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10 Unconventional Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Home
(Plus a Bonus Mindset Refresh!)
There's a reason why nature operates in cycles. After lying dormant and resting in winter, all flowers and foliage burst with life in spring—better and more beautiful than ever.
We can learn a lot from changing seasons. Aligning our goals with each season can supercharge your productivity through the year because it allows for both rest and action. And, using the energy of a new season is also a great motivator in tackling your to-do list!
Enter: spring cleaning.
Even if cleaning is not your #1 favorite activity, there's something to be said about using the energy and momentum of a new season to tackle projects around your home.
More than cleaning out all corners of your house, spring cleaning can also be applied to your mindset and motivation for personal projects, goals, or challenges.
Here we'll explore 10 unconventional spring cleaning tips for your physical space, plus some key insights on refreshing your internal world. I'll even share a few of my favorite products to help.
10 Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Home
When the list of cleaning and organization to-dos seems endless, it's helpful to know where to start. So, whether you're revamping your space after divorce, preparing to sell your home, or simply want a refresh, here are 10 unconventional spring cleaning tips for your home:
1. Your closet
Spring is the ideal time of year to clean out your closet and get rid of what you didn't wear over the winter. You can see what you have for warmer weather and identify any gaps where you need to go shopping or replace essential items.
- Pro tip: I mean, let's be real we probably have a ton of clothes we no longer wear. As you pull out warm-weather clothes, hang them in your closet backward. After wearing an item, return it to your closet right-side-around. Then, at the end of the season, you can easily see what you didn't wear and donate it to make more space in your closet. And I don't know about you, but I personally don't want to pack them up again when I go to move, just for them to take up box space and not get worn for another few years.
2. Baseboards
Small things make a big difference! Baseboards are often neglected and overlooked, even by professional cleaners. When done regularly, your house looks much cleaner and put together. Conversely, dirty baseboards make your home look worn out. When skipped year over year, it's harder to get dust off and will require a full new coat of paint to look pristine again. So, cleaning your baseboards can be a big money saver!
- Pro tip: Add this chore to your kid's cleaning list! It's a simple one for them to do and will help pull the room together.
3. Carpet edges
Dust, dirt, and pet dander can accumulate along your carpet edges, making them look dark and dirty compared to the center area that gets cleaned regularly. Once a year, use your vacuum's edge tool to pull out the dust and keep your carpets looking fresh and clean. You can even run your finger along the edge of the baseboard to help pull this out of the carpet. This preserves the life of the carpet and prevents a potential future buyer from thinking they need to replace the carpets.
- Pro tip: For regular carpet cleaning, this is my favorite option. It's good for spills, pets, stairs, high traffic, you name it!
4. Pantry and fridge
Admit it—you have some expired food at the back of your pantry. We all do. Spring cleaning is a great time to go through everything and get rid of expired food. I recommend choosing a day before garbage pick-up so you don't have stuff getting stinky on you! A clean and organized space will be so satisfying and help you know what you have before running out and wasting money buying more. Plus if you're showing your home to sell, an organized pantry will enhance the size of the space!
- Pro tip: While cleaning, make a pile of non-expired and unused items to bring to a local food bank, too.
5. Grout and caulk lines
Another overlooked but impactful area is your grout and caulk lines in the bathroom and kitchen. If you have moldy spots, it's time to get that cleaned up! Use a high-quality cleaner, like this mold remover gel, to get rid of mold and mildew. Once it's all cleaned up, reseal your tile and grout. Doing this once a year is a great way to retain the integrity of your grout and keep things looking fresh and clean.
- Pro tip: You don't have to hire a professional to reseal your grout—consider the DIY route with this tried and true sealant that even works with granite and quartz.
6. Microwave deep clean
Your microwave is probably one of the most often-used appliances in your kitchen. But how often are you giving it a deep clean? Take some time to clean the inside and outside of your microwave so it's squeaky clean.
- Pro tip: Try this all-natural, low-cost cleaning tip—squeeze the juice of one lemon into a cup of water. Place in the microwave and turn on high power for three to five minutes. The steam from the water and lemon juice will loosen up caked-on food, making it easy to wipe away! Plus, it smells nice and fresh. You can also use a lemon to easily clean your food disposal—just drop a cut lemon into it while it's on. It'll clean the blades and neutralize any funky odors.
7. Clean out your dryer vent
Remove fire hazards by regularly cleaning out your dryer vent. You should always remove lint after every use, but go a step further by periodically cleaning out the vent, too. To do so, disconnect the duct from your wall and use a vacuum to thoroughly clean it out. You'll also want to inspect the exterior vent and see if it needs to be cleaned out as well.
- Pro tip: Failing to adequately clean out your dryer vent can be a serious hazard. If you're not confident doing this yourself, hire a professional vent cleaning service—or, at the very least, check out a DIY tutorial.
8. Hose off patio furniture
Prepare for the summer season by cleaning off your patio furniture and rugs. A simple hose down often does the trick, but make sure you inspect things thoroughly to see if you need a deeper clean with soap or cleaner. If it's in need of a pressure wash, you can rent one from your local hardware store for half a day often for less than $50! Aim for something lower pressure if you're also cleaning furniture, but can be helpful for hard-to-reach cobwebs or even mildew removal on your patio.
- Pro tip: Do this on a sunny day so everything can dry out nicely!
9. Extract hair from the drain
Getting hair out of drains just comes with the territory of long hair! If you (or your kiddos) are anything like me and my son, we have a head full of hair and I got tired of calling the plumber out so I had him show me what to do.
While you may be able to get some out with your fingers or some tweezers, the best way to do this is to use a screwdriver to remove shower or sink drains and get it all out. If all else fails, you can also purchase a drain snake to help. Since most often the hair isn't far down the drain (because it's wrapped on the drain or tangled with the hair that is), this one works great for less than $20.
- Pro tip: Invest in a stopper for your tub that catches all hair. This ensures little is going down the drain and makes the upkeep and removal much easier in the long run.
10. Dust hard-to-reach areas
You likely do dust or clean high-touch and easy-to-reach areas often, but use the spring cleaning season to get to the places you don't often reach. The big ones here are the tops of bathroom vanity light shades, fans, tops of cupboards, or wall artwork and decor.
- Pro tip: Get an extendable duster or make use of a stool or ladder to ensure you can really access every nook and cranny. This is the one I use at home and for some of my listings and I love that the head comes off to easily wash for reuse.
Spring Cleaning For Your Mindset: Increasing Internal Awareness
All these spring cleaning tips are a great way to refresh your home. And, often, updating your external environment has a direct impact on your "internal environment," or your motivation, mindset, and energy.
You can use the momentum of spring cleaning to turn inward and see where you might need a self-awareness "spring cleaning."
Here are a few ideas to try in this season:
- Take action with your goals: Spring is a season of energy and action—use it to revisit goals, plans, or ideas you've had in the back of your mind but haven't gotten started with yet. What action step can you take today? Let the momentum of spring cleaning motivate you into aligned action.
- Seek out new resources: Books, podcasts, journal prompts, guidelines, toolkits, online communities, and courses—there are truly so many options today that can help you increase self-awareness and expand your mind. What's that one thing you've been wanting to check out for a while but keep putting off? Grab it and start learning from it today. Maybe it's listening to an episode of The Divorced and Determined AF podcast while tackling your spring cleaning projects around the home!).
- Find your people: The hibernation of winter is over; spring is a time to reconnect with others and immerse yourself in community. This is especially important if you're going through a major life transition like divorce. You may find an online community like the P.E.A.C.E of Mind Initiative or refresh your efforts to connect with friends, family, or professional support like a counselor. What kind of connection do you know you need but haven't sought after? Spend some time thinking about it and then make a plan to get it.
Let's make spring cleaning about more than just a house refresh. Instead, let's focus on transforming both our physical, external spaces while also focusing on your internal world, self-awareness, mindset, and motivation. Capitalize on the energy of spring to makeover your life, inside and out.
If you want to use spring cleaning time to make more substantial upgrades or renovations to your home, check out our Style to Design services. These comprehensive e-design services help you envision exactly what your home could look like, without the price tag of a professional decorator.
To cleaning out your home and mindset,
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**Disclosure** This post may contain affiliate links and they are at no additional cost to you, though I may earn a small commission. Don't worry, I only recommend products or services that I have tried or believe would be of great value to you! All opinions expressed are those of my own!
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