Spring Cleaning Tips Free Printable Checklist
Estimated reading time: 15 minutes
If you’re looking for spring cleaning tips and motivation to create your annual checklist, expect to find our cleaning hacks and agenda.
Get Ready For Spring Cleaning
On a dark Tuesday evening, while trying to fall asleep, I suddenly hear a voice, “I can’t wait to smell the flowers, fresh-cut grass, peppery basil, and feel the sunshine on my face.”
It was Mrs. CBB, and I wasn’t sure if she was talking to me or conversing with herself.
It turns out I was who she was speaking to, darn.
Here it comes…say it…”We have so much to get done this spring,” and then she rolls over and sleeps.
Related: How to start your spring garden from seed
When the snow melts, and the gardens look like a bowl of muck, it’s a sad sight.
However, with early planning and these spring cleaning tips, you won’t have to stare at it too long.
It’s not just the outside jobs that must be considered in the spring. There’s also the top-to-bottom clean and purge indoors.
First Days Of Spring
When is the first day of spring?
Spring officially begins on Monday, so you’ve got time to draw up a plan of action for this exciting seasonal change.
If you’re not a fan of the winter, I’m sure you’ve had dreams of the day the snow melts, as I have.
Breakfast Is Ready
I decided to finish the one-sided conversation in the morning with Mrs. CBB over eggs, bacon, and a massive mug of coffee.
Since I’ll be the main Jack of all Trades, I might as well know what spring cleaning tasks I must complete.
All joking aside, I know there’s plenty to do since we’ve put the brakes on house-related renovations and tasks as soon as our son was born.
I’ve worked silly hours over the past three years, which hasn’t helped either.
Related: Spring Cleaning in the Canadian Sunshine
Our upcoming holiday to the UK planned for July doesn’t leave us much time to get through many of the Spring tasks we discussed.
I’m sure I tuned out after the first 10 chores; shh!
Spring Cleaning Hacks
As overwhelming as it can be for any homeowner or renter, spring cleaning tips are always welcomed in our house.
We all learn new home hacks for doing things faster, cheaper, and better than the next person, so why not share?
The goal, after all, is to provide quality workmanship and products for your home for the least amount of money.
Worst Spring Cleaning Tips
One of the worst spring cleaning tips I ever received was at the grocery store while I was looking at Spring lawn care supplies.
The guy in the department stocking the garden products told me that if I hadn’t fertilized the lawn in the fall, I better get it done immediately and water it for five hours.
Fair enough, but there was still a foot of snow outside, and dude, you don’t even know how big my lawn is.
This guy was talking out of his butt, and I just nodded thanks for the Spring cleaning tips and shook his hand.
As I turned around, I hoped no one noticed the massive eye-roll.
These days I stick to the professionals who know what they’re doing.
Get Crackin’ With Your Spring Cleaning Chores
Typically a scheduled task in our house is always delayed by hours, days, and sometimes years.
After our conversation, Mrs. CBB decided to get down to business once I left for work.
She practically raided the walk-in closet of over 10 years of her clothes. O.M.G.
The mountain of clothes in the living room when I came home is hard to describe, yet she was always meticulous.
My wife is neat and can find a way to move, stack, stash, and find space for anything.
She believes living in an apartment building for many years helped her become a better organizer.
I’m the same since my house in the UK was about the size of a 2-bedroom apartment but with an upper and lower level.
She spent a whole afternoon sorting and bagging clothes to pass on to someone for free.
There were a few bits that she paid good money for that she is hoping to sell for a fraction of the price.
It didn’t end there.
Purging The Old Stuff
The following day she decided that we would purge the upper level of our home of anything we no longer use or haven’t used in months or years.
We also gave our son’s room a once-over to see if we missed anything we could donate or sell.
It turns out we did.
Am I Shocked?
Not really.
The Dreaded Walk-In Closet And Home Decor
At the end of our week of pre-spring cleaning camp, we lightened our walk-in closet (we can see it again) and purged the home decor we no longer wanted.
One of the worst and most disgusting culprits of dust in the house was the fake flowers in the decorative jugs, vases, etc. Garbage and never again!
Every Spring, we give the house a complete clean-up and clean-down, and part of the chores on our list is to wash all the fake stuff in the house that collects dust.
Ewe…no wonder it’s always dusty.
We’ve decided that less is more and are on our way to clearing out as much as possible.
Spring Cleaning Communication
So what can you do to get ahead of the winter thaw?
For starters, sit down with a pen and paper and discuss with your partner (if you have one) or housemate to see what Spring chores need to be done.
You might even find that you both have spring cleaning tips you can share based on experience.
With only two days before spring and many parts of Canada still holding snow on the ground, you have time to work on the inside of the house before you go outside.
No worries because before you know it, there will be one more massive blast of winter, and the thaw will begin. It happens all the time.
This year we’re not waiting because we want to enjoy our spring and summer and not be up to our elbows in dirt.
I’d rather have my face planted into a BBQ burger and drink a cold beer while overlooking the blow-up family pool in our back garden.
Sometimes I even jump in…true story.
Related: Frugal Backyard BBQ Parties
Spring Cleaning Tips To Get Your Weekend Started
Don’t put off your spring cleaning because you’ll only overwhelm yourself and miss things that need to be done or fixed, which could cost you money in the long run.
There’s not much spare cash running through many budgets, so be on top of your duties as a homeowner or renter.
When creating your Spring cleaning checklist, inside and outside, you must focus on two basic areas.
Let’s look at our tasks, and perhaps some of our spring cleaning tips might remind you of something you’ll need to do.
Indoor Spring Cleaning Tips
Minimalism sounds like a plan when your home is overrun with stuff you’ve collected over the years.
Although we’ve only been in our house since 2009, we’ve managed to fill it up and finally decided enough is enough.
Related: How Possessions Ruined Us and Minimalism Gave Us Freedom
Our spring cleaning routine includes :
- Washing curtains
- Rinsing blinds
- Scrubbing any marks on the walls
- Baseboards
- Cleaning doors
- See how many mice I caught in the attic (everyone will get them, so catch them before they get inside the walls.
- Inside windows
- Cleaning ledges
- Power steam clean the carpets
- Re-installing window screens (I remove them in the winter)
- Clean the sunroom from top to bottom
- Remove appliances where possible and clean them underneath.
- Dissect what’s in the garage, and donate, sell, or bring it to the landfill.
It’s also a great time to rearrange your space and clean under furniture as you go.
Dust collects everywhere, and it’s not healthy to breathe it in.
Take time to purge clothing, especially if you’ve hung on to it in hopes of one day fitting into it.
If you haven’t worn it in a year or used it in a year, get rid of it.
We also packed our winter gear into labeled bins for the next season.
Once that was completed, I cleaned the hall closet filled with salt and grit during the winter.
I don’t know how many times we’ve cleaned it more seems to appear.
Spring Cleaning Tips For A Garage Sale
This is when you will want to prepare for an upcoming garage sale.
- Tips for buying and selling at garages sales
- How to price garage sale items
- Ultimate Guide to Staging a garage sale
Outdoor Home Maintenance and Spring Cleaning Tips
I prefer to walk outside with a clipboard to inspect everything to see what needs to be repaired, re-finished, or replaced.
Most years, I like to paint the house’s trim where needed and pull dead foliage and weeds from the property once the snow melts.
I’ll also budget for a huge mulch drop as our gardens look thin.
I’m considering a different mulch color, possibly something that lasts longer.
Related: Spring Clean-up tips to keep your property looking pristine
Thankfully, we completed our landscaping over the years, but I still seal the driveway so it looks brand-new.
It’s not pricey nor time-consuming to make your property look pristine.
I know from spot inspections that I’ll paint the trim above the garage and add some rocks to our rock garden.
By the way, we have yet to see a weed in years.
Related: How to build a weed-free rock garden
One of the hardest-hit places outside to check is the door seal on the garage.
If it needs to be replaced, do so as it lets in too much cold air, which will find its way into the house.
This will cost you money.
Make sure to inspect your roof and gutters for any winter damage.
One year I found a damaged vent which caused a bit of a leak in our roof space.
Thankfully it was an easy fix, and the damage was minimal but repaired.
Now is the time to store any Christmas decor outside and buried under the snow.
I hate to admit it, but while we are on the topic of garages, it’s a must for every homeowner who owns a garage to clean it after a winter thaw.
It takes me a few hours, but I clean the blinds and windows and scrub the garage floor.
A clean garage is like having a vehicle with a clean interior.
I read something once that said your car is a sign of your life indoors, so keep it clean.
Sorting The Water System
Once we no longer use the heating, I’ll turn on the water taps, uncover the central air-conditioner, and spring-clean the technical stuff.
I also clean and put away our humidifier, which runs almost all winter in our basement.
It tends to be very dry, and we get nosebleeds and headaches, so I had to do something.
On my to-do list is finding a more permanent solution for this problem we have every year.
Take A Break Along The Way
Spring cleaning tips from our house to yours!
Don’t forget that in between all this, plan to take a break and enjoy a cuppa tea.
Everyone deserves a spring tea break, but once the sun and heat arrive, break out the beer and cold drinks and be ready for summertime fun!
Discussion Question: What are some of the top spring cleaning chores that you will be doing that aren’t on our list that you’d like to share?
Please leave me your comments below.
Mr.CBB
CBB Home Update
As you may have read above, this week was all about purging and starting the spring cleaning checklist.
On top of that, we tried to get out to some playdates, but most centers were closed since it was March Break for the kiddies.
A trip to Value Village and grocery shopping was about all the entertainment we had this week.
Our final decision on Amazon Prime is here to Prime or not to Prime.
We have one day to decide—ugh, decisions.
How was your week?
Mr.CBB
CBB Published Posts
If you have a question you would like to ask me fill out the Contact Mr.CBB form on the blog home page, and I’ll do my best to reply to each question.
Top Post This Week: How Much Should My Grocery Budget Be?
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Personal Finance Bloggers and Fans:
I’m currently recruiting for guest posts on the blog while we go away on holiday.
This is your opportunity to get published on CBB.
If you have a topic idea and are interested, please get in touch with me via email. [email protected], let’s talk.
Making A Difference
Welcome to the Making A Difference series!
Join the networking movement of Personal Finance Bloggers around the world.
If you are a personal finance blogger and would like your blog to be featured, drop me an email.
Hello friends and fans of the CBB blog!
I’m Mike, a full-time digital marketer and part-time blogger.
My site, Ninja Budgeter, was started late last year as a way for me to share what I’ve learned about budgeting while raising a family from a father’s perspective.
When my wife and I were married in 2009, we started our lives together with more than 40k in consumer debt.
Some of that was from a loan on a new truck, some from Visa, and more from student loans.
It took us 5 long years to dig out of that hole.
We enjoyed the freedom for about 12 seconds and promptly returned to debt after buying a house.
We’re now getting close to being debt-free yet again.
This time we’re equipped with some life experience, an excellent budget, and a ton of determination.
I’ve learned that it’s not enough to budget, make more money, side hustle, etc.; you have to change your entire relationship with money before you start to win financially.
My goal for the NB blog is to pass along some of what I’ve learned about cutting back on everyday expenses and using the money you already earn to its fullest potential.
It’s an honor to be featured here on CBB!
Weekly Fan Savings Brag
If you have a brag that you want to share, email me at [email protected] with a photo and a small write-up of your deal.
Hi Mr.CBB
Below is a photo of the free new to me reclining leather sofa, which I was fortunate enough to get.
The light spot in the one pic is why I got this awesome $2000 leather reclining sofa for free.
It is only just over 3 years old.
Colleen. K.
P.S. I forgot to add that the reclining ends are motorized.
CBB Motivational Corner
There will never be a specified starting date to pay off debt.
No matter what age you are and where you are, look at your budget and see what you can do to fast-track your debt repayment and start building wealth.
Finance Post Read
This week I read what Chris Reining had to say about Saving money.
His message is “Quit Saving Your Money” and start investing.
This an interesting post because he touches on worry and risk.
Most importantly, why it’s OK to invest small amounts, even $50 a month.
Something is always better than nothing. Great post. Enjoy.
Frugal Recipe Of The Week
Food is a big part of any budget and a struggle for so many people, so I’ve created frugal recipes for my family and yours for many years.
I have a second Facebook page called The Free Recipe Depot, where I exclusively share recipes from foodbBloggers worldwide.
Check out the Free Recipe Index on CBB, compiled of frugal recipes 100% tested and accepted by family and friends!
This week I made a pit stop at Inside Bru Crew Life, where food blogger Jocelyn created these amazing M&M Blondie Brownies.
I’m sure you all know by now that I have a thing for brownies, so when my eyes met these, It was love at first sight. Great for Easter!
Frugal Do It Yourself (DIY)
Since Easter is around the corner, I thought I’d take up some space on the blog to share some fun Easter Crafts for Kids.
These Popsicle Stick Easter Friends crafts from Glued To My Crafts are simple, affordable, and certainly an Easter craft we will do with our son.
Everything can be purchased at the Dollar store in the craft section.
Search Term Giggles
Always begin and end your day with a SMILE!
-Mr.CBB
Every week I get tens of thousands of people to visit Canadian Budget Binder because they did a search online and found my blog.
Most times funny, Sometimes serious.
- Canadian Budget Finder– Maybe that is a legit website.
- Chatrooms where I can ask rich men for money– I’m on a roll this weekend with the funnies.
- How to grow money in Canada– First, start with good soil… Haha!!
- How much does it cost to make 12 muffins?– So many variables here without more data.
- How to get excused from Jury Duty– Let a big smelly one rip when you show up.
That’s all the fun for this week, thanks for dropping by, and we’ll see you all again next Saturday.
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