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When it comes to spring cleaning, know thyself. I recall a time when I could spring clean the entire house in one day. Nowadays, not so much. I only tackle one room at a time, sometimes taking more than one day for more difficult rooms. Typically, I start with the kitchen - because it's the hardest room in the house. I figure everything is downhill from there!

For efficiency's sake (who wants to do more cleaning than necessary??), start at the top (the ceiling), and work your way down. This prevents dust and grime from landing on, say, your freshly cleaned countertops because you forgot to clean the light fixtures.

I like to start at one corner of the room and work my way around. This keeps me from forgetting steps.

For the kitchen, I recommend the following cleaning supplies:

A dust rag or two
A Mr. Clean Magic Eraser mop (learn how I use it to clean ceilings and walls here)
Lots of Magic Erasers
A sponge or two
Dawn dish soap (I haven't found another dish soap that cuts through grease as well)
Windex (which cuts through grease splendidly. It works well on just about every surface in your kitchen; just avoid cleaning the lettering on appliances with it. Sometimes it will remove lesser-quality lettering.)
Cleaning towels or paper towels
Q-tips for cleaning into crevices
Whatever cleaner you prefer for your countertops
Whatever cleaner you prefer for your floors
Vacuum (for sweeping the floor and dusting in crevices, etc.)






Procedure:

To print out this checklist, click here.

* Dust or (if needed) mop the ceiling (I recommend the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser mop; see here).

* Dust and clean light fixtures and fans. I remove the glass from fixtures and wash them with Dawn. I do the same thing with ceiling fan blades. Also replace lightbulbs, if needed.

* Dust cabinets, including the tops if they don't reach the ceiling.

* Wipe down the exterior of upper cabinets with a damp sponge and a wee bit of Dawn. Or, if they are really greasy, with Windex. Sometimes I use a Magic Eraser. (Test the Eraser in an inconspicuous spot.) Don't forget hinges and handles.

* Remove everything from the upper cabinets and vacuum the insides.

* Wipe down upper cabinet interiors with Windex and towels. Or replace shelf paper, if needed.

* Sort through the contents of the upper cabinets and throw away anything that's bad and donate what you don't use. Place keeper items back in the cabinets.

* Dust and wipe down (with a sponge and a wee bit of Dawn, or with Windex and towels) door trims.

* If you have curtains on your windows, wash them. If you have blinds, dust them. If blinds are greasy, a little Dawn or Windex will cut through the grease.

* If you have rugs in your kitchen, clean them. Wash washable rugs on the gentle cycle of your washing machine, then hang dry; shake or beat rugs that can't be washed. Set aside.

* Remove art, clocks, etc. from the walls. Dust and clean, as needed. Set aside.

* Dust and mop the kitchen walls. For the kitchen, I like to use the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser mop, as noted in the ceiling directions, above.






*  Clean all windows and window frames - including the tracks! (I vacuum tracks first, then spray with Windex, which not only gets rid of grease, but also kills mold or mildew. Q-tips are handy for getting into crevices.)

* Clean all doors with a sponge and Dawn. A Magic Eraser should get rid of stubborn spots.

* Clean backsplashes with your preferred countertop cleaner or with Windex.

* Clean the sink.

* Remove everything from the countertops and clean countertops with a soapy sponge, bleach, Windex, or your preferred countertop cleaner. (Be mindful not to mix bleach with other cleaners, like Windex, or the results can be deadly!)

* As you return items to the countertops, clean them. I use Windex for most things. Give away anything you don't actually use.

* Clean appliances inside and out. Don't forget the top of the fridge and the inside of the dishwasher! (If your refrigerator top is greasy, use Windex to make the job easier.) Click here for more info on cleaning a stove, or a REALLY dirty stovetop.

* Clean the exterior of all bottom cabinets.

* Empty the contents of the bottom cabinets and vacuum the shelves. Wipe down shelves or replace shelf paper. Vacuum inside drawers and wipe down with Windex.

* Sort through items from the bottom cabinets. If there's anything that should be donated or thrown away, do so. Put all keeper items back inside the cabinets.

* Dust and wash all floorboards. (I like to use a Magic Eraser for this job.)

* Dust or vacuum all crevices between cabinets and appliances, as well as under appliances.






* Vacuum the refrigerator's coils. If possible, move the refrigerator and clean the floor beneath it.

* Empty the trash and wash the trash can outside, using Dawn.

* Re-hang the clean curtains.

* Replace cleaned rugs, assuming they are dry.

* Re-hang all the art, clocks, etc., assuming the walls are now dry.

* Vacuum or sweep the floor.

* If there are any dirty spots on the floor where you know the mop won't reach, clean them now, using a sponge.

* Mop the floor.

Whew! Done!