This 30-day spring cleaning checklist is perfect for busy moms! Moms are busy enough just trying to keep up with spilled sippy cups and the ominous stickiness on every surface of the house. We don’t have the time to spend days on end spring cleaning our homes.
This post is all about a manageable 30-day spring cleaning checklist for all the busy moms out there! With this free printable checklist, your house will be looking gorgeous in no time!
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30-Day Spring Cleaning Checklist
Kitchen: 30-Day Spring Cleaning Checklist
Day 1: Clean Fridge & Throw Out Old Food
Sometimes food gets lost and forgotten in the back of the fridge, this is especially true of old condiments. To get started cleaning your refrigerator, take everything out so your fridge is completely empty. Take out all shelves and drawers to either soak them in warm soapy water or wipe them down with a warm soapy washcloth. Don’t forget to wipe down the top of the fridge as well. It can get extremely dusty and dirty!
Once clean, put the shelves and drawers back in and begin going through the food. Check expiration dates on condiments or store bought items and throw out any homemade food that is older than a week. Do the same process with your freezer.
Day 2: Clean Oven & Stove Top
Most ovens have a self-cleaning feature. If your oven does, make sure to check online to see if any oven cleaners are safe to use on your model. Sometimes oven cleaner can actually ruin a self-cleaning oven. If you do not have a self-cleaning oven, baking soda and vinegar does a fantastic job.
We recently moved and the oven at the new house was DISGUSTING. I made a paste of baking soda and a tiny bit of water and rubbed it all over the oven. I let that sit all night and then in the morning sprayed it with vinegar I put into a cheap one dollar spray bottle.
It worked absolute magic on the oven and then all I had to do was wipe it down!
Day 3: Mop Kitchen Floor
I try to mop my floors regularly, but life gets busy and it doesn’t always happen. Spring cleaning is a great time to deep clean the floor and start fresh! I love using my Shark Steam Pocket Mop to make it super easy and a whole lot faster than washing it on my hands and knees! Don’t forget to move your oven drawer and get under any appliances you can too.
Day 4: Declutter your Pantry
Since your pantry gets used every day, multiple times a day, it gets messy quickly. Go through unused food and either donate it or throw it away if it’s past the expiration date. If you’re really feeling motivated, you can also reorganize your pantry by category to make things easier to find too. Things like lazy susans, stackable food storage bins, and can racks will help save a ton of space in your pantry and make things a whole lot easier to find.
Day 5: Clean Your Microwave & Go Through Small Appliances
I personally can’t stand cleaning microwaves and I often put off cleaning mine over and over again. The Angry Mama Microwave Cleaner makes cleaning your microwave so much easier! All you have to do is follow the fill lines inside for water and vinegar, microwave it for 5 minutes, and then wipe out all the gunk with a wet rag.
Your microwave is probably one of many small appliances in your kitchen, but it may be the only one that you actually use. All those fun gadget appliances like donut makers, cake pop makers, mini waffle makers, etc. probably got used once and are now just taking up space in your kitchen. Gather up all these small appliances that you aren’t using any more and donate them to massively declutter your kitchen.
Day 6: Organize Your Spices
Having your spices organized makes cooking a whole lot easier. There are tons of ways you can do this. You can use a spice spinner, magnetic spice shelf for the side of the fridge, or an expandable spice drawer organizer.
Day 7: Clean Sink & Garbage Disposal
While we clean just about everything in our kitchen inside our sinks, how often do we actually clean the sink itself?! Sinks start to get grimy and garbage disposals particularly can really get smelly. If you have a garbage disposal fill it with ice, squeeze some dish soap on top, and run it for a good clean. As far as your sink goes, a good scrub with Dawn Power Wash will do the trick. You can also use Brillo pads if you have a metal kitchen sink.
Day 8: Donate Unused Tupperware/Pots/Pans/Water Bottles/Coffee Mugs/Etc.
Things add up quickly in kitchens and before you know it your cabinets will be bursting at the seams with old water bottles, coffee mugs, tupperware, etc. Try to purge these items once a year during your spring cleaning and donate them to somewhere like Goodwill or Salvation Army. This will help you stay organized and also keep organized! That said, don’t forget to save a few things if you have a toddler! They will love a few additions to their play kitchen!
Day 9: Degrease
Castile soap is a great natural option to degrease your cabinets and any walls near the stove. Put warm water and a few drops of this Pure Castile Soap in a spray bottle, spray, and then wipe it with a rag. Don’t forget to do the top of your cabinets too!
Day 10: Run Your Dishwasher Empty
Just like the sink, the dishwasher also gets easily forgotten. Simply running your dishwasher on its hottest cycle while empty can do wonders to remove any build up.
Bathroom: 30-Day Spring Cleaning Checklist
Day 11: Replace Old Towels
If your towels have stopped drying as well as they used to or they smell after only a use or two after washing, it may be time for some new towels. You can cut up the old ones for rags and use those rags to clean the walls and baseboards later on in your spring cleaning!
Day 12: Clean Shower Curtain & Liner
Shower curtains and plastic liners are a breeding ground for all kinds of bacteria. While they definitely don’t get washed often enough, they actually are insanely easy to wash! I wash my shower curtain with normal laundry detergent and throw my shower curtain liner in with about a half cup of bleach! Just make sure to use warm or cold water (not hot) on plastic liners to avoid damaging them.
Day 13: Wash Bath Mats
There’s nothing like stepping out of the shower onto a soft, fluffy, freshly washed bath mat. Enough said.
Day 14: Deep Clean Shower/Bath & Shower Head
When you deep clean your shower and bathtub, make sure to clean all the places that get forgotten during your regular cleaning. If you have glass shower stall doors, make sure to clean them. If you have a hanging shower caddy, take everything out and clean your caddy too. And if you have grout in your shower stall, don’t forget to scrub it.
When it comes to the shower head, simply fill a gallon ziploc bag or grocery bag with white vinegar and tie it over your shower head. You can tie it on with a zip tie, hair tie, rubberband, or whatever works! Make sure the shower head is fully submerged so all the build up from the water gets removed by the vinegar.
Day 15: Tidy Medicine Cabinet
To tidy up your medicine cabinet, start by taking everything out and wiping it down. Then make sure to throw away any old medicines or first aid supplies. If you have a lot in your medicine cabinet you may want to consider organizing the items in your medicine cabinet into categories and separate bins to make things easier to find. Clear stacking bins or small drawer organizers with labels are a cheap organization option that really do the trick!
Day 16: Clean Plunger & Toilet Brush
We wash our dish towels and sponges, but rarely do any of us think to clean our toilet brushes. To clean your toilet brush and plunger, put a few capfuls of bleach in a bowl of clean toilet water and let it soak. To clean your toilet brush holder, spray it with a disinfectant spray, let it sit for 10 minutes, and then rinse it with water.
Day 17: Deep Clean Toilet and Sink with Baking Soda
Deep cleaning your toilet is as simple as pouring a half cup of bleach into your toilet bowl and letting it sit for 5-10 minutes before flushing your toilet. For the bathroom sink, use a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water alongside a toothbrush to scrub the scum off.
Bedroom & Closet: 30-Day Spring Cleaning Checklist
Day 19: Flip Mattress & Wash Comforter
Flipping or rotating your mattress regularly will help spread out the wear and tear and make your mattress last longer. In fact, it can increase the lifespan of your mattress by a year or more. And while you definitely should be washing your comforter more than just once a year, spring cleaning is a good time to get back on the comforter cleaning wagon if you’ve fallen off.
Day 20: Declutter Under & On Top
Bedroom clutter tends to find its way under the bed, on top of dressers, and on top of bedside tables. Whatever that may look like for you, cleaning up this clutter can help your bedroom be a more relaxing place when you go to bed at night.
Day 21: Go Through Old Clothes
We all hang on to clothes that we no longer love, that are too big or too small, that are uncomfortable, or that we bought because they were a good deal and never wore them. If you have four seasons where you live, you should get rid of anything you haven’t worn in the past 12 months. If you live in a climate with only one or two seasons, you should get rid of anything that you haven’t worn in the past six months. Just think about it as making room in your closet to do some shopping this coming year.
All Areas: 30-Day Spring Cleaning Checklist
Day 22: Replace Dead Lightbulbs
It’s funny how long simple, easy tasks get neglected. A simple dead lightbulb takes about 30 seconds to replace but you’ve probably forgotten to buy lightbulbs or said you’d do it later for the past year. I know the feeling. I’ve had a dead lightbulb for months and I continually forget to replace it every day. So, today is our day. Buy the lightbulbs and take the 30 seconds.
Day 23: Dust and Wash Light Fixtures & Fans
I didn’t realize just how nasty light fixtures got until I cleaned all of ours. Adding this to your yearly spring cleaning checklist will help your home feel both cleaner and brighter. When it comes to dusting fan blades, use a pillowcase to avoid making a mess. Slide one fan blade in at a time and dust with the top of the pillow case while the bottom of the case catches any dust that falls! This cleaning hack is super helpful when it comes to dusting a fan that’s over top of a bed! It’s one of my absolute favorite spring cleaning tips!
Day 24: Check Your Fire Extinguishers and Smoke Detectors
On a daily basis, it’s easy to forget about your smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. We get used to them being there and forget about them. But they are so so important! Make sure to test your smoke detectors and replace the batteries to protect your home and your family in case something should ever happen. You should also try to keep a fire extinguisher somewhere you can easily find it, like under your kitchen sink.
Day 25: Wipe Down Walls, Doors, and Baseboards.
Wiping down walls, doors, and baseboards is an easy process but unfortunately a time consuming one. Don’t forget to grab those old towels you cut up earlier to use as rags. That way when they get really gross, you can just toss them and save yourself some time. You can choose to just use hot water or opt for the castile soap we used on the cabinets earlier.
Day 26: Clean Blinds and Windows
To quickly clean the blinds in your home, grab a sock and a 50/50 mixture of water and vinegar. Slip your hand in the sock and then dip it in the water vinegar mixture. You can now grab each blind slat, run your hand along it, and quickly clean it. I also highly recommend you put your hand in a plastic glove before putting it in the sock if you don’t want to have your hand in a soggy sock.
When it comes to your windows, try using coffee filters instead of paper towels. They are super inexpensive, durable, and lint free so they won’t leave streaks and lint behind like paper towels do.
Day 27: Wash and Dry Curtains
It’s easy to forget about your curtains, but these collect dust and grime too…especially if you have kids that like to play in them. Most curtains can be washed and dried normally but make sure to check the washing instructions.
Day 28: Dust
While you probably do dust throughout the year, there are a lot of things that get forgotten during those normal dusting sessions. Things like banisters, handrails, art, and decorations often get forgotten throughout the year and need special attention during your spring cleaning. And don’t forget to check for cobwebs in corners too! These extendable, retractable, and washable dusters are perfect for dusting everywhere in your home and even work on windows!
Day 29: Clean the Bottom of Trash Cans
Trash cans get pretty nasty, especially if it’s a trash can you don’t use a bag in. As I was looking at the bottom of my trash can the other day, I decided it was a much needed addition to this spring cleaning checklist.
Day 30: Clean Carpets and Stairs
If you happen to have a carpet cleaner vacuum, cleaning your carpets is a breeze. If you don’t have a carpet cleaner, I personally am a huge fan of Arm & Hammer Powdered Carpet Cleaner. All you have to do is sprinkle it on, wait 15 minutes, and then vacuum it up! We had a carpet in our new house that smelled when we moved in. I put this stuff on it and it smells brand new again!
This post was all about the ultimate 30-day spring cleaning checklist, so don’t forget to go download yours from my free printables page. Happy Cleaning!
-Beautifully Busy Mom