After the Holiday's have come and gone, I begin to turn my focus from decorating to cleaning & organizing. As the days begin to get a little bit longer, I begin to get the spring cleaning bug. Cleaning and organizing is almost therapeutic for me, so I find this to be my favorite time of the year! 

For those of you who are not so chipper about cleaning like I am, I've compiled a list of the most important cleaning activities that I believe should not go overlooked. Focusing on these will get your home ready for the spring time season in no time!

Dishwasher

You should definitely make it a priority to clean your dishwasher because, well, it cleans your dishes! I honestly try to do this once a month or whenever I start to smell anything funky in there.

First, start with a microwave safe bowl on your top rack and fill it with vinegar.  Run the dishwasher on the hottest, longest cycle. The vinegar will help in cleaning and sanitizing your machine.

After the vinegar has done its job, sprinkle baking soda on the bottom of the machine and again, run in on the hottest, longest cycle. The baking soda will help in eliminating yucky odors from your machine leaving you with a sparkling clean dishwasher ready for your next batch of dishes!

Washer and Dryer

Another must in my book.  No one wants to walk around smelling like moldy clothes right?! Check out my post here on how I give my washer and dryer a little sparkle.

Windows - inside and out!

I simply use a 50/50 mixture of water and vinegar and paper towels because I find that this is the most effective way to get rid of dirt and grime and not leave any streaks.

Also, don't forget about the screens! Remove them from the window and rinse them with a garden hose then use a sponge with the water/vinegar mixture and clean both sides.  I rinse again with water to make sure all the dirt was been removed and place them back on the windows!

Kitchen Cabinets 

This is surprisingly not that bad to do. I managed to get mine done in less than an hour.  Check out my post here to see what I used and how I cleaned them.  

Refrigerator clean out and organization

Your fridge is bound to get spills and messes with all of the activity it gets.  I Check out how I keep mine clean and organized here.

Pantry clean out and organization

This one was a must in our house because our current pantry doesn't provide the necessary shelving that we need.  Everything ends up all over the three lonely shelves we do have.  Check out how I tried to remedy that using items from the Dollar Tree! Take the time to do this one right the first time because it will make maintaining it that much more easy!

Organizing your Closets

Does your closet end up looking like a bomb went off inside after some time?  Yea....that's me!! I have to clean out my closet more often than most, take a look at my tips and tricks here.

Bedding

Your duvet, pillows, comforter, and sheets all should be washed and cleaned. Duvet, pillows and/or comforter should be cleaned at least once a year while your sheets should be washed at least one time per week.  

I wash my duvet cover the same way I wash my sheets - with a 1/2 cup of lemon juice instead of bleach because they are all white.  If yours aren't, use your favorite washing machine soap and throw them all in the wash.

Your down comforter can be washed without taking it to a dry cleaners.  You will need a launder mat and use their XL washing and drying machines. A total pain, but totally worth it!

Pillows should be washed according to the manufacturers instructions depending what kind of pillows your have.  We have memory foam pillows in which we spot clean and let air dry.

Mattress

Cleaning the mattress is a must in my book if you want to extend the life of your mattress and sleep in a clean surface!  And if you've ever bought a mattress you will know that they don't come cheap, so you better take good care of it! I try to rotate my mattress every six months and take that opportunity to also give it a deep cleaning. It's fairly simple process in which you will need baking soda and a vacuum.  If you want to get fancy with it, you could add a couple of drops of essential oil to the baking soda before you sprinkle it all over the mattress.  I typically use a whole box (typically 16 oz.) of baking soda on our king size mattress, let it do its magic for at least an hour before I slowly vacuum it all back up.  Easy peasy!

Oven

Our oven comes with a aqua self clean setting in which we pour 1/2 cup of water and then set it to self clean.  After an hour it's as easy as wiping it up with a microfiber cloth. If your oven needs a little extra love, try making a baking soda paste (similar to this one if you prefer to buy it). Super simple to make: mix 1/2 cup of baking soda with a few drops of water. 

Dust hard to reach areas

Don't forget about floor boards and above doors! I have to admit that this is by far my least favorite cleaning chore but believe me so worth it! It is amazing how much dust can accumulate above your doors and on the ceiling fan blades.  I make sure to dust everything first and THEN focus on the floors as much of the dust will eventually settle on the ground.  

FREE printable cleaning labels with recipes

And that is it! That completes your spring cleaning tasks! Not too bad right?! And to help KEEP it clean now that you have gone through all the effort to deep clean, I have created these cleaning labels for you to DIY your own chemical free cleaning solutions.  Become a member of my tribe to receive your free labels and you'll instantly have access to my Free Printables library! 

Happy Cleaning!

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