Join the Free 30 Day Spring Cleaning Challenge for 2024
It’s spring again and that means spring cleaning! Even if you clean your home on a regular basis, a spring cleaning session will allow you to deep clean areas of your home that are easily forgotten. Use this 30 day spring cleaning challenge to tackle each area of your home in a strategic way.
After a long, gray winter, it’s finally time to open up those windows and get in some fresh air! This is the perfect time of year to declutter, dust, and make sure all of our appliances are up to snuff.
Did you know spring cleaning isn’t a new tradition? People have practiced spring cleaning for thousands of years. After the dreary winter months, we naturally find ourselves having more energy and wanting to revitalize the spaces around us.
Spring cleaning can be a great way to celebrate spring and you can do as much (or as little) as you’d like!
What is a Spring Cleaning Challenge?
If you want to make sure you clean and organize all the most important areas of your house, you’re looking for a spring cleaning challenge.
Although you can definitely spring clean without a checklist, many people find it helpful to get a set list of tasks to complete. This makes sure they don’t forget anything important.
Basically, you’ll get a list of 30 cleaning tasks to complete during the spring. You can complete them one day at a time or spread them out however you’d like!
The goal is to tackle all of those often neglected areas of our house like baseboards, window tracks, showerheads, and more.
Fortunately, I have a free printable 30 day cleaning challenge for you! Just keep scrolling to get your free download.
Supplies for the 30 day spring cleaning challenge
Since you start deep cleaning your entire home, it’s helpful to take a little time to organize your cleaning tools and supplies.
- Print your free 30 day cleaning challenge
- All-purpose cleaner (I use Sal Suds)
- Scrub brushes
- Cleaning rags (or eco-friendly paper towels)
- Scouring agent (baking soda, Bar Keeper’s Friend)
- White vinegar
- Rubbing alcohol
- Hydrogen peroxide
Learn more about my favorite eco friendly cleaning routine here.
30 Day Spring Cleaning Challenge: Day-by-Day
Ready to start the 30 day challenge? Round up your cleaning supplies, turn on some fun music, and let’s start the spring cleaning challenge!
Day 1 – Check the Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detectors
During the year it’s easy to forget about your smoke or carbon monoxide detectors. Spring cleaning is a great time to double-check that they’re working and whether or not they need new batteries.
Day 2 – Rotate the Mattresses
Did you know that it’s estimated that we spend approximately 227,000 hours of our lives sleeping? Our mattress is an important item in our home indeed! Be sure to check all the mattresses in your home for any stains that need cleaning and rotate them while you’re at it.
Day 3 – Dust Ceiling Fans & Light Fixtures
How often do you dust your ceiling fan? Go through your house in a room by room manner and wipe down all the ceiling fans and light fixtures. This way you’ll be sure to get all the light fixtures not only in the main rooms, but in the bathrooms and bedrooms as well.
Day 4 – Wipe Down Shutters or Blinds and Wash Curtains
I’m not sure about you, but washing the curtains and wiping the blinds is not something that’s in my regular cleaning routine. Honestly, it’s a hassle that I only want to go through once a year.
But you know what? When I do it, I’m so glad that I went to the trouble. Curtains just hang there and accumulate dust all year long. Cleaning them automatically freshens the room!
Day 5 – Clean and Dust Windows and Windowsills
Windows can let in moisture which can lead to dust, debris, and even mold. Clean the inside and outside of the windows as well as the windowsills in order to get them thoroughly clean.
This is also a great time to clean your window tracks, which can get really grimy over the year.
Day 6 – Clean Small Kitchen Appliances
This spring cleaning challenge is a great opportunity to show some love to the kitchen appliances that work hard for us all year long. Whether it’s an air fryer, coffee maker, instant pot, slow cooker, or blender, give your kitchen appliances a good scrub down.
Don’t forget to empty the crumbs in the toaster!
I also like to polish my stainless steel pots and pans with a little Bar Keeper’s Friend to remove any baked-on mess.
Need to replace your pans? Learn about stainless steel vs ceramic cookware to figure out which one is right for you.
Day 7 – Clean Out Sink and Garbage Disposal
While you’re in the kitchen, tackle the sink and garbage disposal. Run the garbage disposal with a disposal cleaner tab or a bit of lemon and baking soda to clean it out.
Day 8 – Clean Oven, Stove, and Microwave
Use this day to clean the larger, more stationary appliances in your kitchen like the oven, stove, microwave, and even dishwasher. You can put a cup of vinegar inside the dishwasher and run it while empty on a regular cycle.
If you have stainless steel appliances, polish them with olive oil!
Day 9 – Throw Out Old Food, Spices, and Medicine
Do you know a great way to feel a sense of accomplishment? Throwing out old stuff in your fridge, pantry, and medicine cabinet. Create some extra space in your home by getting rid of expired items.
Compost old pantry staples and spices or research how to upcycle them to reduce your waste. Take old medicines to a prescription collection site to keep them out of local water ways.
Day 10 – Clean and Wipe Down Fridge
On this day, take everything out of the fridge, wipe down the inside and outside. Enjoy a fridge that’s free of sticky residue!
Day 11 – Wipe Down and Sanitize Electronics
We use them every day and hold them in our hands, yet how often do we disinfect them? Gather up all the electronics in your home and give them a good sanitizing!
Day 12 – Disinfect Doorknobs and Light Switches
Take some time to sanitize the light switches and doorknobs. These can be grimy, germ-infested hot spots in the home.
Day 13 – Wipe Down All Baseboards
Ah, baseboards. What would a spring cleaning challenge be without wiping down the baseboards? It’s the first thing that comes to mind since it’s usually an area that’s neglected. But it truly makes such a difference when they’re clean.
I like to dust baseboards with a damp microfiber cloth or kitchen rag.
Day 14 – Wash Bedding and Pillows
Even if this is part of your regular cleaning routine, go through the house and wash all the bedding, pillows, and throw blankets that are in need of a washing.
Day 15 – Deep Clean the Bathrooms: Scrub Showers and Bathtubs
Now that we’re halfway through the spring cleaning challenge, day 15 is when we move to the bathrooms. Deep clean the bathrooms today – paying special attention to the toilets, tubs, and showers.
Don’t forget to descale your shower head! If you have hard water, it can help to install a shower water filter to minimize build-up.
Day 16 – Clean Shower Curtain
Continuing in the bathrooms, let’s wash the fabric shower curtains and wipe down the vinyl/plastic ones. Buh bye, mold!
Day 17 – Clean Outdoor Spaces and Outdoor Furniture
Moving on to the outdoors, use today to wipe down the outdoor furniture and sweep the patios.
Day 18 – Sweep and Clean Out Garage
Today let’s sweep the inside of the garage and dust off any interior or exterior garage light fixtures.
Day 19 – Clean Out Your Car
Show your car some love today by cleaning it out! Throw away any trash, vacuum the floors, and tidy up the center console or glove box.
Day 20 – Clean the Carpets and Rugs
Whether you prefer to hire a professional, or you’ve got your own carpet cleaning machine, use this day to clean the carpets and rugs inside your home. If you mostly have carpet, it is easier to outsource this time-consuming task. Clean carpets instantly make your home smell better!
Learn how to clean carpets with baking soda here.
Day 21 – Check Fire Extinguisher Expiration Date
During this spring cleaning challenge you’ll want to be sure to check systems or items within your home that aren’t usually top-of-mind. The first one to check is the fire extinguisher.
Be sure it’s not outdated. If you don’t already have one, you might want to have a fire extinguisher on hand in your home.
Day 22 – Check the Sprinkler System
Another system to check is the sprinkler system, if you have one. If not, take a break today. Obviously look for leaks and system breakdowns, but consult a professional if need be.
Day 23 – Clean & Check the Gutters
The seasonal weather during fall and winter can certainly put your gutter system to work! Be sure to clean out the gutters so they’ll be in tip-top shape for any spring rain that comes your way.
Day 24 – Check the Furnace and Water Heater
Use today to inspect your furnace and/or water heater for signs of wear and tear.
Day 25 – Check Fireplace for Damage
The fireplace is usually a place we forget to check, so on day 25 take a closer look at your fireplace for any needed maintenance.
Day 26 – Clean Sliding Door Tracks
Dirt build-up within a sliding door track can make it difficult to open the door. To quickly clean the track, vacuum the debris. Then sprinkle some baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. After it sits for 5-10 minutes you can easily wipe up the dirt.
Day 27 – Wipe Down Walls
A damp sponge or rag is all that’s needed to effectively wipe down the walls in your home. If it’s a high-traffic area, you may want to use a bit of dish soap or even vinegar.
Day 28 – Vacuum/Clean Behind and Underneath Furniture
Even if we regularly clean our homes, one area we for sure miss is underneath and behind the furniture. For this spring cleaning challenge, let’s pull the furniture away from the wall and vacuum or mop underneath it and wipe down the walls behind it.
Day 29 – Change Air Conditioner Filter
With winter behind us and spring upon us, it’s prime time to change the air conditioner filter. That way, you’ll ensure that your family will breathe cleaner air when you have the AC running in the summertime.
If you don’t have an air conditioner, you may still need to change your whole home air filter. This is a great time to do this since you’ll be able to filter out the seasonal allergens coming into your home.
Day 30 – Check Emergency Supplies
It’s always a good idea to be prepared for a rainy day. And you never know when it’s going to come! So, while you’re spring cleaning, reassess your emergency supplies.
Take stock of anything you need to replenish. If you don’t have an emergency kit, there’s no time like the present to assemble one.
Free Printable Spring Cleaning Challenge
Download the free spring cleaning challenge calendar to check each item off your list! This is a great way to clean your whole house a little at a time.
If you need a little help setting up cleaning routines that work for you, don’t miss my weekly cleaning schedule! It’s customizable so you can build a daily routine that works for your home and schedule.
Need some more spring cleaning projects?
This free spring cleaning checklist has so many great tasks to clean your entire house in with just one task per day! If you’re feeling really motivated or need a replacement cleaning task for something on the list that isn’t relevant to you, add some of these to your spring cleaning list:
- Deep clean your vacuum cleaner (replace filters, wash canister, trim away tangles)
- Polish hardwood floors
- Declutter your junk drawer
- Vacuum out the dryer lint
- Move forward your washing machine & dryer to clean
- Strip towels
- Clean your washing machine
- Declutter your laundry room
- Go through your stash of leftover jars & containers
- Degrease kitchen cabinets
- Wash vent hood filters (if applicable)
- Organize your linen closet
- Declutter under your kitchen sink
- Clean bathroom drains
- Deep-clean trash cans and recycle bins
- Declutter your coat closet & linen closet
FAQs
If you’re ready to dust off the cobwebs after a long winter, you’re ready for a spring cleaning challenge! The easiest way to complete one is to use a free printable spring cleaning challenge checklist.
You can either:
1. Complete each task in order with one task per day.
2. Pick a task each day depending on the amount of time you have available and your interest.
If you’re having a hard time committing to completing an entire task, break it into pieces. Just work on it for 15 minutes, even if that means it’s unfinished. It’s better to do something than it is to do nothing.
First of all, let’s be clear. You don’t have to spring clean at all. There’s no one demanding that you do all of these things; the desire to spring clean should come from inside of you.
When you’re motivated to spring clean, it’s easier to get started.
I also recommend working in chunks. Although this list breaks down completing a specific task in all parts of the house, sometimes that doesn’t work for us.
Especially if you have a hard time starting tasks or struggle with executive dysfunction, focus on one part of the suggestion on the list.
For example, try cleaning one window track instead of all the window tracks. Clean one toilet instead of every toilet.
Set a timer to keep you from getting bogged down in a complicated task and feel free to break tasks into smaller pieces (clean one appliance per day instead of all of them at once, etc.).
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Did this spring cleaning challenge help?
Whew, that was a lot to take on in just 1 month. Congrats on completing the spring clean challenge! Now it’s time to sit back, relax, and enjoy living in a clean home!
If this was helpful to you or you think I missed an important item on the list, please leave a comment below!
