15 Spring Cleaning Tasks You Can Tackle in Under an Hour
Who wants to devote an entire weekend to cleaning your home from head to toe? Not us! For some reason, the same chores feel more manageable when tackled one tiny task at a time. That’s why we’re going to check off one of these jobs every day to embrace the season but keep our sanity!
- Clean out a drawer: Start small and pick your messiest kitchen, bedroom, or desk drawer. Toss or relocate any items you no longer need or that don’t belong there, says Carolyn Forte, director of the Cleaning Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute. Everything else goes back, but this time, in an organized manner.
- Vacuum furniture: Did you know you can use the upholstery tool on your vacuum to clean your chairs and sofa? Vacuum both sides of cushions and underneath them, says Forte. Then use the crevice tool along trim and stitching.
- Whiten dingy tile grout: Trust us when we say this 15-minute task makes a huge difference in your bathroom! Spray grout with Good Housekeeping Lab pick CLR Bath & Kitchen Cleaner, says Forte. Let it set for several minutes, then scrub with a stiff brush like the Casabella Smart Scrub Grout Brush and rinse.
- Nab hidden dirt and dust: Spring cleaning season is all about focusing on the spots you forget about the rest of the year. That’s why Forte recommends spending 30 minutes with an extendable duster and attacking ceiling nooks, bookcases, hanging and recessed lights, moldings, and more.
- Degrease kitchen cabinets: Sticky kitchen grime is a mix of dust and grease that’s invisible until it builds up. To degunk your cabinets, use Parker & Bailey Kitchen Cabinet Cream. It cuts through dirt and leaves wood moisturized. Do an extra pass around door and drawer pulls and other places where grease collects.
- Freshen up walls: It’ll only take you five minutes to make all of your walls look like they’re freshly painted. With a moistened Mr. Clean Magic Eraser in one hand and a dry cloth in the other, go from room to room rubbing out scrapes, smudges, and crayon marks on painted walls and trim, says Forte.
- Go behind furniture: It’s time to clean the spots you usually skip with the vacuum, including these less-than-pleasant crevices. Pull furniture away from walls and vacuum behind and under it, says Forte. Do the woodwork and air vents while you’re back there.
- Clear off ceiling fans: Before you turn your fan on for the first warm day of spring, make sure the blades aren’t covered in dust. Use an old pillowcase to quickly and efficiently wipe the surface, and you won’t be sneezing all night long.
- Revive your mattress: You’ll sleep more soundly when your mattress is squeaky clean. Firmly press your vacuum’s upholstery and crevice tools to clean the sides, then spot clean stains with upholstery cleaner or mild suds. After spraying, let dry, then sanitize with a disinfectant spray like Lysol.
- Clean range hood: Your hood deals with a lot of wear and tear as you cook during the year. That’s why now is the time to give it a refresh. Pop out the mesh filter, swish it in hot, sudsy water, rinse, and dry, says Forte. Then clean the hood with a grease-cutting kitchen cleanser.
- Banish dust from baseboards: If you want to zap dust off of your baseboards without leaning down and hurting your back, you can lightly spray an old sock with some cleaning solution and run your foot over the baseboards to whisk debris away in a flash. Or, use the crevice tool on your vacuum.
- Shine up stainless steel: To make this surface sparkle again, mix one teaspoon of dish detergent and 1 quart of hot tap water. Use a microfiber cloth and rub the detergent solution on the marks in small sections, going with the grain. Rinse with clean hot water only and dry immediately with a clean cloth.
- Clear out vents: Heating ducts and air conditioning vents will just circulate dust throughout your home if you don’t make sure to clean them out. Forte advises using the soft brush on your vacuum (the one with the bristles) to keep these spaces clean.
- Tackle the windows: Instead of just a quick swipe, this window routine will make your glass shine. Raise blinds or shades and wash windows with glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth, says Forte. Then lower the blinds and vinyl shades and dust with a duster like Swiffer, and finish by vacuuming fabric shades and drapes.
- Give gadgets some attention: Bad news: Your cell phone probably harbors more germs than your toilet seat. That’s why you should give it a once-over with an alcohol wipe to zap germs, as well as other electronics like your TV remote and computer mouse.