Prepare your home for spring and summer with our complete cleaning checklist. From lawn care to setting up your outdoor entertaining spaces and more, this checklist will ensure you’re ready when beautiful, warm weather begins to arrive.

As excited as I am for nice weather and longer, sunshine-filled days, I’ve found myself getting overwhelmed at the amount of chores and to-do lists that come each spring. Every free second I have, I’ve spent outside working on the yard, cleaning and setting up furniture on the deck, and working on all the projects big and small that go into keeping a home well maintained and beautiful.

I shared my Fall Cleaning Checklist a few years ago, and I thought it would be helpful (for both of us!) if I put together a Spring Cleaning Guide too. I hope that by having everything in a categorized checklist, you can easily prioritize and tackle your to-do’s before summer arrives so you can spend the warm weather months relaxing and enjoying your home and outdoor spaces.

Here are the top tasks you’ll want to complete before the hot summer weather sets in:

SPRING CLEANING CHECKLIST

– download printable checklist here –

HOME INTERIOR

• declutter each room and deep clean carpets, baseboards, vents, appliances, and ceiling fans
• rotate seasonal clothing and donate unused items
• wash bedding and replace heavy blankets with cooling linens
• wash interior/exterior windows and reinstall screens
• replace HVAC filters and test air conditioning – schedule an inspection or maintenance, if needed
• change smoke detector batteries
• adjust ceiling fans to rotate counterclockwise
• vacuum/flip mattresses
• inspect for leaks, cracks, water damage, or missing shingles
• inspect for signs of pests and spray for rodents/insects as needed

YOU MIGHT NEED:

1. I bought the Tineco vacuum mop after my sister raved about it, and this floor cleaner quickly became my favorite cleaning device. Saves so much time sweeping up debris and washing the floors simultaneously, and I love how every part can be easily taken apart and cleaned. When I discovered they also make a carpet cleaner, I invested in it too, and I cannot believe how much it gets our carpet and rugs looking brand new again. Hands down, the best I’ve ever used.
2. It’s been proven that your body needs a cool temperature in order to have the deepest, most restorative sleep, so I always switch out our warm, heavy bedding for cooling linens in the spring. Here is a full guide to sheets, mattresses, pillows, and lightweight quilts/duvets that will keep you cool as the temperatures rise.
3. I started using these ultrasonic repellers back in 2022 to keep mice out of our house, and I can’t believe how well this simple little device works. You plug them in throughout your house and never have to mess with them again. The frequency is supposed to be specific to rodents and insects and completely undetectable by humans and pets.
4. I’m slowly switching to non-toxic products for our home and health, and this rodent repellent spray I’ve used all around the exterior of our house, garage, and basement is made with peppermint, cinnamon, and garlic oil. But it just smells like peppermint!

WINDOW CLEANING TIPS:

This is the method I use, and it works like a charm. 

1. Check to make sure all windows are tightly closed and locked. Mix 1-2 tablespoons dish soap in a bucket of warm water. 
2. Spray the exterior of the window with a hose to wet the surface. Use a mop (I have this one) to scrub the window with the dish soap mixture. This will get all the dirt and grime off the glass. Spray the window again to rinse off the soap.
3. Mix white vinegar with water (around a 1:4 ratio) in a spray bottle. Spray the window with the vinegar solution, and use a squeegee to remove the liquid, wiping the tool on a lint free cloth as needed.

YARD + GARDEN

• clean up debris and remove branches, leaves, and dead plants
• assess lawn needs such as fertilizer, weed management, reseeding bare patches, and aeration
• test lawn mower and garden equipment – schedule maintenance, if needed
• trim trees and shrubs – except those which bloom on old wood
• plan and plant your garden and landscaping for the season
• add mulch to garden beds

YOU MIGHT NEED:

1. One of the best purchases I’ve made is this heavy duty garden cart. From hauling heavy bags of mulch and soil around the yard to cleaning up branches and landscaping, this cart has saved my back time and time again and made tasks go so much more quickly.
2. Every spring I apply fertilizer and weed control granules to our lawn with this push spreader. It’s a good workout, especially when the spreader is full, but it doesn’t take long to do with the upgraded 6-foot spread pattern. And just a few weeks later, my yard looks like lush, green carpet that I can’t stop staring at. I just learned you can use it to spread ice melt in the winter too!
3. My sons convinced me to finally upgrade our old riding mower to a Cub Cadet zero turn this year, and wow… what a difference. It’s a big investment, but if you’re in the market for a lawn mower and need a recommendation, I can’t say enough good things about the model I purchased. It edges tight spaces, turns so much more easily, and majorly cut down on my mowing time for an almost 2-acre yard. My son, who works at a lawn mower repair shop, says get a deck wash attachment to maintain the mower’s performance and lifespan. You just hook a hose up to it and let the blades run for a few minutes after each use.
4. This leaf blower with a rechargeable battery clears grass clippings and debris off my deck and sidewalks quickly. I also have this string trimmer/edger and hedge trimmer that run off the same rechargeable battery as the leaf blower, which is super convenient. Each tool you buy comes with a battery, so I always have back-ups charging while I’m out working.

OUTDOOR LIVING SPACES

YOU MIGHT NEED:

1. These planters made from recycled materials are by far the best I’ve ever purchased, and I just added two more to my collection this spring. They’re extremely durable, crack-proof, and have an internal reservoir that makes them self-watering. I love this more modern and this more traditional style.
2. I use this method for cleaning our outdoor cushions and pillows. And this pressure washer to clean grime and mildew off everything from decks, patios, walkways, siding, fences, outdoor rugs/mats, even garbage cans. There is nothing more satisfying than the job of pressure washing and seeing all that yuck melt away!
3. Our deck is due to be sealed again, and I have a *very* extensive and thorough tutorial explaining every step of deck sealing and the products I swear by.
4. A couple things I have to help organize our garage: this sports equipment cart, these storage straps for bundling extension cords, hoses, and more, this gorgeous tool chest/work bench combo, and this rolling rack for garden tools and brooms.

As always, I sincerely appreciate you shopping through the links I share, which allows me to make a small commission from your purchase while your purchase price remains the same. When you use my affiliate links, I’m better able to create content for this blog as well as support my family, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting what I do!

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