Spring Cleaning Checklist

Spring Cleaning Checklist (for the Fall)

Let's face it: most parts of the country save their deep cleaning for the spring. That's when houses have been closed up against the elements all the long, dreary winter. Around here, however, in sunny Tucson, the reverse is often true: the heat outside makes many of us homebodies, and fall means that we can finally do more outdoors. We personally tend to save the deepest cleaning for the fall, when the A/C might still be running, but it's not running constantly! Another benefit: we don't have to panic at holiday guests discovering that we haven't vacuumed under the guest bed since the last time they visited.

Whatever time of year you prefer, it's a great idea to set aside a regular time for the deep cleaning that you just don't have time for on a regular basis. Now, first and most important: this is not a guilt list! We all have those things we just can't do all the time. Do what you can and what you want! Linen closets might be a priority for one person, but clean windows are more important to another. When things feel out of control, accomplishing anything is better than doing nothing. Just put it on your calendar. When we're busy with work and family and everything else, there are some jobs that just get pushed to "later." Well, it's later! Sometimes, we get motivated and get a lot done all at once. If a job still seems too big, you can also break it up into logical chunks over several weekends to avoid getting overwhelmed and demotivated, or divide them up into regular, weekly tasks. Some of these jobs really do need to be done eventually, though--one of the main reasons to do a more intensive deep cleaning is to perform maintenance on appliances or catch small problems before they become big ones.

So without further ado, here's a pretty comprehensive checklist for you!

Basic rules to make cleaning easier and safer:

• Figure out what supplies you need before you start. Do you need to refill your cleaners? Trash bags? Paper towels or rags? Don't forget the gloves, whether you prefer basic dishwashing gloves or tougher work gloves for things like gutters. Even with the safest cleaning supplies, it's nice to protect your skin. Gather all your supplies in a bucket and carry them with you.
• Never mix cleaning products. Bleach plus ammonia can equal death! Figure out which cleaner works best for which surface and keep them separate.
• Use efficient techniques. Start at the top and work your way down. Go left to right. Don't waste your time going back over areas you have already cleaned.
• Plan for breaks and stopping points. Have plenty of cold water and high-energy snacks on hand (nuts, dried fruit, cheese, vegetables) to fuel your endeavor.

Start outside while the weather is nice:

• Tackle the garage. Go through your tool collection and get rid of tools you don't use or that are rusted or beyond repair. Make a pile of things to sell in the garage sale or donate, as you prefer, and make a pile of things to haul to the dump. If you haven't already, install pegboard with hooks on the walls to hang tools and implements. Make a special place for outdoor toys, bikes, scooters, skates, etc. Finish by sweeping and spraying the floor.
• Inspect the roof for loose shingles, carefully. Look for "mushy" places and debris. If all is well, get the hose up there and spray it off. Remove debris from gutters, if you have them. Ensure that gutters aren't loose or in disrepair. If you notice loose or cracked tiles, or peeling elastic coating, this is a great time to get a roofer out there to make repairs.
• Examine exterior paint, brick or siding. Touch it up if needed. Check window screens for needed repairs or replacement, then power wash the outside of the house, including windows.
• Clean up woodpiles and other debris which serve as homes for pests. Being in the desert, pay close attention to anything that could look like termite tubes and call in the professionals as needed.
• Check your lawn sprinkler or drip irrigation systems for maintenance problems.

Check on your major home systems and appliances:

• Drain all sediment from your water heater. Newcomers to Tucson are often amazed at how hard our water really is! Draining the water regularly extends the life of your water heater, greatly.
  Perform maintenance on home cooling systems, furnaces, air conditioning or swamp coolers. If you haven't dusted your vents, this is a great time to do so. Furnace filters should be changed every 30 to 90 days, depending on your fiilter.
• Pull out your clothes dryer and clean out the vents. Not just that filter in the machine, that bendy tube behind the dryer should get cleared out. Lint can be a real fire hazard!
• Wipe down the outside of both washer and dryer with a mild cleanser. If you haven't run your washing machine's cleaning cycle (or it doesn't have one), run an empty load with very hot water and a cup of bleach or a commercial washer cleaner. Pull out the detergent tray and wash thoroughly.
• Clean the refrigerator, inside and out. Pull everything out, one section at a time if necessary, and clean any junky spills. Very carefully, wipe the rubber gasket around the door clean--do not be rough, because if you don't want to rip it. Most drawers will come out completely to wash in hot, soapy water. This reduces smells and also helps you clear out ancient and spoiled items you dont' want there anymore. Now the tough part: look up your refrigerator model online for its manual, and clean the coils! Especially with pets, it's helpful to get that dust and gunk that collects where you can't clean easily; when it builds up too long, it reduces your refrigerator's energy efficiency and can reduce the unit's lifespan. Just use your vacuum's wand attachment, you don't need to use anything wet. If you don't have a frost free unit, defrost the freezer and wipe it down, as well.
• Clean the stove vent. That little, greasy grating over the stove? You can usually just toss it in the dishwasher.
• The cooktop or oven range need to be checked over regularly. Greasy spills can start a fire. Remove and wash grates and drip pans. Check your unit's manual (you can search for it online if you don't have it) for specific cleaning instructions. Self-cleaning ovens are great, but plan to open windows and run fans if it gets smoky!
• Run the dishwasher, empty, with a commercial cleaner like Affresh or a cup of vinegar, set upright in the top rack. (We've used lemon Kool-Aid in a pinch, the citric acid works well.) Check to see if you have a filter in the bottom that you can remove and wash by hand. Your dishwasher will work and smell better.

Moving inside to your living spaces:

• Look up! Using a telescoping vacuum extension and an extendable dust mop, sweep away all cobwebs and dust near the ceilings. Ross and other discount stores often have these for cheap. Perhaps there won't be much to clean, but you'll have eyes on the ceiling, which might help you notice any cracks or other issues beginning. Dust light fixtures and replace any lightbulbs as needed. If sconces aren't looking much better, take them down and wash carefully. You'd be surprised how much lighter your house can feel doing this! Don't forget to dust your registers and A/C returns while you're up there.
• Move down the walls. Take down pictures and decorations to wash the walls. This might feel extreme, but you would be surprised how fingerprints, smudges, and dust clumps can make your hallways and other walls feel dingy. Use something gentle, depending on your paint finish. Homemade is cheap! A good place to start is a solution using 1/2 cup ammonia, 1/4 cup white vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda to 1 gallon of warm water. For flat paints, start with a very mild solution of dish soap in warm water to avoid scuffing the paint.
• Look down! Vacuum-dust all baseboards and wash them down, too. Either use a similar solution as above, or give the kiddos a water-dampened rag. You're not going for perfect, just better.
• Move furniture away from the walls and vacuum beneath. Lift those couch cushions and vacuum there, too.
• Steam clean the carpets, if you have the time and wherewithal.
• Wash the inside of the windows. We desert-dwellers know how much dust wafts through the house! Vacuum out the tracks, so that you can actually open the windows for fresh air. Screens might need some TLC, too. If it's been awhile, vacuum and/or wash the curtains or dust the blinds.
• Do any other dusting and washing you usually skip: books on bookshelves, knickknacks on high, interior doors and door lintels, and lampshades are all a great place to start.
• Freshen up the beds. You may change your sheets regularly, but when is the last time you flipped or rotated your mattress? Clear out anything under the bed to vacuum and launder comforters or quilts as needed.

Clean the kitchen:

• Wash cabinet fronts with a gentle solution of warm, soapy water. If any are particularly greasy, use a wood cleaner that won't damage your finish.
• Empty out and wipe out any drawers and cabinets. Bread crumbs in the utensils are just yucky! This is a great way to clear out any items you just don't use, too. Pull out any small appliances, children's dishes that have been outgrown, and extra utensils or gadgets you just don't need. Add to your donate/garage sale pile.Wipe down any small appliances you're keeping.
• Go through your dry goods and clear the clutter. Some canned goods are fine well past their "best by" dates, but use good judgment. Get rid of any bulging or rusted cans! Move older items to the front to use up before they expire, or gather still-good foods for a donation. (You usually cannot donate expired food, for good reason.) If you have lots of blind corners in your pantry, check out discount home goods stores for turntables. Don't get too crazy, though; this is the time to clear out the clutter, not to go down rabbit holes of social media organizing influencers!

Deep clean the bathrooms:

• Do you have a dusty collection of old cosmetics you'll never use again? If they're open, just toss them. If you have sealed items, there are charities that will take them. Ronald McDonald House and charities that help the homeless, come to mind.
• Toiletries you don't want are the same: give away unopened ones and toss opened ones. However, some could be repurposed! That way-too-fragrant shampoo you bought cheap with a coupon makes a great toilet cleaner in a pinch! Just don't mix it with other cleaners.
• Go through your prescription and over-the-counter medications. CVS has a bin at most locations for disposing of expired medications, and other pharmacies often have publicized events just for this purpose. It might feel wasteful, but expired medications generally lose their strength.
• If they need it, this is a great time to deep clean your shower, bath tub, counters, and toilets. Specialized cleaners are one way to go, though you may be wary of fumes. Depending on how delicate your surfaces are, you can also hook up specialized brushes to your power drill for extra elbow grease. Steam cleaners are also popular, especially for caked on hairspray on the floor. Just follow your manufacturer recommendations and test small, inconspicuous areas first to avoid damaging anything.

Clean the closets and other storage:

• Time to clean out the bedroom closets! Get rid of any clothing that is hopelessly damaged or stained--if you haven't managed to fix it by now, you're not going to. There are recycling points for clothing if you don't want to just trash it. Anything else you haven't worn in two or more years should be donated. If you have seasonal clothing that you won't need for the next few months, pack it up and store it, but only if it's clean. Vacuum shrink bags are great for this kind of thing.
• Haul out your winter coats, such as they may be. Donate any the kids have outgrown or ones that you haven't worn since before last winter. Freshen up the ones you plan to wear.
• If you have way too many purses, old backpacks, or other bags, consider paring down. Kids backpacks are always in demand, and there are specific charity shops for women re-entering the workforce.
• Linen closets need some love, too. Again, if you have extra sheets or blankets you haven't used in years, it might be time to get rid of them. Over crowded linens get musty because there's not enough air flow. Wipe down any shelves--we like a mix of vinegar and water for this--and put a shaker bottle of baking soda on a shelf to absorb those musty odors.
• A special note about raggedy towels and linens: if you can't repair them, and you don't need extra rags, most animal shelters would love your cast-offs. This is the one time you can donate damaged items! Just make sure they're clean.
• Using a vacuum hose, dust out each closet thoroughly--walls, shelves, ceilings, floors.

One last note in your quest to put your house in order: don't force yourself to keep piles of stuff you don't need for a garage sale you may or may not have months down the road. Some individual items may be worth selling idividually on Facebook Marketplace or even Ebay, such as valuable collectibles. Children's toys, outgrown bikes, and other gift-worthy items might do well if you time it for late fall to take advantage of bargain holiday shoppers. Garage sale buyers are going to expect rock-bottom prices, however, and you need to decide if it's worth your time. At best, you should plan to make a quarter of what a new item would sell for in a store. Maybe you'd make enough for a family outing, and maybe you enjoy having your neighbors coming by to haggle with you. Unless you have a really large amount of stuff to sell, you might be better off donating items, instead. If you do put together a donation pile, box up items and put them in your car immediately so they don't just sit cluttering up a corner of your home. The next time you head out, drop them off.

Finally, get everyone involved. Deep cleaning should not be a one-woman or one-man show. One friend confided that when her children were little, they loved taking a baby wipe and scrubbing the baseboards for mom and dad. Older kids might complain about extra chores at first, but when you don't micromanage them and give them reasonable goals, they just might get a sense of pride and accomplishment for making real difference. To make boring jobs more rewarding, both for the kids and yourself, plan a special treat of some kind once you're done. It doesn't have to all be drudgery!

Whatever you do, follow your standards of clean, not ours or anyone else's. Enjoy your home the way you want to!