The Stress-Less Guide to Spring Cleaning

Do you ever get that feeling that you’ve…forgotten something? The nagging voices in our heads like to make their presence known right around this time of year, when we’re busy turning our homes upside down during a much-needed deep cleaning. Even something as simple as how to clean blinds can become a difficult task.

When it comes to spring cleaning, there’s just so much to do! That makes forgetting something a cinch. If it was just for a month or two, we wouldn’t sweat it. But season after season and year after year? That means serious grime!

That’s why we put our heads together this year: to silence those “What didn’t I do?” concerns, once and for all. Read on for our list of the spots we constantly forget to clean—and stress a little less this year.

Closet floor

Hello, dust bunnies! If you’re wondering where your tumbleweeds are hiding, it’s somewhere behind your suitcase and to the right of your summer sandals.

The best way to get rid of the dust—and, um, ensure you don’t have any critters or bugs hanging out in there—is to take everything out. Give it a thorough vacuum. Then, wet a rag or a paper towel and wipe down the floorboards. Once it’s clean and dry, replace your items.

Under rugs

You might get the first few inches near the perimeter of your rug, but what about the rest of what lies beneath?

If your rug is sitting under heavy furniture, enlist some helpers to move the items. Then, take this opportunity to deep clean the rug, shampoo any stains and roll it up to vac and mop the floor. Incidentally, if you didn’t put down a pad when you first laid down the rug, now is the perfect time to do it.

Window coverings

Scrubbed the windows? Check. Inside and out? Check and check. Now, how about the blinds, shades and drapes that cover all that gleaming glass? If you’ve been sitting in your family room and noticed the living room blinds are covered in dust, it might be time for a cleaning.

Chances are the manufacturer that produced your window treatments included cleaning instructions on the label or packaging. If you don’t have those details, hope isn’t lost! Standard wood and aluminum blinds can be dusted, as can cellular and honeycomb shades. Vinyl and woven wood or wicker shades can be wiped down with a damp cloth. Some drapes can be taken down and washed in a washing machine. Others can be spot treated.

You can also use a vacuum on a low suction, gentle setting to thoroughly clean shades and drapes. However, high suction can destroy the shape of cellular and honeycomb shades, so be very careful. If your shade or drape gets stuck, don’t pull it out of the nozzle while the vacuum is on. Turn it off first and then gently remove the fabric.

Fan blades

No matter how clean your fan looks on the visible side facing your room, the other side is not nearly as pretty. Prepare to be grossed out by the dust and dirt that’s been floating down on you as you count those fluffy little sheep.

Arm yourself with a rag or a damp paper towel, climb up on a step stool or ladder and try not to wipe toward your face. If the fan is hanging over a bed or couch, cover the surface with a towel first.

Pantry shelves

Our last pantry clean-out yielded three half-eaten containers of cashews and a sleeve of cracker crumbs. Delicious, right?

If you don’t frequently venture to the back of your pantry, an annual pilgrimage through those piles of shelf-stable foods and spices is called for. Now is a great time to toss expired items, sweep out crumbs, wipe up spills and reevaluate the spice jars you said you’d use last year and still haven’t touched.

Also: consider putting down shelf liners. They’ll make cleaning up messes, like honey and molasses, so much easier.

Trash cans

If “What’s that smell?” is your most-asked question come trash day—or any day, come to think of it–your trash cans could use some TLC. Not the happiest of chores, we grant you, but when you no longer smell that hybrid road kill/dirty diaper stench, you’ll see just how very worth it this task is.

Less-grungy cans can be tackled with a disinfectant spray, a long-handled scrub brush and a hose. Deep trash can cleans will require soaking in a mixture of dish soap, warm water and vinegar; coating in baking soda; and rinsing thoroughly.

Pillows and mattress cover

Did you know that you should wash your pillows every 6 months? Did you know that mites and other lovely critters live in them? Did anyone not tell you that either? Well, at least we’re all in this together.

Luckily, it’s an easy task regardless of the kind of pillow you have. Your pillows should have come with cleaning instructions on the tag. Follow those. If you clipped the tag, take a deep breath! We’ve got this:

• Down and poly-fil pillows can go straight into your washing machine. Wash on gentle in warm water, rinse twice and then tumble dry, taking them out and fluffing periodically.
• Memory foam pillows should be submerged in a sink or bathtub filled with warm water and hand washed with gentle detergent and then left to air dry.

While you’re at it, give your mattress cover, mattress pad and duvet insert a good wash and dry, too.

There you have it, clean queens and kings! Check off this must-do spring cleaning list and rest easy knowing that you’ve scrubbed your castle from the highest turret to the deepest dungeon. Or, you know, from the head of your bed to the bottom of your closet. Whew!