Spring cleaning checklist — a quick note to anchor this piece for readers.
Spring cleaning checklist: Quick notes
Looking for simple cleaning tips for the house? Save time and clean in half the time with these clever cleaning shortcuts.
Can we still be friends if I tell you I really like cleaning?
Okay, maybe not cleaning the ceiling fans (all that dust falling makes me cough)—but I’m kind of here for everything else.
Every year.
Every February.
I look forward to cleaning and straightening and making all the spaces happy.
(Total aside: it usually takes me until February because it takes me that long to take down every last little bit of Christmas and tell the last Christmas tree goodbye).
And along the way I picked up a few random tips (and I have the BEST spring cleaning checklist).
Kind of shortcuts.
Kind of problem solvers.
Kind of solutions to cleaning challenges.
So today, with the start of February, I thought it would be timely if I shared.
Here are 9 simple cleaning tips for the house and a spring cleaning checklist for the house.
// download checklist here //
Let’s start with the Spring Cleaning checklist.
Don’t you love a good checklist?
It just helps to get everything done.
Just a reminder—I’m not doing all of this today or tomorrow. It’s just helping me focus on everything that needs to be done.
If you are a checklist person, I hope this inspires you.
You can download the checklist here.
And now?
Here are the tips.
Tip 1: How to clean the ring around the toilet
Yikes.
Starting strong and coming in at number one is this simple tip for the ring around the toilet. We have hard water here, and even after you clean it, it leaves a faint ring.
My solution?
I use a dryer sheet. You can keep a container of them in the bathroom for super easy clean-ups, and then you can just toss the dryer sheet.
Just wipe the ring area with a dryer sheet, and the friction in the dryer sheet helps clean the porcelain.
They also work on water stains on your shower door.
I also have this scrubber that I love for super tough stains.
Tip 2: Clean table and chair legs
Hello, beautiful. I’m looking at you and your cobwebs.
You need to meet my microfiber cloths.
Set a timer. Take five minutes and a microfiber cloth like this and swipe down as many chair and table legs as you can. All you need is water. Just get the microfiber cloth slightly damp and wipe the legs and outside and underneath the edge of the chair.
Sometimes I use a spare sock with a little furniture polish for this, too.
Tip 3: How to clean slipcovers
I get a lot of questions about how to keep these slipcovers clean.
Here’s my answer.
Water and a microfiber cloth.
You can see them here.
Those microfiber cloths are GENIUS. To get rid of small stains on the slipcovers (you want to make sure to catch them as early as you can), just wipe them off with a damp microfiber cloth. I try to wipe in the same direction to get the dirt out of the fibers. When you’re done with the cloth, you can just toss it into the washer for the next stain emergency.
If you have a larger stain or want to wash the slipcovers? This is what I use to get my slipcovers extra white.
If you want to see the how-to on how I wash my slipcovers? I wrote a post about it here.
Tip 4: How to clean pet hair
Buddy has A LOT OF HAIR.
And there is extra hair on my furniture depending on the time of year. To help I have a lint roller under every sink where I keep my cleaning supplies.
I run that lint roller over pillows and blankets and slipcovers to get rid of pet hair (and people hair, too).
It’s such an easy way to clean.
Just swipe and go.
I also wanted to share this amazing roller designed specifically for pet hair that a friend shared with me.
It has over 170,000 reviews and you can use it again and again.
The roller traps hair and then you can just remove it in the back.
You can see it here.
If you have leather chairs, this I love this amazing leather cleaner that eliminates stains and removes any greasy, grimy feel from the surface.
Tip 5: How to clean soap scum in the shower
I can’t stand to scrub the shower.
Generally, I try to get in and get out.
The answer?
This swift scrub soap scum remover removes soap scum. There’s also this bathroom cleaner that works on grime and dirt.
I use this grout pen I’ve shared before if I can’t get the grout clean.
Tip 6: How to clean hardwood floors
Several years ago, I wrote a post on how I clean hardwood floors here.
But every time I discuss cleaning floors, I get comments about water and when to use it and when not to use it.
(total aside: I want to stress that a slightly damp mop is best when using water on wood floors and make sure to dry them off with a towel after you are done.)
But this?
This is the other solution that I mentioned in that post.
It’s my go-to whenever I’m in a hurry and I just got the call that I’ve got company coming over in a hot minute.
This mop is AMAZING. I love it because you don’t have to change out the pads on the bottom of every room or so. It’s so much more eco-friendly because it has a washable pad that can just be tossed into the washer when you are done. The cleaner bottle just fits into it and you just squirt and go. You don’t have to pause when cleaning the hardwood floors. I use this hardwood floor cleaner with it. It’s professional strength, designed specifically for hardwood and streak-free.
I’ve also heard amazing things about this mop, too.
Quick tip: how to get scratches out of hardwood:
- For light scuff marks, I just use a new tennis ball to remove them. Just rub the tennis ball on the scuff and the traction between the ball and the floor brings the scuff right up.
- If the floor gets scratched and it’s deeper than a scuff? I use stain pens like these to fill in the scratches and buff the floor out with a flour sack like this one.
Tip 7: How to get stains out of rugs
This is my best tip. I LOVE this little machine that cleans up rugs (and we’ve used it to get stains out of truck upholstery, too). It’s SUPER lightweight and easy to use.
There are two chambers on each side.
One is for the water and cleaner (there’s a line that shows you exactly how much water and a line that shows you exactly how much cleaner).
And the other chamber is for all the stuff that you vacuum out of the area rug or upholstery.
It was recommended to me by several different people. It’s called the Little Green by Bissell and you can see it here.
Just between us? I think I may be the last person on this planet to hear about it.
I told my friend about it–they have it and use it.
I told someone else about it—they have it and use it.
I wish I had found this back when we had the farmhouse with all that mud.
You can see it here.
Tip 8: How to clean a vase with a small opening
I know this is so random to share, but I was cleaning out all my vases from Christmas and remembered this tip.
I have TONS of vases here at the house. Have you ever looked inside a vase once you’ve gotten rid of the flowers?
Ummm.
No. Just no.
Some of my vases have too narrow a neck to get my hands down in there to clean. So instead, I fill the vase about half with water, add a drop of dishwashing liquid, and add a handful of rice. Swirl the rice and the soap around in the vase, and it will get all the flower scum off the bottom. Then dump the rice out, rinse the vase off, and your vase is clean in minutes.
Tip 9: Tile floor tips
I love the floor in the butler’s pantry, but the grout is hard to keep clean because there’s so much of it. Someone is always spilling coffee on the floor or trash will spill out of the can.
The simple, easy answer? This mop is AMAZING
You just add the cleaner to the mop and squirt and go.
A clean tile floor in minutes.
I also use a microfiber cloth and water to clean drips when I don’t want to pull out the mop. It’s an easy solution because the space is so small.
Here’s to a clean 2026.
I hope you enjoy my best cleaning tips, and these tips help with all those messes, cut your cleaning time, and make you (and your house) so much happier.
If you have a cleaning tip?
I’d love to hear it.
We amazing cleaners have to stick together. 🙂
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