Take some time to pull out the refrigerator and clean behind it and under it.
- Floors and drapes - Use a natural floor cleaner to not only clean the floor well but deal with some of those stubborn grout stains that can accumulate. For cloth drapes, use a natural laundry soap to freshen these. For hanging blinds, an all-purpose cleaner can be just what you need to wash these down and freshen up the kitchen.
Spring Cleaning the Bathroom and Laundry Room
When focusing on spring cleaning the bathroom and laundry room can both be overlooked as jobs that are too big to tackle. However, these areas can be essential to regaining control over the mess in your home. Here are a few tips for spring cleaning the bathroom and laundry room.
5 areas to spring clean in the bathroom and laundry room:
- Toilet - Cleaning the toilet can be a dirty job but it doesn’t have to be. Use a bathroom cleaner that is made specifically for this area to get those hard to reach areas. If you have stubborn areas that are hard to get clean around the toilet, spray them with a natural shaving cream, let sit for half an hour, and then wipe clean.
- Cabinets and counters - Take some time to remove everything from the cabinets and dispose of any items you no longer need. Wipe down the inside of the cabinets with a natural all-purpose cleaner. Make sure you are also deep cleaning the fronts of cabinets as toothpaste and other items can get stuck on the fronts of cabinets.
- Dryers and duct work - When cleaning out your laundry area, you will want to bring someone in to clean out the ductwork from your dryer to outside. The lint can build up in this area and cause a house fire. You can also do this yourself with a drill and the right bit. This should be done on a yearly basis.
- Showers and tubs - Take some time to treat the shower and tub with extra care. Using a natural bathroom cleaner can help you to safely deep clean this area. This is the perfect time to wash down showerheads, faucets, and clean those stubborn shower doors.
- Floors - Use a natural floor cleaner to get grout stains removed and give your floors a more detailed clean. This may mean moving any bathroom cabinets/accessories to get underneath areas you may not normally clean.
Spring Cleaning the Living Room and Bedrooms
As you are putting together your spring cleaning checklist, make sure to include the living room and bedrooms. These areas are often cleaned enough that people miss certain areas completely. Here are a few tips for Spring cleaning the living room and bedrooms.
5 areas to spring clean in the living room and bedrooms:
- Under couches and behind furniture - When cleaning these rooms it can be easy to clean around big furniture. This is a good time to focus on moving all the couches and furniture out of the way to dust with a natural cleaner and remove anything that may be behind or under these furniture pieces. Using a good cleaner can also eliminate pet odors that have built up over the winter season.
- Dressers and closets - This is the time to go through clothing and items in closets to see what you really need. An important part of cleaning is decluttering. What items can you let go of to help these areas stay clean for the rest of the year? Once you have removed everything from closets and dressers to sort, take some time to clean down the inside of dressers and closets with a natural cleaner.
- Curtains and drapes - For cloth drapes, use a natural laundry soap to freshen these. For hanging blinds, an all-purpose cleaner can be just what you need to wash these down and freshen up any room.
- Bookshelves and visible storage areas - Areas like bookshelves and entertainment units often get overlooked when deep cleaning. Take some time to remove books and knick-knacks from shelves in order to use a natural cleaner to wipe these down. Clean the item and the shelf to remove dust.
- Mattresses and bedding - While you may clean your bedding regularly, you may not take the time to deep clean your bedding and flip mattresses as needed. Use a natural mattress cleaner to freshen up mattresses while bedding is being washed.