A Lazy Man’s Guide to Spring Cleaning Your Home

Everyone wants a clean, sparkling home. But, let’s be honest, life happens. Between your career, kids, and other things that keep you busy, cleaning every day may be a bit of a stretch. Sometimes, we also just don’t have the energy to do the bare minimum.

Cleaning will always be a part of life, and there’s no way to do it with zero effort. But, some tips can help you reduce the amount of work involved⁠—not to mention the readily-available help like laundry and dry cleaning services to offload some of your tasks. Tidying up a little every day and a little bit here and there can minimise the need to clean, and it’s something worth remembering to get done when you’re spring cleaning.

What is Spring Cleaning & Why is it Important?

Spring cleaning is a time-tested tradition that dates back to more than 3000 years BC. It has deep cultural and religious roots tied back to the history of keeping houses warm during winter when fireplaces were lit. In the process, soot and grime filled the houses that eventually had to be cleaned.

The practise of spring cleaning has become so ingrained in our heritage that even in countries that don’t experience winter, like Singapore, we feel the need to throw open our windows to remove the dust and dirt that have settled in our living spaces.

As we welcome warmer days, spring cleaning is an opportunity to start anew and reset everything in our homes. If we’re being honest, it’s also a time to catch up on all the cleaning tasks you have been putting off doing and check maintenance tasks off your list.

When should you do spring cleaning?

You may not be looking forward to spring cleaning, but it’s something that you should do anyway. Objectively, you should spring clean your home every 6 months to maintain good hygiene and tackle all the dirt and grime that you have overlooked in your regular cleaning.

In Singapore, most homeowners schedule their deep cleaning on the days leading up to the Lunar New Year. But, that is not something set in stone – you can start your spring clean whenever you feel like it.

Spring cleaning tips for the lazy

1. Spread out your cleaning schedule

Cleaning everything in a day can be too much to undertake and it may be wiser to set realistic goals: tidy up a little bit here and a little bit there, and leave the rest undone for another day—it’s a more thoughtful and achievable route to take.

If you can’t do it all at once, then which rooms should you focus on first? We recommend prioritising high-traffic areas such as the kitchen, bathroom, and living room, and tackling the lesser-priority rooms as soon as you finish up.

2. Finish tasks that involve more than one room in the house first

Besides going room by room, another sensible way to spring clean is by finishing tasks that affect the entire house. For example, you can wash all the pillows, bedding, and curtains in one day. It may not produce an outcome that is as visible as when you clean room by room, but knowing that everyone has fresh fabrics can feel just as good.

Laundry can take up a great amount of time and energy when you’re doing it yourself. But, the good news? It’s an area of spring cleaning that you can outsource to professionals. The best laundry services in Singapore can handle most, if not all of your fabrics, so you can get your clothes, bedding, and curtains cleaner and looking better than they have probably been in years.

3. Minimise the need to clean

A little preventative maintenance can significantly reduce your cleaning time. By cleaning a little every day, your home tends not to be so messy when it’s time for a thorough deep clean. It means washing the dishes immediately after a meal, throwing the garbage straight into the trash can, sorting your recyclables, sweeping daily, and doing the laundry as soon as you accumulate a full load, instead of all at once.

The bottom line is to not make more work for yourself by taking the effort now to minimise the amount of work you’ll have to do later.

Wipe spills immediately to prevent stains.
Soak baked-on food in hot water and soap for an easy clean-up later.
Pre-treat stains immediately so you don’t have to spend more time removing them later.
Fold or hang clothes as soon as the dryer cycle is complete to minimise wrinkles.
Place door mats at each entrance to contain dust and dirt.
Squeegee the shower walls and doors after each use to prevent soap scum to build up.

Ultimate Spring Cleaning Checklist

Now that you’re set with the basics, we are concluding this guide with a checklist that you can refer to plan your day of spring cleaning and get you on the right track.

General

Declutter—keep the items you use, find the right storage for them, and ditch the rest: sell, donate, or discard them.
Empty your garbage cans and recycling bins. Scrub them down to get any gunk out of crevices and leave them to air-dry.
Dust surfaces you hardly clean regularly including bookshelves, light fixtures, furniture, door frames, the tops of cabinets, etc.
Take down your curtains and take them for curtain cleaning services to ensure that they are cleaned according to the manufacturer’s direction.
Wash the insides and outsides of the windows. Take down the screens and wash them as well.

Living Room

Polish your wooden furniture.
Clean and vacuum your furniture, as well as under carpets and/or area rugs.
Dust down the lampshades and the rest of the decorative items.

Kitchen

Scrub your oven interior. Slather it with a baking soda paste and rinse with water to dissolve dirt and grease.
Clean and organise cupboards and drawers.
Throw away expired food and empty containers.
Clean kitchen appliances inside and out.
Re-organise food in the pantry, fridge, and cupboards.

Bedroom

Strip the bedding from your bed including the bed sheet, pillow covers, and duvet cover, and throw them into the laundry. Consider using a laundry service, particularly for heavy items such as your comforter.
Refresh your mattress. Rotate it to help spread out the wear and tear, and prevent premature damage.

Bathroom

Cover showerheads with bags of vinegar to dissolve mineral deposits. Let them soak for at least an hour or overnight.
Scrub the shower, toilet, tub, and sink.
Sort hygiene products and other bathroom essentials into three piles: to keep, dispose of, and donate.
Purge the medicine cabinet and throw away the expired ones.

Clean Care is a professional cleaning company in Singapore. You can outsource your laundry service to us so you don’t have to deal with your dirty linens during your spring cleaning. Arrange a schedule with us to pick up your laundry at the time that best fits your schedule.

Enjoy your spring-cleaned house! For more cleaning tips, visit our website today.