Spring is finally here. And while you’re anxious to get outside and enjoy the slightly warmer temps, don’t forget about where you spend 90% of your time—inside your home. A good, deep spring cleaning can do wonders for your mental and physical health by eliminating the clutter, the dust, and everything you accumulated throughout the doldrums of winter.
The act of spring cleaning is a celebrated ritual that can be functional or even cultural. For some, spring cleaning starts as soon as trees start budding and the allergens come out to play. For others, spring cleaning has spiritual significance, as some Jewish families clean in preparation for Passover. No matter the reason, more people are partaking: nearly 78% of Americans did an annual spring cleaning in 2023, up from 69% in the previous year, according to the American Cleaning Institute.
Don’t let your deep clean plan overwhelm you.
Where to start? Deep cleaning—cleaning every nook and cranny of your home—can be a daunting task. But remember, it doesn’t have to all be done in a single day. Start by breaking down your project into smaller tasks and checking them off one by one. This will help you make a plan that can turn into an ongoing routine to keep your space fresh all year long.
Here are 10 things to remember during your clean:
1. Change your HVAC filter first.
When’s the last time you changed your HVAC air filter? Be honest. Your HVAC system includes your furnace and air conditioning systems, both of which are responsible for circulating air throughout your home. Your HVAC air filter is the main line of defense for removing dust, dust mites, debris, dander, and more from entering your home’s airflow.
So when should you replace your filter? It depends on size: For 1- to 2-inch filters, replace them every 1 to 3 months. For 3- to 4-inch filters, replace them every 6 to 9 months. For 5- to 6-inch filters, replace them every 9 to 12 months.
But in general: replace it before you start your deep clean. Decluttering and dusting can kick up all sorts of things you don’t want to breathe in.
2. Change your air purifier filters in each room to eliminate odors.
After replacing your HVAC filter, think about any air purifiers you have in rooms across your home. Replace the filters in your air purifiers room by room, and you’ll get an added boost of protection for your air quality. Molekule Air purifiers can remove the invisible threats to your respiratory health like dust mites, viruses, and more. Molekule air purifiers contain patented technology that uses carbon to neutralize pollutants, HEPA filtration to capture them, and PECO technology to destroy what HEPA leaves behind.
Not only that, but think about rooms that tend to smell—mudrooms, your kids rooms (all that sports gear!), laundry rooms, bathrooms, etc.—Molekule air purifiers destroy pollutants and that cause odors, leaving your home smelling clean, which is half the battle.
3. Declutter like your life depends on it.
Take a good, hard look at what you’ve got laying around. Can any of it go into boxes? Can you donate some of it? Decluttering the home can immediately free up space and give you access to surfaces for better cleaning.
Consider the art of Swedish Death Cleaning, a long-standing tradition that has found footing here in the U.S. While it may sound morbid, it’s actually a philosophy toward organization that helps your daily life operate more smoothly. The basic principle is: You can’t take it with you. And you don’t want your family to have to deal with it when you’re gone. So if you don’t use something daily or monthly, get rid of it. The less you own, the less you have to worry about, and you can focus on the important things more regularly.
4. Clean from the top down.
If you’re going to dust, you don’t want to do it twice. It’s as simple as that. Grab your dusters, mops, vacuum extensions and clean from the ceiling down. Work your way down from the top of the home, and the top of rooms, cleaning window sills, walls, furniture, and more until you reach the floor.
Pro-Tip: Make sure to keep windows and doors open to ventilate the areas you’re cleaning with chemicals. Typical household cleaners can contain a wealth of VOCs that pollute your air.
5. Carpet is dirtier than a toilet seat.
Carpet can be dirty business. It’s a porous fabric that collects all the bacteria, dirt, mold, and more that you drag in from outside. In fact, carpet can have 5.7 times more germs than a toilet seat, according to HomeAdvisor.
If your vacuum cleaner has a HEPA filter, replace it before vacuuming. Consider renting a carpet cleaner to deep clean carpets, rugs, upholstery, even blinds. If it has any sort of fabric, it can harbor all sorts of nastiness that you’ll want to remove.
6. Clean windows=better outlook.
Windows are an underrated, oft-overlooked aspect of cleaning. But when they’re clean, you definitely notice. Start by cleaning your window treatments. Remove curtains, drapes, and blinds, and launder or dry clean them according to the manufacturer's instructions. Wipe down blinds with a damp cloth to remove dust and dirt. Consider hiring a professional window cleaner for any windows above the ground level.
7. Sanitize high-touch surfaces.
Viruses can live on surfaces for a surprisingly long time. Cold viruses can live on surfaces for 24 hours and slowly lose effectiveness. Influenza viruses can live even longer, staying active on surfaces for up to 48 hours. Coronavirus can stay anywhere from 24 hours to a few days.
Disinfect high-touch surfaces such as doorknobs, handles, remote controls, and phones using a disinfectant spray or wipes. Pay special attention to areas frequently touched by multiple people to reduce the spread of germs. This is especially important for families with kids.
8. Scrub Grout and Tile.
If you’ve gotten this far in the article, you’re a cleaning enthusiast. Which means you’ve made your way to the bathroom, which is a job unto its own. Start with the hard to clean stuff in the shower or bath, including grout and tile. Use a scrub brush and a grout cleaner to scrub grout lines, removing mold, mildew, and stains. Clean tile surfaces with a tile cleaner to restore its natural shine. New tile, new you.
9. Detail Cleaning Surfaces.
Now it’s time to really make everything shine. Use a microfiber cloth and a multipurpose cleaner to clean surfaces throughout your home, including countertops, cabinets, backsplashes, baseboards, and light switches. Pay attention to overlooked areas such as door frames, window sills, and vents. This is like detailing a car—except it’s your home, where you spend far more time.
10. Create your own, all-natural cleaning solutions.
If you really want to go the extra mile to keep your home smelling fresh and your air squeaky clean, you can make your own arsenal of DIY, natural cleaning solutions. These will often clean and sanitize just as well as big brand cleaners, just without the harsh chemicals that can be harmful to breathe in.
Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner
- 1/2 c white vinegar
- 2 Tbsp baking soda
- 10 drops tea tree, lavender, or lemon essential oil (for their disinfectant properties)
Mix the vinegar, essential oils and a little water before adding baking soda in a clean spray bottle (glass is best). Then fill to top with water. I use about a 12 oz bottle. Gently shake to mix ingredients, and then spray, wipe with a cloth, and allow it to dry.
Homemade “Soft-Scrub” Cleaner. Works wonders for cleaning pans and stains on countertops.
- 1 ½ cups baking soda
- ½ cup environmentally safe dish soap
- 10 drops tea tree, lavender, or lemon essential oil
- Mix baking soda and dish soap in a mixing bowl. Stir vigrously to combine into a paste. Add essential oil and mix well. Store in an airtight food container.
- If the mixture begins to dry out, add a small amount of water and mix well.
Homemade Disinfectant Wipes
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup with vinegar
- 8 drops tea tree oil
- 8 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 8 drops lemon essential oil
- Empty “wipe” container (baby wipe, for example)
- 15 – 20 squares of cloth (old t-shirts work well, as do old dish towels or similar material)
- Fold and place the cloth squares into the empty wipe container.
- Combine in a mixing bowl the water, vinegar, and 3 essential oils, stirring until well mixed.
- Pour this mixture over the cloths in the container and let them soak. Launder and repeat as often as the cloths hold up!
Those are just ten ways you can create a truly clean, fresh home this spring. But we’re always game for new tips and tricks as well. Share your cleantok, your sparkling space, or any new and unique ways you’re taking spring cleaning to a new level. Just post and tag our instagram @molekuleair.
