Female hands pulling mattress cover on clean bed with text overlay that reads "Bedroom Spring Cleaning Checklist"

Make your bedroom sparkle and shine with this Bedroom Spring Cleaning Checklist.

Spring Cleaning supplies in a caddy sit on a bedroom table with a bed in the background

When Do You Spring Clean?

Around this time of year, I get the itch to jump into Spring Cleaning. Unfortunately, where I live, mid-March is often cold and rainy — sometimes even snowy. That's hardly proper weather for Spring Cleaning, which should include opening windows to air out the house and — if you're ambitious — to allow your freshly shampooed carpets to dry.

March or April for Most

So, while I might do a few early tasks like cleaning my mattress or scrubbing the grout in the showers, I often wait until April to start my Spring Cleaning in earnest. By then, it's usually sunny enough to make every stain or speck of dust so apparent that I can't wait one more day to start my deep cleaning.

Special Considerations

You don't have to wait until Spring to give your bedroom a deep-cleaning. In fact, if a family member has allergies or a compromised immune system, you might want to Spring Clean their bedroom every season.

Bedroom Spring Cleaning Checklist

Time required: About an hour.

Read through the steps below to understand the tasks involved, then grab the printable checklist at the bottom of this page and get cleaning. You're going to sleep great when you're done!

Equipment You Need:

  • Empty trash bags or boxes
  • Cleaning cloths or rags
  • Long-handled duster
  • Lint brush
  • Vacuum cleaner with attachments
  • Mop (for hard floors)

Materials You Need:

  • All-purpose spray
  • Furniture polish
  • Glass cleaner
  • Floor cleaner (for hard floors)
  • Air freshener (optional)

Instructions:

1. Start with a once-over. Perform the tasks for a daily bedroom tidy by picking up dirty clothes and putting away things on your nightstand and dresser, but don't bother making the bed.

2. Gather what doesn't belong in the room. Grab a box and collect everything that doesn't belong in your bedroom, then set it aside. In another box or bag, gather decorations or other things you no longer want to keep and put them aside to donate. You might want to label the boxes so you don't get them confused. Finally, pick up all trash, including any under the bed, nightstand, or dresser, and put it in the garbage bag. Toss it out.

3. Remove linens to launder. Remove the drapes or curtains, which gather a frightening amount of dust over a year. Strip the bed of all linens, including pillows, but not the mattress cover yet. Take everything to the laundry room if they're washable or to your car if you must professionally dry-clean them. (See my article, How To Wash Curtains.)

4. Start dusting. When dusting, it's best to work from top to bottom, left to right. This way, you're not scattering dust over surfaces you've already cleaned.

  • Dust the ceiling fan using a long-handled duster. (Here's the one I use.) Alternatively, you can slide a pillowcase over the blades and run the edge back and forth — the debris will fall right into the case.
  • Remove any pictures from the walls and place them on the bed. Now, starting at the door, dust the ceiling, window moldings, around windows, walls, corners, then baseboards.
  • Using a dry microfiber cloth, wipe the picture frames. Spray glass cleaner onto a clean microfiber cloth and wipe the fronts of the pictures. Rehang them.
  • Clean the inside of the windows then other glass surfaces.
  • Dust remaining decorations and pictures.
  • Remove the shade from lamps and wipe down the light bulb with glass cleaner. (Be sure the bulb is cool first.) Run the lint brush over the inside and outside of the lampshade and return.
  • Now that you're done dusting strip the mattress cover from the bed and take it to the laundry room to wash.

5. Treat your wood furniture. Remove any sticky buildup on your wood furniture. Now is an excellent time to cover any scratches on your wood furniture, too.

Photo of woman's hands removing cover from mattress for bedroom Spring Cleaning

6. Clean the mattress. Use these instructions to remove stains and get your mattress looking new. If it's already in great shape, use the upholstery attachment to vacuum the top and sides of the mattress, then flip and rotate it. Vacuum the top again.

7. Vacuum the floor. If you can move furniture to vacuum beneath and behind it, do so. Use the floor attachment to get under your bed. Using the crevice attachment, vacuum around the base of the walls to remove dust buildup. Finally, vacuum the rest of the floor but make sure you're vacuuming the right way so you get up as much dirt as possible.

8. Take out the trash. Empty the trash can and wash it outside using 1 cup hot water, 1/2 cup white vinegar, and a stiff scrub brush. Rinse thoroughly and let dry. (Keep your trashcan clean by lining it with a plastic grocery bag or by placing a paper towel on the bottom.) Return all items that belong in other rooms.

9. Launder the linens. Hang the freshly-laundered drapes or curtains. Wash your linens according to the label instructions. Return them to your bed when they're completely dry. Now is an excellent time to wash your pillows, too. If you've been using a heated blanket to keep warm, make sure it's clean before you store it. (Here's how to wash electric blankets.)

10. Freshen up. Air out the room by opening the windows. If you have allergies, be sure to close them before dusk to minimize pollen.

Ready for the printable?

Printable Bedroom Spring Cleaning Checklist

Click the image below to open a .pdf for printing.

Bedroom Spring Cleaning Checklist Printable

Where to Next?

How To Clean Your Car's Interior Like A Pro
How to Make Your Home Smell Better
How To Declutter Any Room: 5 Tips that WORK!