Kitchen & Bathroom Design Blog

Here is a new blog post from a guest author contributing to
Lang’s Kitchen & Bath’s website. All views expressed are those of the author.

Spring is the season of growth and new beginnings. With everything in full bloom, now is a fitting time of year to refresh your house. Here are some must-know indoor and outdoor spring cleaning tips, plus a handful of simple renovation projects you can do to enhance your home’s appearance.

Indoor Spring Cleaning Tips

Indoor environments tend to get cluttered and stuffy during the long winter months. Air quality is much worse in the wintertime because there is minimal airflow from outside. That’s why you should tackle your indoor spring cleaning first. Open up some windows and get started.

1.    Always Declutter First

You should always declutter before cleaning. Tackling surface-level messes, such as disorganized closets and untidy bedrooms, will make it much easier to clean those areas. Go through cabinets, dresser drawers, and closets. Throw away, sell, or donate any items you don’t need. This reorganization stage will reduce your stress levels and make the rest of spring cleaning a breeze.

2.    Focus on One Room

Spring cleaning can feel overwhelming if you consider everything that needs to be done. Devote all your attention to the task at hand and complete one room before moving to the next. Since kitchens and bathrooms are the least sanitary, you can start there. Knock out the most problematic rooms while your energy is still high.

This strategy also helps you determine the frequency of each room’s cleaning schedule. Your kitchen and bathrooms will probably need more regular cleaning than the family room and main bedroom.

3.    Clean From Ceiling to Floor

You should also clean each room from ceiling to floor. The entire area needs maintenance, not just the items that are eye-level and below. Move from the ceiling down to the walls, windows, and floors. Remove the furniture, light fixtures, and other accessories as needed. The goal is to clean each room while making as few rearrangements as possible.

4.    Ventilate the House

Remember, your home’s air quality declines during the winter. You need to make indoor ventilation a top priority during spring cleaning. Break out a steam cleaner for your carpets and wash your bedding. Inspect your HVAC system’s filter at least once a month to maintain good air quality.

5.    Go Easy on the Cleaning Products

You should go easy on chemical cleaning products to minimize your expenses and keep things simple. If you need a strong solution, you can always use soap, baking soda, vinegar, and other simple household ingredients. Plus, using fewer chemicals improves your home’s air quality.

Outdoor Spring-Cleaning Tips

Your home’s outdoor environment undergoes major changes during the spring, with everything blooming. As such, you need to spruce things up and boost your house’s curb appeal, so it doesn’t look out of place.

1.    Tidy up the Yard

As you did inside your home, the first step for outdoor spring cleaning is decluttering and reorganizing. Collect all the leaves, fallen branches, and other debris in your yard. Trim the trees and bushes if they look unkempt. Ensure you do these tasks before mowing the grass, so you don’t ruin your lawn mower.

2.    Introduce New Plants

After you tidy up the yard, you can start incorporating new spring and summer plants to give your house more color. Ensure the ground has thawed and the last frost date has passed. Mix things up with various containers, including individual ceramic pots, window boxes, and trellises, to add more texture.

3.    Fix Damaged Items

Once you take care of your landscaping, you can focus on your home’s exterior. Start by fixing items that have experienced weather damage. Common problems include pavement cracks, unstable door hinges, and faded exterior siding. Make a list and determine whether each item needs to be repaired or replaced.

4.    Make Room for Recreation

If your yard doesn’t have a recreational area, spring is the best time to install one. It can be a fire pit, playground equipment, or something more sophisticated like a pool, patio, or outdoor gym. Spending more time outdoors is always a good idea.

Simple Springtime Projects

Covering the indoor and outdoor essentials should be the first stage of spring cleaning. Once those tasks are done, you can devote all your attention to personal projects. These five options should be at the top of everyone’s list.

1.    Start a New Family Meal Plan

Spring is a great time to start a new diet or meal plan. Meal planning saves time and money, plus it makes clean eating much easier because it removes the temptation to include unhealthy foods while prepping your food for the week. Everyone in your family can take part.

Meal planning is also a great way to keep your refrigerator clean and organized. Instead of having a fridge full of random leftovers, there will be neatly stacked containers with the week’s upcoming meals.

2.    Bring More Greenery Inside

Is your home still dull and dreary after a long winter? A simple solution is to bring more greenery inside. Fill your living room, hallways, and other communal areas with colorful plants to bring your interior to life. Plants also act as natural air filters, so they will make your home more hospitable, too.

3.    Upgrade Your Light Fixtures

If you haven’t already, you should upgrade to energy-efficient light fixtures. This simple adjustment can significantly reduce your home’s electricity bill. Plus, you can make your house look more sophisticated by adding multiple lighting layers, including recessed lighting, pendants, sconces, and other unique fixtures.

4.    Integrate Smart Home Devices

Just a handful of smart home devices can improve your home’s safety, efficiency, and comfort. Consider adding a video doorbell, automated thermostat, smart water meter, voice assistant, and other smart home devices this spring.

5.    Add More Storage Space

It’s always a good idea to increase your home’s storage space, if possible. Add new shelves, cabinets, baskets, and boxes around the house so things don’t get too messy later this year. This project should be a breeze if you thoroughly decluttered the home. You’ll thank yourself next year when it’s time for spring cleaning again.

Spring Into Cleaning

Homeowners have a lot to tackle during spring cleaning, both inside and outside. These tips will help simplify the process and make it as stress-free as possible. When you’re done, you can start making small improvements to your family’s daily habits and quality of life. Don’t waste another day. Spring into it while you’re energized and motivated.