Meagan Ruffing is a parenting journalist and marriage and family therapist living in northwest Arkansas. She has already started chipping away at her spring-cleaning list.

Spring Cleaning for the Inside and Outside of Your Home

Can you believe that warmer, brighter weather is just around the corner? I don’t know about you but seeing glimpses of the sun gets me excited for home improvement projects and new beginnings. I made a list of things for me to take care of this month to help get my spring started off right. Feel free to add to this list as you prepare for sunnier days.

Inside the Home

• Clean bathroom rugs
• Deep clean towels (wash in hot water and 1 cup of vinegar, wash towels a second time in hot water and 1 cup of baking soda, dry towels without fabric softener)
• Dust high ceilings, corners, and baseboards
• Empty clean outs from washing machine and dishwasher
• Clean lint trap from dryer
• Change air filters
• Run a clean cycle on your dishwasher, clean garbage disposal with packets, run a clean cycle on your washing machine
• Dust your blinds and wash windows
• Deep clean showers and bathtubs
• Empty kitchen cupboards and donate or sell unused items
• Wipe down cupboard handles and household doorknobs with Lysol wipes
• Change bed sheets and vacuum behind dressers, nightstands, and chairs
• Dust household surfaces and wipe down with Lysol wipes
• Go through clothes and donate what you don’t wear anymore
• Clean bathroom mirrors and frames around the house
• Clean winter jackets, hats, mittens, and scarves and stow away for the season
• Clean out fridge and throw away expired items
• Vacuum and mop floors
• Change burnt out lightbulbs
• Vacuum couch cushions (and underneath!)
• Steam clean rugs

Outside the Home

• Landscape cleanup (rake leaves, trash pickup, weeds, add more rocks)
• Clean outside windows
• Tidy up the garage (blow out, hang things up, organize)
• Service your lawnmower (sharpen blades, check oil, etc.) or line up lawn mowing services with a company to be ready for that first mow of the year.
• Pick up after your pets
• Discard of any loose items in the yard (old toys, broken household items, etc.)
• Clean gutters
• Organize shed
• Wash outdoor furniture cushions
• Clean inside and outside of car
• Paint/stain shutters and touch-up areas around the outside of the house
• Replace ripped screens from windows and doorframes
• Buy new outdoor welcome mats to freshen up the look of your house
• Hang a new wreath from your front door
• Clean off your front stoop

Include the kids in your spring cleaning this year but make it family-oriented with playful challenges like, who can find the room with the most dust bunnies? Or, who can make the straightest lines in their rug when vacuuming? It can be as silly as you want.

Enjoy the sunshine this month and make sure you reward yourself when all your projects are done!



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