Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Hacks & How-to's
  3. Evergreens

4 items you can check off your spring cleaning list in under an hour

By

Spring is the perfect time to take on some of those household chores you’ve been putting off. Some are essential to the health and safety of your family; others will give your home a much-needed refreshment in time for warmer days and more outdoor entertaining.

While your spring cleaning checklist may seem a bit overwhelming, we’ve gathered four spring cleaning ideas you can accomplish in under an hour. Or, if you’re feeling a bit more ambitious, check out our fast spring cleaning checklist ideas for a weekend’s worth of chores. 

Let the spring cleaning begin!

4 Spring cleaning ideas to complete in an hour or less

1. Spruce up your entryway

Improve the curb appeal of your house by giving your front entryway a fresh and clean spring makeover. Wipe down your door, spray and clean the glass front and overhead porch lighting fixtures. If you have a front porch, hose it down, including the floor, ceiling, and high corners, to remove cobwebs, leaves, and pollen.

Add a new doormat—maybe one with a seasonal design—and flank both sides of the door with colorful potted plants or flowers. Any porch furnishings should be washed with soapy water and sprayed down, and cushions should be cleaned or replaced. In minutes, you’ve given your entryway a spring-worthy appeal that guests and passersby will definitely notice.

2. Check safety devices

Installing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors is a great way to help keep your family safe, but you should never assume they are working, or it could lead to disaster.

Related

No matter how high-tech or well-reviewed, you should periodically test electronic devices to ensure they function properly. After all, batteries will inevitably need replacing, and electronic parts can wear out over time. By testing them regularly and replacing batteries as needed, you’re helping to keep your family safe in the event of a fire or carbon monoxide leak inside your home.

In general, you should test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors monthly, and you should replace batteries once or twice a year.

Battery-powered: Test batteries monthly according to manufacturer suggestions. Replace batteries twice a year, and never install old batteries in smoke or carbon monoxide detectors. 

Hardwired: Powered by your home’s electrical system, these devices usually include backup batteries in case of power outages. Spring is the perfect time to replace batteries and check functionality.

3. Clean trash cans and recycling bins

It might not seem like a big deal, but dirty, smelly trash cans or recycling bins could put a real damper on your outdoor enjoyment—especially as the weather gets warmer. 

Start by emptying cans and spraying them down with a hose. Use your favorite spray or liquid all-purpose cleaner and fill the containers with sudsy water. Let them soak a few minutes before using a stiff-bristle brush to scrub them clean (now would be a good time to be wearing rubber gloves). Rinse with the garden hose and flip them over to dry.

4. Stop mosquitoes before they take over your yard

Nothing can take the fun out of outdoor enjoyment quicker than pesky mosquitoes—not to mention the potential health hazards mosquitoes present! But, you can take a few preventative measures now to minimize the number of mosquitos breeding in your yard.

“Mosquitoes need stagnant, still water to lay their eggs and for the young to successfully hatch and mature. During mosquito season, it’s especially important to keep gutters clear, thoroughly empty kiddie pools and water buckets after use and keep birdbaths filled with fresh water.”   –  Terminix

Do a quick walk around your property to check for any standing water sources (including rainwater), which could essentially be any open containers—wheelbarrows, buckets, watering cans, empty flower pots, etc. If you spot any standing water, pour it out and store those items upside down or in your garage or shed to prevent creating desirable breeding grounds for mosquitoes. 

Fast spring cleaning checklist

Have a little more time? You can try tackling these spring cleaning tasks over the course of a weekend!

  • Clear out any clutter in the garage and schedule a yard sale
  • Inspect paths and driveways for winter cracks and damage
  • Clean screen doors and windows to remove pollen and debris
  • Wash all windows in your home—inside and out
  • Clean out and organize the garage
  • Hose down your siding
  • Inspect and clean your gutters—lots of spring rain in the forecast
  • Schedule a termite or ant inspection
  • Maintain or repaint your deck—you’ll want it in tip-top shape for summer

Whether you have an hour to spare or a whole weekend, spring cleaning is a great time to get some of the bigger home cleaning and repair items out of the way so you can take full advantage of enjoying your home all season long. 

Nate Swanner
Nate Swanner
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Topics

Editors’ Recommendations

How to Style a Coffee Table That Feels Collected, Not Cluttered
Plant, Furniture, Table

A well styled coffee table can make your formal living room stand out and should feel intentional, considered and appropriately arranged. The goal is balance, and it should support the room rather than compete with it.

Start with a foundation. Use one or two large books to ground the arrangement. Choose books with substantial covers that reflect the palette of the room, whether neutral or tonal, and complement the space. Stack them rather than spreading them out. This creates structure and gives everything else a place to sit.

Read more
Flowers From the Garden: A Summer Centerpiece Method
Flower, Flower Arrangement, Plant

A simple, season led approach to summer florals, built on what is in bloom rather than what is in stock.

There is a particular generosity to summer that no other season offers. The garden is full and the flower markets overflow. The roadside stands begin to set out buckets of zinnias and dahlias by mid June and July. The backyard, once an afterthought, begins to feel like an extension of the home itself. The question is no longer whether to bring flowers into the house, but how often.

Read more
The Easiest Way to Set the Table
Cutlery, Fork, Spoon

Have you ever wondered why the fork sits on the left and the knife on the right? Or why Europeans eat “Continental style,” holding the fork in their left hand and the knife in their right, while Americans cut, switch hands, and then eat? It turns out there’s a reason for all of it, and once you understand the history, setting the table suddenly feels far less mysterious. Before beautifully layered place settings and Pinterest-worthy tablescapes, dining was far more practical. Medieval feasts were less about etiquette and more about survival. Plates were often shared, forks were nonexistent, and eating with your hands was the normal standard. Tables were filled with trenchers (pieces of bread used as plates), and the idea of “proper placement” simply didn’t exist.

By the mid-to-late 1800s (around 1860–1870), European dining evolved again as meals began to be served in courses. This shift introduced what became known as the Russian style of dining, where utensils were laid out intentionally and used from the outside in. The fork stayed in the left hand, the knife in the right, and the table itself began to reflect structure, rhythm, and order. This approach eventually became the “Continental style” still used across much of Europe today.

Read more