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If you have a long list of ambitious cleaning projects you’ve been meaning to tackle, there’s no better time than now to roll up your sleeves and start scrubbing—spring cleaning is an age-old tradition for a reason, after all. But knowing where to start can be difficult, especially if you’ve got a few intimidating tasks on your to-clean list.
To make some of the more daunting cleaning projects more manageable, we’ve talked through the best strategies with cleaning experts at Wirecutter and elsewhere. Here’s what you need (and what you need to know) before diving head-first into spring cleaning.
Not every spring cleaning project needs to be an enormous undertaking. Some tasks, like the ones below, require just a little effort and take only a bit of your time.
If you can’t remember the last time you wiped the dust from the ceiling fan hanging over your dining room table, consider this a sign that it’s time. Use an old pillowcase, rather than a duster, to neatly clean your fan blades without scattering dust down below, suggested cleaning expert Brandon Pleshek, owner of a Wisconsin-based cleaning company. (Pleshek, who was also a source in our piece on The Pink Stuff, has sponsorships with and makes affiliate revenue from cleaning products. However, he has no financial tie to anything recommended in this article.) Fit the pillowcase around the blade, hold the ends closed, and pull toward you; then repeat with each blade. Just be sure to take proper precautions if you’re climbing a step stool to reach your fan. If it’s been a while since you last dusted your blades (or you have a light-colored ceiling fan), you may notice left-behind dirt and sticky residue. In this case, Pleshek said the best course of action is to grab a screwdriver and remove the blades to properly scrub them down. Using a sponge or a microfiber cloth, clean them with warm water and a small dab of Dawn dish soap to cut through the buildup of grease and dirt.
Condenser coils, most commonly found on the back of the fridge or across the bottom in the front, regulate the temperature in your refrigerator. Coils clogged with dirt and dust can affect the efficiency of your refrigerator. But Pleshek said this is an easy area to clean once the fridge is moved away from the wall. All you need is a vacuum with a hose attachment to clear away the dust; a radiator brush (like Konex’s Premium Flexible Medium-Soft Natural Goat Hair Radiator, Coil, and Vent Brush) to get into deeper, hard-to-reach crevices; and a damp microfiber cloth to clear away any leftover stubborn grime.
This reliable, effective, easy-to-use, and reasonably priced bagless upright vacuum cleaner will work well for most people in most homes—and it comes with plenty of attachments for hard-to-reach crevices.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $191.
Even if you clean out the lint trap every time you use your dryer, lint still collects in the tiny crevices of the drum. Use your vacuum hose and a crevice tool attachment to clear away the debris that’s built up over time. There’s no need to wipe down the drum afterward with any cleaning products—simply vacuuming out the lint will be enough. You can also use Konex’s Premium Flexible Medium-Soft Goat Hair Radiator, Coil, and Vent Brush to clean stubborn lint from the crevices of dryer vents.
These next few tasks take more time and effort to get right. But with the proper tools, you’ll be able to save money by tackling these bigger cleaning projects yourself.
Restore your driveway, patio, or garage floor to its former glory by blasting away caked-in dirt. But before you reach for your pressure washer (we recommend a few different models in our guide), pre-treat your concrete with a bleach-water mixture. First, hose down the concrete—if you skip this step, dry concrete will dry out your pre-treatment mixture before it’s able to loosen the trapped dirt and grime. Next, spritz the concrete with a spray bottle filled with a bleach-water mix (the CDC recommends using ⅓ cup bleach per gallon of water for cleaning and disinfecting). Let the bleach sit for five to 10 minutes—then grab your pressure washer and blast the entire area clean. We recommend that you wear a pair of safety glasses or goggles to protect your eyes, especially on windy days, when a bleach mist could blow back into your face. Keep in mind that this method works only for concrete driveways; asphalt is a tricky material to clean on your own, so Pleshek recommends consulting a professional.
This user-friendly Ryobi pressure washer is a good investment if you plan to bring new life to the outside of your home every spring.
Though we have recommendations for upright carpet cleaners and portable carpet cleaners, most people shouldn’t buy one for a job they do only once a year. Instead, we think it’s best to rent a cleaner from a home-improvement store like Lowe’s or Home Depot. Before you put it to work, vacuum your carpets to get rid of dirt and debris. Next, spray your cleaning agent onto the carpet, and let it sit for five to 15 minutes, depending on the instructions written on the label. This will loosen the dirt trapped within your carpet and result in a cleaner finished product. Just be sure to wash out all the soap while using the carpet cleaner; otherwise leftover residue will dry and leave behind a crunchy carpet. Pleshek also recommends working from room to room. You never want your cleaning agent to dry before you have a chance to wash it out. So sectioning out your cleaning gives you more control.
To achieve clean, streak-free windows, all you really need is a bucket filled with warm water and a few drops of Dawn dish soap and a microfiber towel. But if you’d rather reserve your elbow grease, Pleshek recommends swapping the towel for a cheap beginner squeegee set (like the ones you can find on Amazon). To clean your window screens, you can remove them and hose them down outside with your Dawn-and-water mixture. If you’d rather not fiddle with your windows, you can use a microfiber cloth and your soapy water to wipe down those screens. Wirecutter recommends two different types of extension ladders for folks who want to clean the top windows of their second-story homes themselves. However, if you don’t feel comfortable or you’re physically unable to climb on a ladder, check to see whether your windows unlatch and swing inward for easy cleaning.
There are some instances where you might not feel comfortable tackling a potentially dangerous spring cleaning project—in these cases, it’s better to spend the money and hire folks to clean the spots you can’t (or shouldn’t) clean yourself.
If the task at hand requires you to scale the side of your home, but you’re afraid of heights or don’t feel comfortable on a ladder, call a professional instead. The pros will be able to clean out your gutters quickly, efficiently, and—most importantly—safely if you feel you can’t.
As we mentioned above, we don’t recommend doing this yourself if you’re afraid of heights, don’t feel comfortable setting up and climbing an extension ladder, or are physically unable to climb a ladder. In these situations, it’s often easier to call a professional.
Wool carpeting, expensive silk rugs, or couches upholstered with natural fibers (like cotton) require a certain degree of finesse to clean successfully. If you don’t do it exactly right, you run the risk of ruining the material, making it a job better suited to the professionals.
This article was edited by Treye Green and Ben Frumin.
Elissa Sanci is a staff writer for Wirecutter, where she covers deals, consumer shopping, and personal finance. Based in Denver, she previously worked as an editorial assistant at Woman’s Day, where she wrote about everything from worthy charities to girls’ empowerment. Her byline has also appeared in Good Housekeeping and Marie Claire.
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