Use These Room-by-Room Checklists to Spring Clean Your Entire Home

Credit: Ian Moore / Lifehacker; hudiemm / iStock / Peter Dazeley / The Image Bank / Getty

Lifehacker’s Ultimate Guide to Spring Cleaning is here to help you whip your home into shape, clean more efficiently, and make organizing less of a chore.

Sometimes the trickiest part of cleaning is knowing where to start—and, once you've started, where to go from there. A handy checklist can help you move through the task systematically and easily.

That's where these room-by-room checklists can help. Below, you'll find links to advice on how to complete many of the tasks you'll be facing. I've also turned the cleaning checklists into a downloadable spreadsheet you can print out, so you can mark off each chore as you go.

Your kitchen spring cleaning checklist 

Before you start cleaning, take a minute to make sure you have everything you need. Nothing saps your mojo quite like having to leave the house to buy supplies, so make sure you have these basics on hand:

Plain dish soap

A good brush set

A basic scrubbing sponge

A heavy-duty melamine sponge

Baking soda

White vinegar

Easy Off Heavy Duty oven cleaner

Lysol All-Purpose Cleaner

A good broom

A mop

A scrubbing cleaner for metal, like Brasso

Now it’s time to move on to the various things you need to actually clean. Start from the top and make your way down, so you clean all the dirt you’ve knocked to the floor at the very end.

Start by removing your oven racks and putting them in the bathtub with dish soap and water to clean them. They should be soaking while you do everything else.

Steam your microwave by nuking a quartered lemon in a bowl with a cup of water for three minutes. Since it has to sit in there for five minutes after that, move on to cleaning the exterior with a mixture of one part vinegar to one part water. Once the five minutes is up, wipe the steam from inside the microwave. 

Move on to the fridge. Remove all the food and wipe down your shelving and interior with soapy water, then make sure you dry it with paper towels or a clean rag. You can also pop your fridge shelves in the bathtub with the oven racks if they’re really dirty, but that may hold up part of your other cleaning efforts, since you’ll have food all over your counter while your shelves soak. Try to attempt this when you’re low on food, so you don’t have as much to deal with, or put your food back along the bottom of the fridge after you've wiped down the shelf-less interior with a mixture of one cup of baking soda and a gallon of water. 

Clean your upper kitchen cabinets, removing everything inside. And don’t forget to clean the tops of them, either, with a sponge and soapy water. 

Do the lower kitchen cabinets now, using the same methods: Pull everything out and clean inside with the crevice tool on the OXO brush set, then soapy water. 

While all the appliances are out on the counter, clean them one by one. There are detailed ways to clean everything from toasters to coffee machines and grinders to air fryers, so do each one before putting it away. Use this time to clean anything that is a small appliance, is constantly sitting on your countertops, or both. A blender gets cleaned during this part, as do things like your coffee machine accessories. Make sure the cupboards and appliances are all dry before putting anything back.

Next, move straight to the stovetop. Use baking soda to clean the burners by slowly adding some to a cup of water and mixing until it forms a paste you can coat the burners with. With your racks still in the bathtub, you can scrub the interior of your oven with oven cleaner. After 20 minutes, remove the baking soda paste from the burners with a damp cloth.

Once you've used the sink to clean your appliances, you have to clean the sink itself. If it's stainless steel, use an abrasive cleaner, like Bar Keepers Friend ($11.89 for a pack of two canisters) and a scouring pad. For anything else, a soft cloth and soapy water will work. (One extra step you can take is to polish your chrome fixtures with baby oil, which makes them look super sparkly.)

This is a good time to clean the walls between your cabinets and your back splash. Dish soap and water will work, as will the Magic Eraser, but if you have cooking grease splatters to deal with, try mixing salt and vinegar to make a DIY grease-busting solution.

You’ve cleared the countertops of the appliances from the cupboard and likely gotten crud from the stovetop all over them, so it’s time to tackle those now. Remove anything that might be on them, use the crevice tool to get crumbs out of the corners, and then go in with soap and water or all-purpose cleaner. If you have granite countertops, be extra careful: Use a non-scratch sponge or rag and soap and water, nothing else. 

By now, the floors are dirty, but that’s no problem: You’re almost done. First, get your oven racks and fridge shelves out of the bathtub and dry them well. Put them back where they belong. Once that’s done, corral any debris or crumbs on the floor with your broom and mop the whole thing with soapy water. Go relax in another room while it dries. 

Your bathroom spring cleaning checklist

A lot of those kitchen-cleaning tools are going to be useful in the bathroom, too, but you should also pick up these:

Soft Scrub with bleach

An electric scrubbing brush

A FlexiSnake Drain Weasel

Double-concentrated cleaner

The bathroom is a small space, so you have to be smart about the order in which you clean it so you don't end up going over the same spots too many times. Luckily, most of the things in there are made of hard materials and only require simple wiping, which you can (and should) do while softer materials, like bath mats and curtains, are in the wash.

Here's your checklist:

We're going to start at the top of the room. Dust light fixtures and vents first, so you don’t get dust on everything else once it’s all clean. Let dust and grime fall down to the counters and floors; we'll be cleaning those in a moment.

Throw the shower curtains, bath mats, towels, and any linens or fabrics (like a toilet seat cover) in the wash. This will give you time to clean the hooks and rods that support them and will have them clean and ready to be replaced after you finish with the bathroom overall.

Tackle the bathtub or shower, focusing on decluttering old shampoo bottles, wiping down the interior glass, descaling the shower head, and getting rid of any soap rings around the interior. It can be helpful to run the shower on a hot temp for a few minutes before doing this, just to loosen everything up and get it wet in there, but it's up to you.

Wipe down all mirrors and tile surfaces outside the tub next. If you opt to steam up the shower before cleaning it, make sure you do this step next, since the mirrors and tile will also get steamy.

Clean your bathroom sink, first by sticking your Drain Weasel down the drain to remove hair and gunk, then focusing on removing rings and buildup from the bowl.

Clean and polish your faucet and handles when you finish with the bowl. Here's where some Brasso or Soft Scrub comes in handy.

Clean your soap dish or tray, removing soap buildup, and do the same for your toothbrush holder.

Pour some cleaner in the toilet bowl and let it sit for a moment. While it's in the toilet bowl, you wipe down the exterior, as well as the top and bottom of the seat and cover, then scrub out the bowl with your toilet brush and flush at the end.

Clean and polish the toilet handle after you've flushed.

Remove the toilet paper roll and disinfect that holder, too. We're being thorough today.

Wipe down shelves and cabinets, which probably involves pulling everything down off and from inside of them. This is a great opportunity to declutter and organize your medicine cabinet and shelves. Here are my medicine cabinet organization tips and here are some examples of how I organize various shelves in my bathroom.

Clear the countertops and wipe them down, too, also wiping anything on them (like containers holding q-tips, a water cup, etc.).

Clean the towel racks and hooks, which should still be empty while their usual contents are in the wash.

Take out the trash and scrub inside the can.

Scrub all the grout and focus on cracks in the floor, really forcing it out. (Don't worry; we're about to clean all the dust and grime off the floor, finally.)

Vacuum any dust or hair from the floor. We're almost done.

Mop and disinfect the floor.

Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces, like door handles and light switches.

Replace whatever was in the wash, like curtains and mats.

Your living room spring cleaning checklist

By now, you have most of the products you'll need to get all this done, so let's move right into what you need to do.

First, go around and pick up any and all fabrics or soft items. I’m talking about blankets, throw pillow cases, cushion covers, small mats, doilies—you name it. Stick all those in the wash while you get to work cleaning the room.

Again, start at the top so dust and grime fall to the floor, where you can get them later. This means clean your ceiling fan and ceilings, including any vents and lights up there and, especially, the corners where cobwebs start to collect. 

Dust and wipe down any lamps. 

Clean your TV and other electronics. Dust them off first, then use an appropriate method to actually wipe them down. Here’s a guide on cleaning your TV without breaking it. Unplug all of them before you do this, of course. 

Got any mirrors or photos hanging around the joint? Wipe those down now. 

Next, clear all your surfaces. Pull everything off of your shelves, end tables, and media center. Pile it all up in the center of the room, then dust and wipe down the surfaces you just cleared. 

If you plan to move your furniture to dust and vacuum behind it, do that now, while it’s all lighter without the burden of its usual contents. Wipe down baseboards, vacuum behind shelving, and do whatever needs doing back there. If you don’t plan to move out furniture (your call!) skip this step, since we are handling baseboards and vacuuming for the whole room closer to the end.

Turn your attention to that of stuff you made pile of. Before putting everything back where it came from, do a round of decluttering. Click here to learn a few of the best decluttering methods and go through this list of questions to ask yourself while you declutter. If something isn’t serving you anymore, it’s got to go. It doesn’t need space on your freshly cleaned shelves. 

Wipe down everything you decide to keep, then put it back where it belongs. 

Go back to dusting. Dust and wipe down your furniture, potted plants, tables, and anything lower toward the ground. Again, if dust flies off of something onto the floor, this is no problem; we will vacuum it later. 

Pay special attention to your couch or other upholstered furniture. Remove cushions, if you can, and vacuum underneath them. Clean the cushions themselves however you normally do that, but if you don’t have your own way, feel free to steal my favorite.

Wipe down your baseboards and clean vents low to the ground.

It’s finally time to vacuum! If you have a large rug, move that and vacuum under it before replacing it and vacuuming over it. Otherwise, really spend some time on this step. Vacuum the corners where the floor meets the wall, use the brush attachment to really get after your vents, and don’t rush. You just dislodged a lot of dust and dirt onto this floor. 

Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces. This means remotes, the handles that control your recliner, light switches, video game controllers, phone chargers, and more. 

Replace all the linens and fabrics you had in the wash.

Your bedroom spring cleaning checklist

Finally, let's tackle your bedroom. Here is everything you need to do now so you can go to sleep in a peaceful, clean room tonight. I recommend doing the bedroom last not only because it's the room company is least likely to see, but also because it feels the best to finish up in a room that's all for you. You'll get a major sense of accomplishment sinking into a fresh bed after cleaning the whole house.

Pick up all the bedding, small rugs, curtains, and any other fabrics. Put those in the wash. 

Dust the ceiling fan, vents, and corners. 

Wipe down mirrors, glass, pictures, and any other smooth, flat surfaces, especially anything hanging on the wall. 

Clean your windows, wiping out the windowsill and any blinds, as well as the handles and glass. 

Pull everything off your flat surfaces, from nightstands to shelves. Pile it up on the bed. 

Wipe down those surfaces. 

Declutter everything in the pile, just like you did in the living room. Again, here are the best decluttering methods. 

Once you’ve decided what to keep, wipe it all down and put it away where it goes. 

Next, turn your attention to the closet and dressers. This is optional, if you don’t really have time to fully declutter all your clothes, but I do recommend it, if only to clean the interior of those spaces. Pull everything out and pile all that on the bed. Really wipe down the interior of every drawer and all over the inside of your closet. 

As you’re putting clothes away, declutter a bit. Be conscientious about what you put back. If you haven’t worn it in a while, it’s damaged, or it’s out of style or doesn’t even fit anymore, give yourself permission to just toss it. Only the best clothes deserve to be in your clean closet and drawers. 

Clean your mattress while the sheets are off. Vacuum it, spot treat it, and make sure you do all this now so it has a little time to dry before you put the sheets back on. (Just wait until after you clean your shelves and closets, since dust from the piles you made on the bed might get into the mattress.)

Dust any lamps. Don't forget things like string lights, vanity mirror lights, or those little peel-and-stick lights you got off Amazon that one time for no reason. Oh, and nightlights, too.

Clean any electronics, from TVs to alarm clocks. 

Dust any furniture you might have, like ottomans or chairs. If you have a vanity or a desk, make sure you wipe down, organize, and clean that, too.

Wipe down the baseboards all around the room and get any floor vents, too. 

It’s time to vacuum. Don’t just do the floor, but make sure you get under the bed, in the blinds of the windows, under any cushions, and in every corner. Use your brush attachment on vents. 

Replace all the linens that were in the wash. 

Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces and items, including but not limited to lamp switches, light switches, remotes, video game controllers, phone and device chargers, drawer pulls, and more. Walk through your regular morning and night routines, considering what you reach for and touch, then wipe those things down well.