11 Simple Spring Cleaning Tips for Your California Home

We have a love-hate relationship with spring. On one hand, you get sunshine, longer days, blooming flowers, and milder temperatures; but on the other, it means it’s time to bust out the cleaning supplies, which is way less thrilling. However, as soon as you’re done with home spring cleaning, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as coming back to a spick-and-span house.

If you’ve been dreading the idea of getting rid of the dust bunnies and stubborn stains in your house, just take a deep breath and relax. Whether you like to spring clean your home in an all-weekend marathon or multiple after-work sessions, these top spring cleaning tips will get the job done quickly and efficiently.

Spring clean ideas you'll love

1. Put yourself in the right headspace

Are you an angry or happy cleaner? A procrastinator or a neat freak? If spring cleaning your home makes your blood boil, use that to your advantage and make the grout in your bathroom regret its existence. But if you find the activity peaceful and calming, the best way to spring clean is to put on some music and taking it nice and slow.

Everyone has a different mode of spring cleaning that works for them—the key is to identify it and adapt to it. So, before you put on your gloves and pick up a broom this year, use this spring cleaning tip to approach the situation in a healthier manner.

2. Break it down into smaller chunks

Oftentimes, we approach spring cleaning as a marathon we have to face with our blood, sweat, and tears, but it doesn’t have to be that way at all. A good way to go about your spring cleaning is to break it down into smaller, more specific chunks. This spring cleaning idea not only helps you organize your time more efficiently, but also allows you to be more productive in terms of how you approach different spring cleaning tasks.

Divide your tasks based on the rooms you’re planning to tackle that day. Within that room, plan according to how much time you expect to spend on each aspect of your cleaning routine. For example, if you’re starting your spring cleaning in the kitchen, clean the interiors of the appliances first, then scrub the tiles, declutter the cabinets, and wrap it up by polishing the surfaces. Either do these tasks all at once or spread them out over several days. Easy peasy.

3. Re-examine your cleaning supplies

Yes, even the cleaning supplies you use have to get a (perhaps much-needed) overhaul. When it comes to home spring cleaning supplies, we trust that the products we pick off the shelves are good and healthy, but that isn’t always the case. This year, we’re taking our time to review what exactly it is that we’re cleaning our houses with. When you go supply shopping, make sure to pick out products that have little to no irritants, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), artificial fragrances, and flammable ingredients. Tossing the toxins is a vital step to creating a cleaner, healthier, and safer home.

Eco-Friendly spring cleaning alternatives

4. Create your own cleaning detergent

On the topic of green spring cleaning tips, mixing your own detergent with stuff you already have is a great way to reduce your use of toxic chemicals. This simple recipe can be used on marble and granite countertops as well as many appliances:

• ¾ cup water
• ¾ cup rubbing alcohol
• 5–10 drops of lemon or essential oil of your choice (for fragrance)
• A squirt of natural dish soap
  

5. Find natural supplies you already have at home

Since vinegar is good for cleaning water-based kitchen appliances and coffee filters are useful for wiping down electronic screens, there are many other spring cleaning tips and tricks that involve stuff you probably have at home. For starters, clean the pesky stains in your microwave with a lemon rind, use old T-shirts as wiping sheets, and compost your expired food into an inexpensive fertilizer for your home garden.

After incorporating these tips and tricks into your eco-friendly cleaning routine, you’ll find a variety of other methods to spring clean your home in a more mindful way—one step at a time.

Spring cleaning tips and tricks

6. Declutter, declutter, declutter

We spend a lot of time cleaning stuff we don’t need or use without even realizing it. One of our best spring cleaning tips this year is to give organizing the same energy you give to cleaning—whether that is by downsizing your wardrobe, donating your child’s toys, or giving away kitchen appliances that have never seen the light of day. An efficient way to save time during future cleaning endeavors is to declutter and organize your stuff.

7. Use coffee filters to clean electronic screens

Our electronic appliances are perhaps the most used items in our homes. But did you know that your phone is one of the dirtiest objects you come in contact with on a daily basis? Some studies claim that phone screens that aren’t regularly cleaned harbor more germs than toilet seats. Yes, you read that right. 

The best way to spring clean your electronics without damaging them is by using coffee filters. Glide a coffee filter with a minuscule amount of product over the screen for a streak-free clean that won’t scratch. This spring cleaning tip works for TVs, tablets, phones, and laptops.

Spring cleaning your kitchen

8. Wash your cleaning appliances

Appliances that exist to clean other items often need a good cleaning themselves. This spring cleaning step is often overlooked, but it’s very crucial. There are several ways to go about it. For appliances that clean with water (such as dishwashers), use vinegar to get rid of the calcium buildup. Pour a couple of cups of white vinegar into the machine, run a hot cycle, and voila—clean as a whistle. You can also use white vinegar to deep clean your tea kettle, microwave, and other kitchen appliances.

9. Help your garbage smell less like trash

A rather green spring cleaning tip, the simple act of reusing your dryer sheets by putting them on the bottom of your trash bags can reduce the musty stench significantly. Even if they’ve been used, the sheets have the ability to absorb the smell and mask bad odors. So, the next time you cook fish for your at-home date night, use this top spring cleaning tip to avoid warding off your companion immediately after dinner (unless the date isn’t going well).

Easy spring cleaning tips

10. Remember to clean the insides of your cabinets and drawers

Go through your clothes and shoes from the previous season and remove anything that’s stained, worn out, or in need of repair. Then, look over the items a second time and decide what you’re willing to keep, give a second life to, or throw away. This easy spring cleaning tip is not only highly productive, but also fun—you’ll end up creating a capsule wardrobe you’ll love for years to come. Donating clothes you don’t wear anymore will clear up enough space for new dresses.

The same method can also be applied to kitchen drawers and cabinets. It’s time to let go of the mismatched cutlery you don’t use. Do the adult thing and buy silverware with future dinner guests in mind (we promise it’s fun).

11. Make Cleaning part of your regular routine

Last but not least, the best way to avoid home spring cleaning every time March rolls around is to make it part of your routine. Realistically speaking, you can’t scrub every nook and cranny around the house on a daily basis. But if you complete one task a week, you’ll realize that a quick touch-up is all you need to have a squeaky-clean home.