March Cleaning Checklist: 15 Early Spring Cleaning Tasks
March is when the house begins to reveal what winter was kind enough to hide.
Sunlight streams through the windows, and suddenly you can see them. You open the door and notice the entryway has spent three months collecting dirt. The patio looks abandoned. Dust appears in places you were perfectly happy not knowing existed.
Spring cleaning season has arrived.
But that doesn't mean you need to empty every closet, wash every wall, and spend an entire weekend dismantling your house. March is the warm-up.
This March cleaning checklist tackles winter buildup, brings some freshness back into the house, and gets spring cleaning underway without turning it into a full-time occupation. Here are 15 places to start.
1. Clean the Windows You Look Through Most
You don't have to wash every window in the house. Start with the ones that make the biggest difference: the kitchen window, the living room windows and the glass doors.
For streak-free glass, spray a mix of equal parts water and white vinegar (or your usual glass cleaner), and wipe with a microfiber cloth or a squeegee, top to bottom. Do it on a cloudy day or in the shade. Sun dries the cleaner before you can wipe it, and that's what leaves streaks.
Clean the outside of the glass only where you can reach it safely from the ground or a sturdy step stool.
If one room suddenly looks a lot brighter, congratulations. That's spring cleaning with immediate gratification. (Here's more on cleaning windows.)
2. Clean the Window Tracks and Sills
Window tracks collect an impressive combination of dust, dead insects and material of uncertain origin.
1. Vacuum the loose debris with the crevice tool.
2. Spray the tracks with warm, soapy water or the vinegar-and-water mix, and let it sit for a few minutes to loosen the gunk.
3. Scrub the corners with an old toothbrush.
4. Wipe it out with a damp cloth, then wipe the sills.
While you're there, check for cracked caulk or damaged screens. But don't lean out of windows or climb anything wobbly to reach the hard spots. The objective is a cleaner house, not an exciting afternoon for the emergency department.
3. Dust the Blinds and Freshen the Curtains
Window coverings spend winter quietly collecting dust.
• Blinds: close them, dust with a microfiber cloth or the vacuum's dusting brush, then flip them closed the other way and repeat. (How to clean window blinds.)
• Curtains: vacuum them with the upholstery tool, or wash them if the label says you can. (How to wash curtains.)
You don't have to clean every window treatment at once. Do one room. Then enjoy the rare satisfaction of finishing a project before starting another.
4. Clean the Front Door and Entryway
Winter dirt comes in through the door, usually attached to people. Give the entryway a spring reset:
• Shake out or vacuum the entry mats.
• Sweep or vacuum the floor, then mop it.
• Wipe down the front door, inside and out.
• Clean the door glass.
• Wipe the handles and the doorbell.
• Put away the winter gear you're done with.
• Evict the shoes and bags that have taken up permanent residence.
Don't pack away every jacket because of one warm afternoon. March has a sense of humor.
5. Clean the Baseboards in the Main Rooms
Baseboards don't need constant attention, which is exactly why they get grimy before anyone notices.
Instead of doing the whole house, focus on the rooms people see. Vacuum the loose dust with the brush attachment, then wipe with a damp microfiber cloth and a drop of dish soap. Kitchen and entryway baseboards need the most attention, since they collect the most dirt.
Once they're clean, you can ignore them again for a respectable period of time.
6. Dust the Ceiling Fans and Light Fixtures
Spring brings more light, which makes dust much more ambitious about being seen.
• Ceiling fans: turn the fan off and let it stop. Slide an old pillowcase over each blade and pull it toward you. The dust stays inside the pillowcase instead of raining down on the furniture.
• Light fixtures: turn off the light and let the bulbs cool. Dust them, or take down glass shades and wash them in warm, soapy water. (How to clean light fixtures.)
• Lamps and shades: dust with a lint roller or a soft brush.
Use a sturdy step stool, never a chair. And work from high to low. Otherwise, you'll clean the table, dust the fixture above it, and discover you've created your own encore.
7. Move One Piece of Furniture
Not all of it. One.
Pick a sofa, chair or table, slide it out (get help with anything heavy), and vacuum underneath and behind it. If you're feeling energetic, do another.
This approach has one big advantage over the traditional spring-cleaning method of moving everything at once: your house stays habitable.
8. Give the Kitchen a Spring Reset
March is a good time for the kitchen jobs that never make the weekly list. Wipe down:
• Cabinet fronts
• Drawer pulls
• The backsplash
• Appliance fronts
• The top of the refrigerator
• The trash and recycling bins
Clean the microwave, and do a quick fridge check for expired food and old leftovers.
Don't empty every kitchen cabinet. We're spring cleaning. We're not moving out. (For more, see the Kitchen Cleaning and Organizing Guide.)
9. Clean One Kitchen Cabinet or Drawer
Now you may open a cabinet. One. Pick the cabinet or drawer that irritates you most.
Empty it, wipe the inside, toss the obvious trash and expired products, and put back only what belongs there. If you finish quickly, do another.
But don't start with seventeen open cabinet doors and a kitchen counter covered with everything you own. Contained projects are your friend.
10. Give the Bathroom Some Spring Attention
Bathrooms benefit from a seasonal reset, too. On top of your regular cleaning, get the spots that got skipped all winter:
• Shower door tracks
• Grout
• Around the faucets
• The corners
• Baseboards
• The exhaust fan cover. Turn off the power, pop off the cover, and wash it in warm, soapy water.
• Cabinets collecting empty bottles
If you see mold, clean it, then fix the moisture problem behind it: run the fan during showers and for 20 minutes after. (For more, see Bathroom Cleaning and Organizing and Bathroom Mold Removal.)
11. Wash the Doormats and Small Rugs
Entry mats and small rugs take a beating in winter. Shake them out or vacuum them thoroughly. Rubber-backed and cotton rugs can usually go in the washer on cold. Check the label first, since some backings crack in the dryer. Clean the floor underneath before you put the rug back.
It's always interesting to discover how much dirt managed to get underneath the thing specifically purchased to catch dirt.
12. Declutter the Winter Gear
By March, you can start sizing up the winter gear instead of automatically storing it for another year. Go through the coats, gloves, scarves, boots and hats, and pull anything that's:
• Outgrown
• Damaged beyond repair
• Uncomfortable
• Never worn
• No longer needed
Wash what you're keeping before you store it at the end of the season. And don't store something for another year just because you successfully stored it last year. That's not a reason. That's a tradition. (For help deciding what stays, see the Decluttering Guide.)
13. Clean the Patio or Porch
March is a good time to venture outside and see what winter left behind.
Sweep the patio, porch and walkways. Clear the leaves and debris. Wash the outdoor furniture with warm water and a squirt of dish soap, then rinse with the hose. Check the cushions, planters and outdoor accessories for damage before putting everything back into service.
Don't try to renovate the whole backyard. Just make it possible to sit outside without first moving six months of debris. (For more outdoor projects, see Backyard and Garden.)
14. Spend 15 Minutes on the Garage
Open the garage. Don't panic. Spend 15 minutes on the obvious seasonal clutter only.
Put away the tools. Recycle the empty boxes. Throw away the trash. Group the gardening supplies. Move the snow shovels and winter gear out of prime real estate.
Stop when the timer goes off. If the garage needs a real overhaul, that's a separate project. Use the Garage Cleaning and Organizing Guide instead of accidentally sacrificing your weekend.
15. Start a Donation Box
Spring cleaning has a predictable side effect: you start noticing things you don't need.
Put an empty box or bag somewhere handy, and as you clean through March, drop in the obvious giveaways: clothes that don't fit, duplicate kitchen gadgets, books you're finished with, and decor you no longer like.
Don't use the box for things that need complicated decisions. Those deserve their own decluttering session.
When the box is full, donate it. Then, and this is the important part, don't bring it back into the house.
One More March Job: Test the Smoke Alarms
When you set the clocks forward for daylight saving time in March, test every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm while you're at it. It takes five minutes, and the clock change makes it easy to remember.
Your Quick March Cleaning Checklist
Save this version:
• ☐ Clean the most-used windows
• ☐ Clean the window tracks and sills
• ☐ Dust the blinds and freshen the curtains
• ☐ Reset the front door and entryway
• ☐ Clean the baseboards in the main rooms
• ☐ Dust the ceiling fans and light fixtures
• ☐ Clean behind one piece of furniture
• ☐ Give the kitchen a spring reset
• ☐ Clean one kitchen cabinet or drawer
• ☐ Deep clean the neglected bathroom spots
• ☐ Wash the doormats and small rugs
• ☐ Declutter the winter gear
• ☐ Clean the patio or porch
• ☐ Spend 15 minutes on the garage
• ☐ Start a donation box
• ☐ Test the smoke alarms when the clocks change
The Best Way to Start Spring Cleaning
Don't make a massive master list and wait for the mythical free weekend when you'll have the energy to finish it.
Pick one job. Finish it. Then pick another. One window becomes three windows. One cabinet becomes two. One donation bag leaves the house. One clean patio makes the backyard usable again.
Spring cleaning works much better as a series of small finished projects than one enormous event that leaves every room temporarily worse.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I clean in March?
Start with what winter left behind: the windows and window tracks, the entryway and doormats, the baseboards, the ceiling fans and the patio. Then clear out the winter gear and start a donation box.
Where do I start spring cleaning?
With the windows you look through most. Clean glass makes the whole room feel brighter, so you see results right away. Then work room by room, top to bottom.
What's the best way to clean windows without streaks?
Use equal parts water and white vinegar (or a glass cleaner) and a microfiber cloth or squeegee, and clean on a cloudy day or in the shade so the cleaner doesn't dry before you wipe.
How do you clean a ceiling fan without making a mess?
Turn it off, slide an old pillowcase over each blade, and pull it back toward you. The dust stays in the pillowcase.
March Is the Beginning, Not the Deadline
You don't need to finish spring cleaning in March. You're starting.
Open the windows on a mild day. Clean the winter grime you can finally see. Clear a little clutter. Step outside. Get a few annoying jobs done before April.
The house doesn't need to emerge from March transformed. It just needs to feel a little lighter, cleaner and more awake than it did in February. That's enough for one month.
Keep Going
Keep the spring cleaning rolling with these related guides:
- February Cleaning Checklist: The late-winter jobs, in case you skipped a few.
- April Cleaning Checklist: The spring jobs to begin.
- Weekly House Cleaning Checklist: A routine for the everyday jobs.
- Get Windows Clean for Less Cash: Streak-free windows, inside and out.
- How to Clean Window Blinds: The fastest ways to get the dust off.
- How to Declutter Your Home: Clear the excess as you spring clean.
- Backyard and Garden: Outdoor cleanup and gardening projects.
- Garage Cleaning and Organizing: For when 15 minutes isn't enough.
- Green Cleaning: Cheap, nontoxic cleaners for every spring job.
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