This is how you spring clean your whole house in one day

With this step-by-step guide, you can finish the year’s biggest chore day in mere hours.

The night before your big day of spring cleaning, gather your supplies in a bucket, says professional organiser Jamie Novak, author of Keep This, Toss That. In addition to any cleaning products, she recommends having garbage bags, a lint roller, rubber gloves and upbeat music to keep you motivated. With everything you need in one place, you don’t have to ruin your groove by running around for cleaning items.

You might be tempted to jump right into the cleaning, but plan your meals first to make the whole process go more smoothly, says Novak. A healthy breakfast will start your day on the right note, and planning dinner – whether throwing something in the slow cooker or choosing a takeout spot – will be a lifesaver after a tiring day of cleaning, she says. Keep some easy snacks on hand as you clean too so you don’t have to interrupt your cleaning marathon. “First you have to find peanut butter to make a quick sandwich, then you make a mess and actually add to your workload,” she says.

Decide how long you want to spend in each room, then set a timer so you don’t lose track of the time. “You’re giving yourself a goal in the room, and it makes it a fun challenge,” says Novak. “Can I get this done in 45 minutes? It keeps you on track so you don’t spend all day in one room.”

Jump-start your spring cleaning by going from room to room, gathering anything that can go in the laundry. “That way that’s working as you’re working,” says Novak. Bedding, slipcovers, shower curtains, rugs, bath mats, throw pillows and more can go in the washer for a hands-off clean-up.

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Before you start cleaning the rooms in your home, give your outdoor entryway some attention, says Novak. Dust cobwebs by your porch light and change the bulb if needed, and wipe down the doorbell and mailbox. “Next time you come home, that entryway is going to be really welcoming to you,” says Novak.

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Now that you’re ready to head inside, start your spring cleaning in the bathroom. “Most people dread the bathroom, so if you start there then it’s off the list,” says Novak. “Now that you’ve done the worst first, everything else seems so easy.” Start by applying products that work at dirt without any scrubbing. Take off the toilet seat, then apply a paste of baking soda and water to the inside and outside of the toilet, particularly under the rim, says Lauren Haynes, cleaning expert at Star Domestic Cleaners. You can also drop a couple antacid tablets into the bowl to help clean and disinfect, she says. Work at mineral deposits by attaching a plastic bag half-filled with vinegar to your showerhead with a rubber band. Now apply your baking soda paste to the bathtub to attack that grime, says Haynes. Let those solutions do their magic while you clean the rest of the bathroom.

While those products are breaking down filth, use some elbow grease in other spots around the bathroom. Sprinkle baking soda over the sink and rub it away with a soft, wet cloth, says Haynes. “You also have to pay attention to the drain and give it a good treatment with an old toothbrush,” she says. Rinse with warm water to get rid of the baking soda. Wipe down the mirror with a microfibre cleaning cloth – no cleaning solution necessary, says Novak. Take this time to go through products you keep in the bathroom too, she says. Toss expired medications, ointments, make-up and sunscreen, along with anything else you never use. By the time you’re done with all that, you can easily scrub down the toilet, shower and showerhead, and be out of the bathroom within half an hour.

Here are more great tips for cleaning the bathroom. 

“It’s good to get the bedroom out of the way before the middle of the afternoon when you think ‘I’ll just take a nap,’” says Novak. As with any room, she suggests circling around the bedroom, from top to bottom, so you don’t drop dirt to spots you already cleaned. If you have a ceiling fan, start there using Novak’s trick: Roll back an old pillowcase as if you were going to put a pillow inside, then close it over the fan blade. As you slide it back, the pillowcase will capture the dust instead of letting it fall to the floor. Once the fan is clean, use an old mitten to wipe down your blinds, suggests Novak.

Use a lint roller to remove dust from living room lampshades, says Novak. Spring cleaning is a great time to hit commonly missed spots – a dry or damp Q-Tip can get in the crevices of a remote control, and a microfibre cloth should take fingerprints off a light switch. Use a vinegar solution to wipe down a gunky kickboard, then follow with a dryer sheet once it’s dry. “It has a nice scent but is also dust-repelling, so dog hair and other dust won’t settle as quickly on your baseboard,” says Novak. Avoid getting on your hands and knees by attaching the dryer sheet to a Swiffer Sweeper or similar tool.

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