This Germ-Busting Spring Cleaning Task Is Equal Parts Smart and Satisfying

With Spring Cleaning for Your Mood, we’re helping you get your housekeeping done no matter what state of mind you’re in. For 20 weekdays in April, we’ll focus on cleaning a new area of your space, with three different ways to get it done—so it’s easy to stay on track even when you’re busy, tired, or away from home. Sign up with your email now and enjoy a better space by the end of the month.

No matter what kind of home you live in, or who you share it with, I know you’ve got a door at home. Maybe several doors. And probably lights, too, right? And you probably touch those doors and lights every single day. They’re riddled with filth that you can see, like scuffs and that amorphous brown tint that mysteriously surrounds the door handle, and filth that you can’t see, like bacteria and germs. So today, we give our doors and switches their due.

These unsung heroes handle a lot of important work around your home, and it pays to treat them well.

So what are you in the mood for today?

Starting at your front door and following the walls clockwise around your space, clean every door and disinfect every light switch you come across.

• For doors: Wipe down both sides of the door with a wet rag and all-purpose cleaner (make sure you spot-test your cleaner on any new surfaces, especially natural wood doors that might be treated with a stain or finish). Once the door is clean, use a disinfecting wipe to thoroughly clean the door’s knob or handle.
• For light switches: Use a disinfecting wipe to clean the switch. Make sure you’re using your wipes properly—the surface should stay wet for several minutes.

When you reach back to the front door after following the walls, you’re done! (If you have multiple stories, this is the time to level up.)

If you’re leaning towards choosing the deep dive route today, but you just have too many doors and switches to get done, it’s ok to focus on just the ones you use most often.

Your entryway and front door are important for two reasons: They see the most action, and they’re one of the first things you see when you come home. So for a quick win, just focus on your front door.

• Wipe down both sides of the door with a wet rag and all-purpose cleaner (spot test first). Don’t forget about the casing, door jamb, or threshhold.
• Use a melamine sponge (again, spot test!) to handle any scuffs or really dingy spots that might be dirtying things up around the door handle.
• If you have glass on your front door, use glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth to keep it streak- and fiber-free.
• Use a disinfecting wipe to thoroughly clean the door’s knob or handle, as well as any other hardware, like deadbolts or shade controls.

Whether or not you’re hitting it during your spring cleaning today, the truth is that most of us don’t disinfect our doorknobs and light switches as often as we should. So if you have a spare moment today, think about something you could do to keep those hot spots cleaner, year-round. Here are some ideas:

• Set a calendar reminder to clean your knobs and switches weekly.
• Keep disinfecting wipes with your cold and flu medicine, so you remember to disinfect after somebody is sick.
• Switch to brass hardware to take advantage of the germ-busting oligodynamic effect.
• Replace your most-used lights with smart bulbs or switches so you can control them with your voice instead of your hands.
• Leave doors open at home, when you can.

Visit the Spring Cleaning for Your Mood page to check out all the assignments so far. Download the PDF calendar so you always know what’s coming. And sign up with your email so you’re always on track: