We Asked 7 Moms to Share Their Best Spring Cleaning Tips, and We’re Impressed

Spring cleaning is like flossing. Some people actually do it, but even more just say they do. As a mom of two, I want to know the secret to making spring cleaning a reality when you have tiny humans who smudge the windows you just cleaned, finger-paint the walls, and pour kinetic sand down the floor register. I asked seven moms for their best advice, and here are a few smart tips from real people in the thick of parenting. 

Alice Schulz (@twoportlandmoms), a former teacher and current account executive, cautions, “Don’t rush it.” If you try to do everything at once, you’ll give up before you’ve even made a dent. “Start with one space,” Schulz says. “And take breaks.” Spring is three months long. If you can manage one room per week, you will be finished well before summer.

If you only have the span of a Paw Patrol episode to do some deep cleaning, it’s important to have products that work, ready to go. Vikki Rubens, a mom of two in Portland, Oregon, swears by this DIY cleaner from GoCleanCo for removing set-in stains. The solution takes seconds to throw together, and you only need water, bleach, and powdered Tide. 

Very young kids can do a little spring cleaning, too! “Even the little ones can wipe baseboards, doors, handles, and doorknobs,” says Becky Rapinchuk of Clean Mama. She suggests giving a child a “baby wipe or a damp cleaning cloth with a little dish soap.” They will feel included, and their contribution will be truly helpful.   

I grew up semi-feral in a rural town in east Texas. My mom, who handled all of the spring cleaning at our home, never left floors to air dry. I have many memories of her standing on a bath towel, sliding one foot forward at a time, drying the floors as she mopped them. She certainly couldn’t count on her blended family of six kids to keep grubby feet off the wet floors. 

Dallas Armstrong, a pediatric neurologist and mom of four in Texas, says the Clean Mama daily cleaning schedule has revolutionized the way she cleans her home. A pre-made list eliminates decision fatigue and mental labor and allows her to simply follow the plan in the (few!) minutes she has. For a pre-planned deep cleaning sesh, check out Apartment Therapy’s Spring Cleaning Cure, which kicks off on April 15. 

Bonnie Lesher, a former professional cleaner, shares a low-effort, high-reward tip for anyone who has a lawn. “Place [oven] racks on the grass in the yard and leave them overnight.” The next day, simply give them a quick scrub in the bathtub “for ample room [to rinse],” and they’ll look like new. 

“I barely have time to do regular cleaning,” says Maria Hernandez, mom of three in Houston, Texas. “Spring cleaning is something I’ll do when the kids grow up.”