Spring Cleaning Checklist

When you begin to think about a spring house cleaning plan, you will most definitely want to get a checklist in order. There is much to do to achieve a successful spring cleaning. You’ve got this! Let’s get started.

Flowers are blooming, leaves have begun to bud. What better time for a fresh start than spring? This new beginning can and should include a full house cleaning and organizing of your home. You might ask “why?” or “how?” There are several advantages to spring cleaning that you may not have considered. Let’s take a look at the benefits and cleaning tips we have discovered.

1) Helps Immune System

While having a clean environment around you seems to be “healthy,” sometimes we don’t realize just how much it can help us achieve that healthy body and healthy mental state we desire. In regard to our immune system, there are many things to consider.

Spring cleaning can help us finally get to those areas that we don’t always have time to clean. Getting rid of some of that pesky dust that lurks in all the corners, at the tops of our picture frames, door frames, baseboards, and more, can really help with things that can trigger allergies. All of these pollutants can gather, especially in the winter season. 

A full house cleaning can prevent you from getting sick too. Look around at your house. We touch everything! Cleaning things around your house that you touch a lot can help you steer clear or at least lessen the spread of those nasty viruses as well as bacteria. Make sure to consistently clean your bedding, towels, doorknobs, light switches, and especially your cell phone, computer, and keys. All the things that you touch the most should be sanitized regularly.

Besides improving your allergies and keeping viruses and bacteria out, cleaning your home can also decrease stress and depression. We have indeed spent a lot of time indoors lately. When our space is tidy and less cluttered around us, our mental health is dramatically improved. Think about how you feel when you look around a freshly cleaned home or even room. It’s like a breath of fresh air! You can relax more fully in a clutter-free space, and your mood is so much more positive. Decreasing your stress in this way can lead to a healthier immune system.

Deep cleaning can really boost your immune system. What small changes can you make to support your body? Even the simplest adjustments can make your life easier and happier.

2) Improves Your Mood

There’s nothing like the feeling of a clean home—especially one that has been deep cleaned room by room. When you tidy your home and organize your space, your mood is automatically improved and uplifted. Like we discussed earlier, an organized area can also help with stress and depression. 

Some people may try yoga or a massage, but for many, cleaning or simply just seeing their clean, organized space can help them de-stress and relax. Let’s be honest, when you’re able to have a place to unwind, you are happier, your anxiety is reduced, and you’re even less cranky and irritable to others. Those around you will thank you! 

A clean home can increase focus and productivity too. You may have noticed that clutter can really make it tough to focus on specific tasks at hand. It can make you tense and confused, while organized surroundings help you feel calm and in control. It’s incredible the direct impact that a clean home can have. Remember not to discount it as part of your healthy lifestyle.

Boosts Self-Esteem

It seems crazy that a full house cleaning can boost your self-esteem, but it’s true! There are several reasons for this:

• As your mood is improved, you become more optimistic about life and yourself. 
• You find confidence in making decisions in a small way, leading to more significant, productive choices.  
• Gratitude becomes a big part of your daily living. When you are grateful for what you have, a calmness and appreciation for life arise.

3) Improves Sleep

If you find yourself constantly struggling with tiredness, consider keeping a clean room as a way to help. Did you know that it has been shown that people sleep better in a clean room? Here’s why:

• Less clutter = less stress. It’s essential to make sleeping feel like the most important thing you do in your bedroom. When you have a clean room, you stress less about your surroundings, leading to a good night’s sleep.
• Clean sheets and a bed that’s made also leads to better sleep. Providing yourself with a calm, clean environment to go to sleep helps make bedtime more inviting and something to look forward to instead of dreading.

Main Rooms to Focus On

A full house cleaning can seem daunting, right? When you look around at all the things that could be cleaned, it feels like it could take until next spring! 

It’s essential to break your plan down into sections. Make a spring cleaning checklist to easily see what needs to be done next and what you have accomplished. This will help you not to get lost in each room. Just follow your checklist and move on. 

Also, don’t worry about spending time on the places that have recently been cleaned. When you have a full house cleaning to do, focus on what has been overlooked throughout the winter and the last several months. 

Let’s look at the main rooms you should focus on and the most vital things to remember to clean in each. 

Kitchen

You’ve probably kept up the main areas in the kitchen, but here’s a list of a few places that you may have forgotten:

• Clean the pantry. Get rid of all your expired food and donate what you know you won’t use to a local food bank.
• Deep clean that oven! Research an oven cleaning solution and scrub out the stubborn stains.
• Clean your fridge (inside and out). Our fridge can take a beating. It’s crucial to get rid of spoiled food and wash the shelves and drawers as well as the outside. It may be dirtier than you think!
• Vacuum the floors behind the fridge as well as the coils on the back of your fridge. These hard-to-reach places are often overlooked. 
• Clean your dishwasher. Run a deep clean cycle to flush out any debris. 

Bedroom

As you work on your full house cleaning, don’t forget your bedroom! Check out a few spots you won’t want to miss: 

• Flip or rotate your mattress
• Clean out under your bed
• Go through your clothes and donate or sell any unused items. 
• Wipe down light fixtures, including fans. 
• Wash your bedding (including pillows, duvets, and bed skirts)

Living Room

Dust your furniture (including picture frames and other items that you may miss with your regular cleaning.

• Vacuum and wipe down your lamps and lampshades
• Vacuum your couches and other upholstery
• Steam wash pillows or blankets
• Vacuum the floors and shampoo your carpets (or sweep and mop your hard floor surfaces)
• Wipe down light fixtures, including fans
• Sanitize remote controls

Basement

A full house cleaning should be just what it says, fully cleaning your home top to bottom. This includes your basement. This is an easily forgotten area during spring cleaning because of the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality. Plus, this is where clutter is best collected in our home, right? 

If you find that your basement needs a good cleanout, consider hiring a professional like Junk-A-Haulics to come and help out. Once you have gone through your basement and are ready for items to be hauled away, Junk-A-Haulics will come and haul out all of the heavy, burdensome things you need removing. Check out more about what they can help with as you clean out your basement here.

Garage

Do your cars get parked outside even though you have a perfectly nice garage that they just can’t fit in due to all the “stuff” you are storing? This can be incredibly frustrating! Maybe it’s time to include the garage area with the full house cleaning of your home this spring.

Work to separate items in your garage into a “keep,” “donate,” or “toss” category. Once you have removed what you can, sweep out your garage and spray for bugs. Bring in your “keep” pile and put them on shelves, in bins, etc. Make sure you are making deliberate choices on where you put things. Don’t just throw things onto a shelf and call it good. Set yourself up for success now, and it will be easier to keep a good, working system going in the future. Next time when you do a full house cleaning, the garage will be a quick part of the process!

Find out how Junk-A-Haulics can help you with your garage cleanout!

New Jersey House Clean Out Services

When you look around your home, basement, garage, and maybe even your yard, you know you have things you need to throw out. It takes time, and you need help. A full house cleaning can be intimidating, but it’s not as bad as you think if you just get started. Junk-A-Haulics is here for you. We can haul away items that need to be donated or thrown away. Our services take the “heavy lifting” out of your project, and you won’t be sorry you called on us for help. Contact Junk-A-Haulics to start your spring cleaning project today! Check out more spring cleaning tips as well as information on other spots in your home that you may want to include in your full house cleaning.