The Spring Clean

How to complete The Spring Clean

A real spring clean reaches the surfaces normal cleaning never touches: behind the fridge, the tops of doors, the grime line on the wall behind the stove. The reward is a home that feels reset rather than just tidied.

1. Block the whole weekend and go room by room so you finish spaces instead of leaving everything half-done.
2. Pull out the fridge, stove, and washer; vacuum the coils and floor, and wipe the walls and sides you've never seen.
3. Wash walls, baseboards, doors, and switch plates top to bottom with a degreaser, working high to low so drips land on dirty surfaces.
4. Clean inside the things you skip daily: oven, microwave, fridge shelves, and under-sink cabinets.
5. Wash or beat soft furnishings (curtains, throws, cushion covers) and shampoo or steam high-traffic carpet.
6. Finish each room with floors so you're not re-dirtying clean tile.

Tips

• Lay a towel under appliances before you slide them so you don't scratch the floor.
• Empty and declutter as you go, because cleaning around junk just relocates the problem.
• Open windows; wall-washing and degreasers need ventilation.

What counts as done

Every appliance has been moved and cleaned behind, walls and skipped surfaces are wiped, and the place smells and looks visibly reset, not just picked up.