How to Manage Your Spring Cleaning – Spring Cleaning the Bedroom

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In our spring cleaning series (spring cleaning the bedroom, bathrooms, and kitchen) we are addressing the best way to spring clean and organize the most common rooms in your home to make cleaning them: manageable, easier, and less time-consuming for yourself and your loved ones. This post contains an affiliate link. We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this banner or link (at absolutely no extra cost to you).

Regular weekly cleaning throughout the year, just doesn’t get the house clean enough. With a family and work, there isn’t much time to do anything outside the regular weekly cleaning, so any area of your home you ignore (oven, behind the refrigerator, behind the couch, under the bed, behind the dresser, in the closet) tends to get real dirty, real fast.

There isn’t a better time to spring clean your home before the summer and set up a year-long routine for thoroughly cleaning your home.

Spring Cleaning Vs. Deep Cleaning

In a previous post, we mentioned deep cleaning. Spring cleaning goes beyond deep cleaning because it involves organizing and preparing your home for the rest of the year. It is also to get rid of any dust, allergens, and even mold trapped in your house during the winter months.

Spring Cleaning the Bedroom

The problem with spring cleaning the bedroom (or cleaning in general) is that it is time-consuming and overwhelming. You may set out to pick up your clothes and vacuum the floor, and before you know it, you are reorganizing your closet and searching for that missing earring.

So start with a plan. Like anything, start with a plan and don’t deviate from it unless you have to. The key to getting spring cleaning done the quickest, most efficient way possible is to avoid shiny objects, aka other stuff in the bedroom, and stick to the plan.

Here’s the Plan:

Start with the top and clean your way down. For anything you clean, start from the top and clean down; that way, you clean up everything that falls below as you keep going down. Spring clean your bedroom in the order below.

Drapes or Curtains

If you have washable window coverings, start spring cleaning the bedroom by throwing them in the washing machine (follow the manufacturer’s instructions for washing them).

Now open the window and get some fresh air into the room.

If you don’t have drapes or curtains, skip this step.

Ceiling Fans (in 3 steps)

While the window coverings are in the washing machine, move on to cleaning the ceiling fan (if there is one). Turn off the fan and lights.

1. Wipe each blade with a microfiber cloth. For real dusty fan blades, cover each blade with an old pillowcase capturing the dust in the pillowcase.
2. Remove each light bulb and wipe with a microfiber cloth. Remove each light bulb shade and wash with soap and water, then let dry. Clean with a microfiber cloth or microfiber duster all around the light sockets.
3. Using a dry microfiber cloth, wipe around the electric motor housing and anywhere else you can reach, including down the pull chains.

Organize and Clean Your Closet

You probably aren’t organizing and cleaning your closet regularly, so this area could be one of the messier, more neglected areas in your bedroom. Stay focused, and you can get through this in no time.

Here is a 3-step process of organizing and cleaning your closet:

1. Pull out everything. Remove the winter clothes and put them in storage. Anything you are not going to wear again or don’t want, put in a bag for donation.

2. Clean closet:

• Dust shelves with a microfiber cloth and wipe down walls, trim, and baseboards.
• Check for mold on clothes and walls. If you find any mold, you can use vinegar to remove it by following our post – Will Cleaning Vinegar Kill Mold?
• Vacuum the closet floor.

3. Get summer clothes from storage and put them in your closet.

Spring Cleaning the Bedroom Windows

Now that you have washed the drapes or curtains and maybe even dried them, the next area to spring clean in the bedroom would be the windows. If you don’t have drapes or curtains and instead have blinds or shades, check out this guide to cleaning them.

Starting at the top part of the window, wipe down the window trim and all parts inside the window and window frame, including the screen (without taking the screen out) with a dry microfiber cloth.

If you can fold the window in to get to the window facing outside, wipe everything down on the outside as well. Whatever dirt, dust, leaves, dead insects, or spider webs that fall to the bottom of inside the window frame, vacuum up.

Now, fill a bucket with warm water and put a few drops of dish soap or a drop of Miracle II soap (affiliate link) in it. Dip the dry microfiber cloth into the bucket, only partially wetting it and go over the window and window frame again. Use the dry part of the microfiber cloth or paper towel to wipe up excess water and soap.

Clean the glass part of the window after everything else is clean. Fill a spray bottle with half white vinegar and half water. Spray the glass, then use the partially damp microfiber cloth or paper towel to wipe it up, wiping it in a Z motion.

Finally, wipe the window sill and the apron underneath it.

Spring Cleaning the Bedroom Walls

Right after you finish cleaning the windows, clean the walls.

Pull dressers, nightstands, bed, and other furniture away from walls. Run a microfiber duster or a microfiber cloth over the walls to remove dust or pet hair. 

Check for dirt, mold, or stains. Clean and remove dirt or stains the same way you cleaned the window. Clean and remove mold with vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. You can learn how to kill mold with hydrogen peroxide by reading our post – Does Hydrogen Peroxide Kill Mold?

If you want to stop spring cleaning for the day, this would be a good time to hang your drapes or curtains back up on the windows. If not, move on to the next part of the bedroom.

Dressers, Nightstands, Lamps, and Other Furniture

While the furniture is still pulled out, remove any loose papers, change, or anything on top of it. This would also be a good time to organize and put it away.

If any lamps are sitting on top of the furniture, wipe them down with a dry microfiber cloth, starting at the top of the lampshade and then going down to remove dust. Remove the lamp and anything else remaining on top of the furniture to finish dusting the top of it.

Wipe down the sides, front, and back of the furniture. If there is excessive dust or pet hair on the back of the furniture, run a microfiber duster across it.

Spring Cleaning the Bedroom Beds

You may wash your sheets regularly, but how often are you washing your pillows and mattress? If you haven’t washed them in a while or if you have never washed them, right now would be a great time to do it.

Check out this guide on how to wash your pillows. To clean your mattress, read our article – Does Baking Soda Clean Mattresses? for cleaning your mattress.

While cleaning the mattress, wipe down the bed frame with a microfiber cloth.

Before you finish cleaning the bed itself, make sure to clean underneath it. Pull everything out and get rid of any garbage or anything you aren’t using any longer. Vacuum or sweep up any pet hair or other dust.

After you finish cleaning your bed and everything underneath it, flip (two-sided) or rotate your mattress from one end to the other (if it’s one-sided or a pillow top).

Doors and Light Switches

Mirrors: Much like a window, you can clean a mirror using a spray bottle with half water and half vinegar. Spray it on and then use a partially damp microfiber cloth or paper towel to wipe it up, wiping in a Z motion.

Light Switches: You probably don’t think about how often light switches are touched. Light switches are high-touch areas in your home, so try to clean them often (more than just the springtime). 

To properly clean a light switch, use a dry microfiber cloth to go over the light switch and plate. If there are visible smudges, partially wet the microfiber cloth and wipe it down. 

Doors: Much like light switches, door handles are also high-touch areas in your house. Try to clean them often. To properly clean a doorknob, use a dry microfiber cloth and wipe the doorknob on both sides.

Note: To clean your bedroom door, wipe it down with a dry microfiber cloth, including the frame and trim. For any visible smudges, partially wet one corner of the microfiber cloth and use it to wipe them.

Once you have cleaned the light switches and door handles, disinfect them.

To learn how to clean, sanitize, and disinfect high-touch areas in your home, check out our post – The Fundamental Guide to Sanitize Your Home: Tips and Tricks

Floors – Carpet/ Rugs/ Flooring

Finally, we come to the last area and the final step to spring cleaning your bedroom.

Before cleaning the bedroom floor, take a dry microfiber cloth and wipe down the baseboards or floor trim just above the flooring. Do your best to move everything to one side of the bedroom away from the baseboards.

Carpet:

Thoroughly vacuum the exposed area of the carpet. If you have a carpet cleaner and the time, deep clean or wash the carpet.

If you don’t have one, sprinkle some baking soda on the carpet to remove odors and make it fresh. Let it sit there for as long as possible (the longer, the better). Then, vacuum it up in one direction then in the opposite direction. After you have finished one side, move everything to the other side and do the same thing.

Learn more about cleaning your carpet with baking soda when you read our post – Uncovering the Truth: Can Baking Soda Clean Carpets?

Rugs: Remove the rug and follow this 9-step guide to cleaning it.

Flooring: Vacuum the floor, then mop it. To get the best cleaning for your floors, use a microfiber mop head and one of the cleaners from our guide – 10 Non-Toxic Floor Cleaners: Our Guide to Floor Cleaning Products

Conclusion (Spring Cleaning the Bedroom All Year Long)

You can clean these areas on different days throughout the spring, or you can clean them all on one busy, long day (at least 3 hours depending on the size of your bedroom and the amount of furniture ).

Once your bedroom is spring-cleaned, here is what you can do to keep it tidy and clean for the rest of the year.

• Make a cleaning schedule for the rest of the year, scheduling a thorough cleaning every season.
• Every week go beyond your usual cleaning and clean one of the areas you previously spring cleaned. Since you already spring cleaned these areas, it will be much easier and quicker to clean them.
• Hire a home cleaning service. Only have time for one thorough spring cleaning a year? Hire a house cleaning service to clean your whole house weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly and maintain that spring clean.

It’s time to get your spring cleaning done. And maybe you can even get the family to help.

To read the other parts of our spring cleaning series, click the links below:

How to Manage Your Spring Cleaning – Spring Cleaning the Kitchen

How to Manage Your Spring Cleaning – Spring Cleaning the Bathroom

In the comments below, let us know which all year spring cleaning routine you prefer.