The bedroom(s) are always the first on our lists for spring cleaning. Each bedroom (and more significantly, each closet) presents a significant yet simple project that you can easily accomplish in one day.
Best of all, by getting your own bedroom clean and comfortable, you’ll always have a haven at the end of the day during the rest of your spring cleaning project. Even if the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and everything else is a disaster, at least in your bedroom, you can finally relax and refresh for the next day of work.
If you’re a parent, the bedrooms are the best place to get your kids involved in spring cleaning. Have them work with you through all the various steps and allow them to decide what stays, what gets thrown away, and what will be donated to benefit someone else. After all, it’s never too early to teach your kids how to take good care of their own space.
Before You Get Started, Get Your Gear!
When spring cleaning bedrooms, you’re going to need all the basics. Make sure you’ve got the following in tow when you charge into the bedroom to wage war on messes and dust.
- Your favorite All Purpose Natural Cleaner
- Linen Spray (also works as a natural room spray)
- Window Cleaner (Combine equal parts water and white vinegar with lemon essential oil in a spray bottle.)
- A stack of clean flour sack towels or microfiber cloths
- Long-handled duster (optional)
- A small scrub brush or toothbrush
- Vacuum and vacuum brush attachments
- Mop and mop bucket (only if you have hard flooring)
- Several bins or boxes to sort ‘Trash’ ‘Donate’ ‘Goes elsewhere’
- Step ladder
Tips to Make Spring Cleaning in the Bedroom More Effective
One of the keys to effective cleaning in the bedroom is to truly take the time to remove clutter and stuff. It’s easy to just accumulate belongings — old makeups and perfumes, socks with holes in the toes, shirts you haven’t worn since college…
This spring, rather than ignoring all the excess, take time to seriously evaluate what you want to keep in your space. If you want to get ruthless, just watch an episode or two of Tidying Up With Marie Kondo to get inspired!
The second key to maximizing your spring cleaning efforts is to take a step back from the mess. How can you improve organization in here? Would a tie rack be helpful? A hat tree? Some storage bins for under the bed? Pinterest is a great place to look for inspiration. (Just don’t spend so long there you forget to clean!)
Both regular cleaning and future spring cleaning projects will be infinitely easier if you have a simple, effective organizational system that you (or your kids) can stick to. Whatever storage ideas you’ve got, act on them right away so that it doesn’t get pushed down to the bottom of your to-do or to-buy lists.
Spring Cleaning The Bedroom Checklist:
When deep-cleaning any room, always work from the top down. Literally. Clutter removal, dusting, clearing away trash and debris — all of this should be done first so that you have a clear space to get to the real task at hand. Cleaning!
- Get rid of the clutter. Remove all those things that have accumulated in the bedroom, but don’t actually belong there. Put trash into your bin labeled ‘Trash’. Items that belong elsewhere in the house goes into your ‘Elsewhere’ bin. Dirty clothes go into the laundry. Dirty dishes into the sink. You get the idea.
- Move hampers, full-length mirrors, trash cans, and other small furniture out of the bedroom. This will give you more room to work and you’ll find it easier to vacuum or mop later. Clean each item thoroughly before moving it out of the room.
- Clean dust and cobwebs in this order: ceiling, light fixtures and/or ceiling fans, walls, window frames, and baseboards. Remove art from the walls and clean before setting it aside. Use a clean microfiber cloth or long-handled duster to get the ceiling and walls. Light fixtures and fan blades should be wiped down with a damp cloth and All Purpose Natural Cleaner.
- Clean doorknobs, light switches, and any art on the walls.
- Remove sheets and bedding and put them in the wash. If it’s safe for your pillow, put that in the washer too. (It’s so easy to forget to launder pillows!)
- Check your mattress for signs of wear. It’s best to regularly flip or turn your mattress to avoid indentations where you normally lay. If a mattress is smelly, you can get rid of odors by liberally sprinkling Sink SCRUB™ or baking soda over the surface. Allow it to sit for several hours while you continue cleaning. When you’re ready, vacuum off the powder.
- Clean the windows. If your screens are removable, take them out. Take them to the bathroom and lightly scrub them down before rinsing them clean. Using an old toothbrush or small scrub brush, clean the window tracks. Replace the screens. Use a window cleaner or your own DIY solution to clean the glass. Keep those windows open to enjoy some fresh air!
- Clean your window treatments. If you have curtains, follow recommended care guidelines. We suggest washing them with Oxygen Whitener to brighten colors and restore whites. If you have blinds, wipe them down to remove dust. Most other types of window treatments can be wiped clean with a cloth dampened with All Purpose Natural Cleaner.
- Clean your storage areas. Remove all items from your closet or dresser. Clean all surfaces (including the interior of drawers) using a clean cloth dampened and All Purpose Natural Cleaner. Vacuum out any debris and the floor of the closet.
- Organize your belongings. All the belongings you’ve removed from your storage area must now be sorted. Items to throw away can go into a trash bag and items to donate should be placed in the ‘Donate’ bin. Return all items you’re keeping back to their storage area.
- Clean all remaining hard surfaces. Bedside tables, lamps, wardrobes, drawers, or toy bins — all need to be wiped down! Dust any decor you have on these areas as well.
- Clean your HVAC air vents. Remove the air vent covers. Be careful not to lose the screws that secure it! Vacuum the interior of the air duct to remove dust build-up. Look inside the duct to see if any debris or dust has accumulated. If it has, you may need to hire a professional to clean your ductwork. Clean the air vent cover before replacing it.
- Thoroughly vacuum the carpet (or mop the floor). Move the furniture if possible to be sure you get all areas, including (and especially!) under the bed.
- Steam-clean carpeting (optional). If you own or have rented a steam cleaner, now is the time to use it! Just keep in mind that you’ll need to move all the furniture out of the room and must wait until the carpeting is completely dry before returning it. Schedule appropriately!
- Return all items to their places. Now is the time to get everything back in order. Your decor goes back on the walls. Books can go back on the bedside table. Empty your trash and take your donations bin out to the garage or somewhere out-of-the-way. Remake your bed. Fluff your pillows!
- Collapse on the couch and take the rest of the night off.
Cleaning Closets? Be Careful With Those Sweaters!
Spring may have arrived, but you’re not ready to throw all your winter clothes into storage bins just yet. Sweaters need special care before being tucked away for the summer months if you want to be able to wear them again next year! Read this article to learn more about sweater care.
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