Begin spring cleaning in the living room. It’s one place where you have a big opportunity to refresh and redecorate while cleaning things out. Before you start ordering new accessories for the space, get one important tool in working order: your vacuum. 

Wipe your vacuum down inside and out. Replace the bag if it needs one. If it’s bagless, clean the dust cup and refresh the filters. Take time to remove the loose threads and hair that keep the rotating brush from spinning fully. When your vacuum is in working order, you’ll notice a big difference in your deep-cleaning efforts. Next, it helps to know how to clean living room furniture and features.

How to Clean Drapery: 

1. Depending on the fabric, you’ll want to launder or dry clean your drapes. Lightweight fabrics do well on the delicate cycle. Hand-wash fabrics like lace. 
2. Do you have valances? Vacuum them to eliminate dust. 
3. If you find pet hair on drapes, wear a rubber glove and simply wipe the fur off the fabric. It works on upholstery and carpeting, too. 
4. Remember to wipe down the tops of the drapery rods and hardware where dust finds a way to accumulate. 

How to Clean Carpet: 

1. To deep clean your carpet, it’s best to rent or purchase a carpet-cleaning machine annually. Even if your household is a “no shoes” zone, you’ll want to clean up allergens and other crushed items that have settled between the fibers by vacuuming and then cleaning with a steamer. 
2. You can also have an outside company steam your home’s carpet for easy maintenance. 

There are several gentle ways to clean your upholstery without feeling the need to replace your furniture.

How to Clean Upholstered Furniture: 

1. First, remove cushions and pillows. 
2. Then, vacuum every nook and cranny of each piece, including behind and underneath to grab cobwebs. 
3. Spot clean with a barely dampened white microfiber cloth dipped in a mix of warm water and gentle liquid dish detergent. This technique is fine on most fabrics. Dab a bit of water on and blot to dry. 
4. For leather upholstery, simply buff with a damp cloth to remove dirt from the grain of the hide. 
5. Don’t hesitate to call in a professional cleaning company for a deep steam clean to perk up your upholstery.

Cleaning furniture that has wood surfaces involves just a little elbow grease.

How to Clean Furniture: 

1. Dust and then polish with a good store-bought or homemade cleaning solution. 
2. Combine a cup of inexpensive olive oil, a quarter cup of white vinegar and a half teaspoon of essential oil for fragrance (a little goes a long way). 

Now that your tables and shelves are clean, it’s a good time to swap out seasonal decor and feature new lighting and accessories if you feel like adding some. 

Deep cleaning means cleaning high, so don’t forget to get on a stepstool to dust the tops of floor lamps, high shelves, tops of entertainment centers, ceiling-mounted light fixtures, ceiling fans, beams, tray ceilings and other architectural elements in the room.

Your bedroom can also benefit from a deep spring cleaning. It’s not just the clutter from the floor to your closet that needs attention. All the unseen, microscopic elements that have built up over the winter need to be removed, too. From your bedding to your mattress, it helps to know how to clean bedroom furniture and spaces.

How to Clean a Mattress:

1. Remove and wash your bed skirt and mattress cover. 
2. While that’s in progress, focus on the mattress and box spring. Use your vacuum's upholstery and crevice tools to clean the sides. 
3. Then, spot clean the same way you handle upholstery. Use a barely dampened microfiber cloth dipped in a liquid dishwashing soap and water mixture. 
4. Blot the mattress dry and let it air dry. 
5. Sanitize by sprinkling baking soda on top of the dry mattress. Leave it on for an hour. Vacuum the powder up completely. 
6. Then, sanitize the bed with a disinfectant spray and add back your freshly cleaned mattress cover. 

For memory foam mattresses, the cleaning process is a bit different. 

1. Mix half vinegar and half water in a spray bottle. 
2. Mist this over the top of the mattress. 
3. Let it stand for five minutes. 
4. Blot dry and then leave it to completely air dry before dressing your bed.

How to Clean a Comforter/Duvet Cover:

1. If you have a synthetic comforter that’s larger than a twin size, consider taking it to a laundromat with commercial-size washers and dryers for cleaning.
2. Duvet covers can simply go in the wash, just like regular bedding. 

How to Clean a Pillow:

1. Fold your pillow in half. If it stays folded, it’s time to replace it. If it’s still in good shape but needs refreshing, you can machine-wash it.
2. Place two synthetic or down pillows in the washing machine to balance the load.
3. Add a small amount of detergent, and wash the pillows with cool water on the delicate or gentle cycle.
4. Always add an extra cold-water rinse cycle to remove trapped detergent in the filling.
5. Don’t wring the pillows out. Place them in the dryer immediately on low heat. Fluff and turn them frequently.
6. Or, use rubber dryer balls to keep the fill from clumping.
7. Note that a foam pillow can’t be machine washed. Opt for spot cleaning and vacuuming to plump it up. 

How to Clean a Closet:

1. Swap out seasonal items into pop-up bins. 
2. Add undershelf baskets to store folded clothing, and hang up over-the-door and rod storage for shoes, scarves, gloves and hats. 
3. Put up wall hooks to better organize large purses and bags. 
4. While your closet is empty, grab your vacuum and use the wand to get rid of cobwebs, dust and any other debris on the floor and on high shelves. 
5. Dust off all shelves and racks in the closet before replacing your clothes.

How to Clean Wood Furniture:

1. A good way to handle wood furniture and surfaces (such as window sills) in your bedroom is to vacuum away the cobwebs at the fronts, sides and backs of the pieces. 
2. Remember to vacuum around the legs, too. 
3. Then polish as you would your living room furniture. Do this for bureaus, headboards and side tables.

Deep cleaning your bedroom helps you relax and sleep better at night. You’ll eliminate odors that may cause congestion and affect your sleeping habits. 

For springtime, a clean kitchen starts with cleaning your appliances inside and out. Grab a pair of latex or rubber cleaning gloves and get started.

How to Clean a Refrigerator: 

1. The most thorough way to clean a refrigerator is to take out as many shelves and bins as possible. Don’t forget your freezer! 
2. Soak these components in a sink of warm water and dish soap. 
3. While that’s in progress, focus on any caked-on mess from food and spills that you’ve uncovered in the fridge interior. To eliminate the mess, swish together dishwashing liquid and water in a bowl or spray bottle and begin wiping down all the spots. It can take a lot of cleaning cloths, but the sparkling finish and odor-free interior are worth it. 
4. Vacuum the top, bottom and sides. Also, vacuum underneath your fridge. Grease can travel and collect on those surfaces, too.

Speaking of grease, you’ll find it on your stove and oven – inside and out and on the hood.

How to Clean a Stove and Oven: 

1. Put your oven on automatic clean cycle if you can. 
2. While that’s in progress, clean the grease elsewhere with a deep-cleaning paste of baking soda and a few drops of white vinegar. 
3. Rinse with clear water.

If you can’t pinpoint a suspicious odor, it may be coming from remnants of accidental food splatters in your microwave.

How to Clean a Microwave: 

1. Deep clean the interior of your microwave by heating up bowl of water with a chopped-up lemon in it for one minute. Let the bowl cool down. 
2. Then, wipe down the surfaces of the microwave. 
3. Remember to clean the exposed portion of the top and bottom of a built-in microwave where grease accumulates.

How to Clean a Dishwasher: 

1. To eliminate accumulated grease and grime, place a cup of white vinegar in your empty dishwasher. 
2. Run it through the hot-water cycle without detergent. 
3. Manually clean any other visible caked-on dirt on the dishwasher’s rims.

Regardless of what material your cabinets are made from, there may be a thin film of cooking-grease droplets that you need to remove from the surface.

How to Clean Kitchen Cabinets: 

1. Get a stepstool to go high enough to clean the entire height of the cabinets. 
2. If the tops of the cabinets are exposed, vacuum away accumulated dust. 
3. To truly deep clean your cabinets, open them up and wipe down the insides of the doors and shelves. 
4. Purge old spices, boxes, cans and bottles of condiments you won’t use again or that may have spoiled.

Along the way, you’ll naturally start to declutter and reorganize your cabinets, shelves and pantry – some of the many benefits of spring cleaning! 

Even if you clean your toilet and sink on a weekly basis, the rest of the bathroom can benefit from a little extra attention. It doesn’t matter what size your bathroom is; the cleaning process and the areas that require attention are the same. As with the kitchen, you’ll find yourself happily reorganizing drawers, cabinets and linen closets and maybe redecorating along the way with fresh, spring-inspired towels. It’s time to grab those gloves and start inspecting your bathroom.

Keeping sink and bathtub faucets and spouts shiny plays a big role in how your bathroom looks.

How to Clean Faucets: 

1. To really deep clean them, look along their undersides. 
2. To reach into the areas behind and around the faucet plates, use an old toothbrush and scrub out hidden goop. 

Grout gets dingy and grungy over time, especially on bathroom walls and floors.

How to Clean a Toilet: 

1. Go behind the toilet and toilet tank.
2. Use your skinny tools, like old toothbrushes and cotton swabs, to remove messes in the crevices and on the base of your toilet. 
3. Mist the entire fixture with all-purpose cleaner and wipe it down. 
4. Sanitize the lid, seat and bowl with bleach water. 
5. Remember to clean your toilet brush by pouring bleach on the bristles as you hold it over the toilet bowl. 

How to Clean a Linen Closet: 

1. Remove the linens from the closet and refold them. 
2. Dust the shelves, and replace the linens. 
3. Take out any stray items and put them in their proper places. 

Do you want some tips on how to organize a small bathroom filled with towels and other accessories? Add vertical shelving to accommodate items. Roll up washcloths and hand towels. Place them in a basket on a closet shelf. 

How to Clean a Medicine Cabinet: 

1. Throw out all old medicines and health and beauty products that have expired or that you don't use. 
2. Wipe down the shelves with all-purpose cleaner to remove spills and dust. 
3. Clean the tops of the cabinets in the bathroom. They’re where dust and mold usually gather thanks to humid conditions.

How to Clean a Shower Door: 

1. Get into all the nooks and crannies of your shower door with cotton swabs soaked in cleaning solution. 
2. For the glass, create a paste of baking soda with drops of white vinegar. Apply this to the door. 
3. Leave it on for an hour, scrub it and rinse it off. 

Learning how to deep clean a bathroom the right way eliminates mess that accumulates in the ridges of the shower door.

How to Clean a Shower Curtain: 

1. Replace or wash your fabric shower curtain. Some instructions on plastic curtains and liners say you can wash them in the laundry in cool water, along with a couple of towels to act as scrubbers, to reduce cracking. 
2. After cleaning your shower curtain and liner, disinfect your washing machine by running it through a normal cycle with hot water and liquid bleach.

An exhaust fan in the bathroom, with or without a light, needs thorough cleaning in between vacuuming the vents during the year.

How to Clean Bathroom Exhaust Fans: 

1. Carefully remove the cover. It may have condensation and wet dust inside. 
2. Dust it, clean it and dry it before reinstalling it.

How to Clean a Showerhead: 

Last but not least, your deep cleaning can involve removing any soap scum that’s clogging the holes in your showerhead. 

1. To do this, pour white vinegar into a plastic baggie. 
2. Submerge the showerhead into the bag. 
3. Attach the bag with a rubber band. 
4. Soak the head overnight. 
5. Run hot water through it in the morning to rinse the nozzles. 

Now that you’ve cleaned the major elements of your home, move on to the entryway, mudroom and laundry room. Part of deep cleaning also includes polishing baseboards throughout your home. Eliminate smudges on walls throughout every room. Gently use a melamine foam pad on walls to spot-erase dirt. 

Once you’ve finished your deep clean, you’ll notice a distinct difference in your home. Your furniture will look crisp and clean, and your rooms will feel more spacious. Best of all, spring cleaning rituals, no matter what time of year you try them, help put you in a calm and collected state of mind. That leaves you with more mental clarity and physical energy to enjoy the new season with a clean slate that’s newly organized and decorated.