spring clean new home

Spring Cleaning Your Beautiful New Home

The list is extensive, but everyone should do it…

  1. Dusting:
    • Furniture surfaces
    • Shelves
    • Baseboards
    • Ceiling fans
    • Light fixtures
  2. Windows:
    • Clean the glass and frames
    • Wash window coverings (curtains, blinds)
  3. Floors:
    • Vacuum carpets and rugs
    • Sweep and mop hard floors
    • Steam clean carpets if necessary
  4. Kitchen:
    • Clean appliances (oven, microwave, refrigerator)
    • Wipe down countertops and cabinets
    • Scrub the sink
    • Clean the range hood and stove
  5. Bathroom:
    • Scrub the bathtub, shower, and toilet
    • Clean the sink and countertop
    • Wipe down mirrors and fixtures
  6. Bedroom:
    • Launder bedding and pillows
    • Dust and wipe down furniture
    • Vacuum mattresses
  7. Living areas:
    • Dust and polish furniture
    • Vacuum upholstery
    • Clean and organize entertainment areas (TV, gaming consoles)
  8. De-clutter:
    • Sort through closets and donating or discarding unused items
    • Organize storage spaces (garage, attic, basement)
    • Tidy up shelves and drawers
  9. Air vents and filters:
    • Clean or replacing HVAC filters
    • Vacuum dust from air vents
  10. Outdoor spaces:
    • Sweep patios and decks
    • Clean outdoor furniture
    • Clear out gutters and downspouts
  11. Miscellaneous:
    • Clean light switches and doorknobs
    • Wash or dust decorative items
    • Clean out the refrigerator and pantry, discarding expired items

Additional Spring Cleaning Advice for Your New Home

Is your garage a storage space for anything and everything except your car?  Are your closets full of seasonal stuff and clothes you haven’t worn in years?  Spring is almost here and it’s time for major spring cleaning.  In addition to regular spring cleaning, following are some realtor recommendations for your home.

Inspect your roof for winter damage like leaks, missing or broken shingles or tiles.  Be sure to inspect the flashing, eaves, and soffits as well.  Clean out your gutters and inspect them for weaknesses and proper drainage.

Inspect and clean your siding.  Check all wood for weathering, paint cracks, and loss nails.  Look to see if any areas of the trim need painting.  You can even give your trim an entirely new color.

Replace any deteriorating caulking.   Make sure all windows close and lock properly.  Wash windows, replace screens, and patch any holes.  Clean the screens.  Repair or replace damaged window or door frames and repaint.  Replace broken, worn, or missing hardware.  Tighten and lubricate door hinges, closers, and locks.  Fill cracks, caulk edges, replace, and repaint any damaged window sills, door sills, and thresh holds.

Check for termites and insects and call an exterminator if necessary.  Check for holes anywhere around your house.  Check your attic to see if any small animals made it in through any holes.  Don’t seal holes until you’ve gotten rid of any small animals that might have gotten in during the cold winters.  You won’t like the smell of dead animals and it’s a very difficult smell to get out of a house.

Open windows to ventilate the home.  Clean the entire house one room at a time.  Throw away or donate clothes and things you don’t use.  Move seasonal items to a storage facility to create extra room in the home.

Clean your yard by removing debris and dead foliage.  Remove dead trees and any weeds in flower beds. Cut back any overgrown vegetation from structures.  Begin your spring landscaping projects.

Organize your garage by creating storage for sporting goods, camping equipment, and garden tools.  Anything that’s seasonal can also be moved to a storage facility.

Inspect, clean, repair, or replace outdoor furniture.  Check decks, patios, porches, stairs, and railings for deterioration, repair and repaint as needed.

Flush out drains and waste systems.   Lubricate the circulating pump and motor of your hot water heating system.  Clean your air conditioner unit and check belt tension and adjust or replace cracked or worn belts.  Lubricate the blower motor of your heat pump.

Check foundation walls, floors, concrete, and masonry for cracking, heaving, or deterioration.  Check flashings around all surface projections and sidewalks.  Check satellite dish supports.  Check your sprinkler system for leaky valves and exposed lines.

If you do end up moving items to a storage facility, be sure to organize everything so it’s easier to get to when you need it.  Labels and shelves will help with this.