The Modern Day Spring Cleaning List & Why Deep Cleaning Is Good For Your Soul

It’s the 1st of September, hence the official start of Spring season in Southern hemisphere! Spring marks the new beginnings in many ways and one of the best things to start off is to get a deep spring cleaning. If you are like me who’s actually afraid of the task of deep cleaning, fear not. This year I’ve prepared a thorough Spring cleaning list to share with you so we can tackle it with ease!

Why we call it Spring Cleaning?

A lot people never bothered to do a proper Spring cleaning. I was one of them, but surly life has taught me some good lessons over the years. As a result, I know first hand Spring clean is really worth the effort. For that reason I’ve prepared this Spring clean list for future references. Why it’s called Spring cleaning? According to tradition, the Catholic church thoroughly cleans the church altar and everything associated with it on Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday, in the Spring. In North American and Europe, people throughly clean theirs homes in Spring after a long, cold winter. Nowadays, the term of Spring clean has evolved into any kind of deep cleaning.

Why deep cleaning is good for your soul?

Many of us perceive cleaning as a daunting task, therefore avoid it whenever possible. Before we go into the details of my Spring cleaning list and be freaked out, let’s first take a look at the benefits of Spring cleaning.

It marks a new beginning and fresh start

Make your home a better place through deep cleaning will refresh your mind and make you feel energised. What better time to do it after a long Winter? This year, Sydney’s had a long and cold winter so it’s great to welcome the warmer season and more brighter days. In theory we might not be able to complain about the weather, because when I say cold, it’s close to zero degree the lowest. Compared some really freezing weather conditions, it’s not that cold.  But without central heating inside the house, it can be pretty cold and uncomfortable! That’s why I always feel good about Spring. Start to clean and make changes to your surroundings at home can help keep you motivated to make other small changes and improve your life day after day.

It helps release stress

We all feel a little stressed from time to time. Imagine being in a messy or dirty home when you are stressed. It’ll sure make things even worse! Your home should always be the place that makes you feel safe, calm and at ease. The only way to achieve that is to declutter and clean thoroughly.

It helps you breath better 

Do you sneeze a lot at home or in the office? That’s probably because the place you are staying is overly dusty. While you might not be able to do much in the air conditioned office, you can certainly improve the situation at home! The air at home will be much cleaner, fresher after you’ve dusted, vacuumed and cleaned everywhere. Being able to breath properly is not only essential for someone who suffers from allergy, it is essential for everybody!

A clean home helps you stay focused and improve productivity

If your home is cluttered and untidy, chances are you are feeling slightly stressed or depressed right now. Our everyday environment is pretty much a good reflection of our state of mind. Clutter is the enemy. An untidy space makes an untidy mind.Organise your stuff and find that your life follows suit. A clean and organised home is will  help us stay focused with better things and be more productive.

Deep cleaning itself is a good workout

We all know exercise is good for us so let’s get to it! I’m not talking about going to the gym here of course. Who needs the gym? Just start to clean at home, right now:). Cleaning is a wonderful full body workout indeed. All the sweeping, wiping, squatting and working around is actually good for your body! The reward? A fabulously toned body and immaculately clean home.

It helps you sleep better

Exercise will make you sleep better. We’ve just covered that deep cleaning your home is a wonderful form of exercise. Fresh air also helps you sleep better. And most importantly, a clean bedroom will definitely help you sleep better! Who doesn’t like the feeling of sleeping in a bed with fresh, clean sheets, cleaned pillows and mattress.

It improves your mood

Cleaning itself might be a daunting task to many of us. The psychological benefit of deep Spring cleaning is enormous. Just think about the great satisfaction after you’ve thrown out a lot of unwanted items, cleaned and organised everything at home. You’ll feel that a whole weight is off your shoulder. You can breath better. You feel lighter and happier!

Now that you’ve seen all these benefits about deep cleaning, are you ready for the Spring cleaning list?

The modern day Spring cleaning list

Why I say the modern day Spring cleaning list? Because this Spring cleaning list contains two main components. The first part is Spring cleaning list for the traditional household, while the second part is a digital Spring cleaning list.

Firstly let’s have a look at the house spring cleaning list. This includes different areas at home: kitchen/dining area, living room, laundry/utility room, bathrooms, bedrooms, home office, hall way, kids play areas, cars and outdoor area. Before we get to the details to different areas, here’s the Spring cleaning list that applies to the all general areas in your home:

• Walls: Wash smudges off the walls.
• Ceilings: Dust the cobwebs off of all ceilings.
• Skirting/base boards and crown moulding: Dust and wipe them clean.
• Light switches and outlets: Clean and disinfect all light switches and outlets at home.
• Doors: Wash smudges, figure prints off the doors and clean all door knobs.
• Windows: Dust and clean windows inside and out; wash all window curtains and blinds; clean all window grooves with a small brush then wipe them clean; dust and wipe clean all windowsills.
• Plants: Clean the surface of all indoor plant pots. Dust and clean big leaves of indoor plants.
• Hard floors: Sweep, vacuum and mop all hard floors.
• Carpets: Vacuum and shampoo all carpets.
• Rugs: Vacuum and clean rugs in all areas.
• Air vents: All air vents need to be cleaned.
• Ceiling fans and air conditioning unit: Clean surface of all ceiling fans and air conditioning unit.
• Smoke detectors: Clean all smoke detectors at home.
• Rubbish bins: Scrub, clean and disinfect all rubbish bins.
• Shelves and picture frames: Dust and wipe clean all shelves and picture frames.
• Underneath furniture: Move furniture around, vacuum and clean all areas underneath your furniture. You’ll be amazed how dust can accumulate so easily.

Kitchen/Dining room area:

Unwanted rubbish, old food laying around: Discard all of them.

Kitchen sink: Scrub and clean kitchen sink throughly including kitchen sink taps and plugs.

Kitchen tiles splashback: Wipe them clean with good kitchen cleaning products.

Rang hood: Change range hood filter if required. Thoroughly clean the entire range hood.

Stove top burners: Scrub and clean.

Kitchen bench tops: Scrub and clean.

Pantry: Discard expired unwanted food suppliers. Reorganise your pantry in easy to use order.

Microwave: Scrub and clean inside and out.

Oven and grill: Scrub and clean inside and out.

Dishwasher: Clean inside and out. Clear the waste filler inside dishwasher. – vinegar

Refrigerator: Discard old, expired food both in fridge and freezer. Take shelve and baskets out of fridge and freezer, then soak and clean them. Wipe down figure prints and smudges on doors of refrigerator. Pull refrigerator out and clean behind and beneath it.

Kitchen cabinets: Discard old spices, unwanted plastic containers, cups, dishes and pots.Dust, wipe down shelves and inside cabinets. Clean and polish cabinets doors.

Kitchen drawers: Deep clean kitchen drawers organise.

Cups, bowls, plates, pots and frying pans: Wash them and keep them organised in the right places.

Water kettle: Clean it inside out.

Under the sink: Tidy up and clean.

Table linens and tea towels: Wash and air dry.

Chopping board and knives: Sanitise chopping board and sharpen knives. I’m never good with knives so I got a great knife sharpener. My life in the kitchen has been much easier because of that.

Living room:

Table tops: Dust and wipe them clean.

Electronics including TV, remote control etc: Dust and wipe them clean.

Magazines and books: Discard old magazines and unwanted books. Organise and tidy the rest.

Wood furniture: Wipe clean and polish wood furniture. Vacuum and clean underneath all furniture.

Sofa: Clean underneath cushions; wash sofa covers. Vacuum and clean underneath sofa.

Kids play area: Sort and put away toys.

laundry/utility room

Utility shelves cabinets: Dust and wipe down shelves and inside cabinets.

Cleaning suppliers: Discard expired or empty cleaning suppliers, then keep the rest organised.

Washing machine: Clean surface of and inside washing machine. Clean behide and underneath it.

Dryer: Clean dryer vent. Clean behind and underneath the dryer. Clear out the lint that has gathered towards the bottom of the opening.

Laundry room sink: Scrub sink and clean under the sink.

Bathrooms

Bath tubs: Dust and wipe clean.

Vanity Unit: Scrub and clean vanity unit including the sink, counter top, cabinets, drawers and under the sink. Clean underneath the vanity unit. Clean cabinet shelves, doors, knobs

Makeup and bathroom suppliers: Discard expired makeup, beauty products and empty bathroom supplier bottles.

Mirror: Clean mirror thoroughly using Windex.

Toilet: Wash and disinfect toilet, including toilet seat, toilet bowl, around the base, under the hinges, flush buttons.

Towels: Wash hand/bath towels and discard old ones.

Shower: Clean shower candy; scrub clean shower screens; wipe down tiles.

Bedrooms

Beddings and pillows: Wash all beddings and pillows (not just pillow cases).

Mattress: Vacuum your mattress. It helps to get rid of the majority of dust mites that may have made your bed their home, and generally freshens it up. If you haven’t replaced your mattress in the last 8 years, it’s a good reminder to do it to keep your posture great and give you a good night’s sleep.

Drawers and closet: Empty drawers and clean them. Discard extremely old underwear and single socks. Donate or resell unwanted clothes. Organise your wardrobe.

Wardrobe sliding doors: Wipe down sliding doors and clean sliding door grooves.

Cushions: Air cushions and wash cushion covers.

Home office

Office furniture and equipment. Dust and wipe clean.

Paperwork: File paperwork in right folders; discard/shred paperwork no longer in need.

Desk: A clean desk speaks a happy mind. Try to keep your desk clean and organised everyday!

Drawers and filing cabinets: Because things get piled up or thrown into drawers and cabinets, we need to declutter and reorganise.

Outdoor areas

Entrance: Clean door matts; sweep and mop floor.

Garage + tool shed: Dust the cobwebs off; sweep floor clean; keep things inside tidy and organised.

Garden/ Balcony: Sweep and mop balcony floor; keep potted plants tidy; wipe clean outdoor furniture.

Gutters: clear it out.

Now it’s time for the equally important Digital Spring cleaning list:

Passwords: organise and save your password list.

Photos/digital images: Delete useless images; create folders and file images into relevant folders.

Computer desktop: Delete files and keep your computer desktop as clean as possible. That’ll also speed up your computer speed.

Document files: Create and organise folder for all your document files for easy accesss.

Bookmarks: Delete unwanted sites from your web browser bookmark. Keep the rest in relevant folders.

Emails: Unsubscribe from unwanted newsletters; simplify email folders; delete past conversations that are no longer useful; save important files to USB or a hard drive for back up.

There you have it. The modern day Spring cleaning list! The easiest way to get it done is to try to do small things at a time. Remember you don’t have to finish everything in one day! Spread those tasks across a period of time, say a week up to a month. And you can hire cleaners to help you with some of the chores you really don’t enjoy.

Most importantly, once you’ve get it done, maintain your home clean and organised. It’ll only take a few minutes a day to keep it that way. You’ll be able to clean your home much easier and enjoy your clean, organised home all year round!