With Love, Katie.
Spring cleaning is my favourite all-time cleaning routine. It also means, finally, like finally, spring is here. And as a mom, I love being outside with my girls and winter is not the best time for it. But let’s go back to spring cleaning.
Spring cleaning always sounds more romantic than it feels. There’s the fantasy: opening windows, sipping iced matcha with honey, folding linen sheets (I do not even have linen sheets), and lovingly organizing a minimalist pantry while birds chirp outside (but of course, living in a flat apartment, I don’t have a pantry (yet). But then there’s the motherhood version: sticky fingerprints on windows, laundry piles that multiply, toys hiding under couches, crumbs in every corner, and children who decide to “help” by dumping out bins you just filled.
Yet spring cleaning has survived generations, because it offers a reset. A chance to clear out what feels stale, heavy, or chaotic, and make your home feel like it can breathe again. And whether you’re a full-time homemaker, working mom, or somewhere in between, spring cleaning doesn’t have to look like the influencer edition. It can look how it needs to look for you.
Before we dive into the steps, let’s explore why spring cleaning still matters.
Why Opt for a Spring Cleaning?
Spring cleaning isn’t just tradition; it’s biology, psychology, and environment working together. After winter, when the days are short, and homes stay closed up, indoor air becomes stagnant. Dust accumulates in corners, surfaces collect clutter, and the emotional weight of “stuff” grows quietly. When spring arrives, our biology responds: daylight increases, nervous systems shift, and energy rises again. Boooom, it is time to throw away a few things…
For moms in particular, the shift from winter to spring is more than seasonal; it’s practical. Kids start spending more time outside. Mud, sand, grass, and sticks are regularly entering the house. The coats and boots get swapped for sneakers and rain jackets. The household rhythm changes again.
Spring cleaning helps by:
- refreshing indoor air quality: finally you can let the window open the whole day
- reducing allergens (dust, pollen, pet dander)
- decluttering overstimulating spaces: back to less stress
- supporting mental clarity and focus
- removing items that drain instead of support
- resetting the “base level” of the home
And then there’s the emotional layer. A home weighted with clutter can make motherhood feel heavier. Sticky counters, chaotic closets, junk drawers, expired items, toys without homes, laundry mountains,they activate what researchers call visual noise, which increases cortisol and mental load. Moms often describe it as “I can’t relax until everything is done.”
Spring cleaning doesn’t eliminate that dynamic entirely, but it reduces the baseline tension.
Done naturally, without artificial fragrances, harsh detergents, or heavy chemical sprays, spring cleaning also supports the family’s nervous systems, lungs, and skin. Children are small and still developing; they absorb more per pound, and they breathe closer to the ground where dust settles. If there is a time of year to detox the home environment, this is a fitting one.
Make a List and Plan Ahead
Spring cleaning can become overwhelming when it’s approached as a spontaneous weekend challenge, especially when you have children, pets, or two working adults. Instead, planning turns chaos into manageable, bite-sized tasks.
Start by making a simple list. It doesn’t need to be aesthetic, color-coded, or bullet-journal-worthy. Grab whatever notebook is available (yes, even your kid’s half-used school notebook with dinosaur doodles). Write down the rooms you want to tackle and list only the high-impact tasks inside each.
For example:
Kitchen tasks might include:
— wipe cabinets
— clean fridge + freezer
— degrease stovetop
— sort pantry
— wipe baseboards
— reorganize food storage
Meanwhile, bedrooms may include:
— swap seasonal clothing
— donate outgrown sizes
— wash bedding + pillows
— wipe shelves + windowsills
When moms skip this step, they often end up ping-ponging around the house: wiping a counter, remembering laundry, opening a closet, starting to sort toys, scrubbing a sink halfway, then being interrupted by a snack request. A list gives direction when interruptions inevitably happen.
Planning ahead also allows for realistic timing. Instead of expecting to overhaul the entire house in a weekend, break it into sessions. Choose what it works for your family. It can be on weekend mornings, during nap time blocks, after bedtime, on evenings with partner support, or on grandma days (if you’re blessed with those). For me, it is on weekend morning/evenings and during nap times.
Slow cleaning is still cleaning. It counts.
And one more note: do not add tasks you’ll never have time for. No one needs to alphabetize spices unless it genuinely makes your soul hum. Choose tasks that give the biggest return for the least stress.
Start from the Top (Not the Most Hated Parts)
Most people start spring cleaning with the tasks they dread the most, toilets, showers, baseboards, storage, or that one horrifying junk closet that became a time capsule. But starting with the hardest tasks almost guarantees burnout, resentment, and the desire to abandon the project halfway.
Instead, start from the top, both literally and psychologically. Literally, dust settles downward. This means dust ceiling fans → then shelves → then surfaces → then vacuum → then mop.
You’d be shocked at how much time you save by honoring gravity instead of fighting it.
Psychologically, starting with manageable tasks creates momentum. If you scrub the entire bathroom first, you’ll feel depleted. But if you wipe down surfaces, open windows, and toss expired products, the bathroom suddenly feels 50% cleaner before any deep scrubbing begins. This builds motivation instead of resentment.
Also, moms often feel pressured to clean perfectly, as if spring cleaning is a performance. But you’re not auditioning for a magazine spread. You’re trying to make your home feel peaceful enough that your nervous system stops screaming at you when you walk into the room.
Use Natural Cleaners (Because Your Home Breathes Too)
Modern cleaning aisles are full of bold claims: kills 99.9% of bacteria, triple-action shine, superior whitening, long-lasting fragrance. But these formulations often come packaged with harsh chemicals, synthetic fragrance, VOCs, and skin irritants that linger long after the cleaning is done.
Spring cleaning doesn’t just refresh your home visually. It’s an opportunity to refresh your air.
Switching to natural cleaners doesn’t require perfection, DIY-homesteading energy, or becoming the “crunchy mom” stereotype. It can be as simple as swapping glass cleaner → vinegar + water, scrub paste → baking soda + castile soap, surface cleaner → castile + essential oils, toilet cleaner → vinegar soak + baking soda scrub. Nothing fancy.
Natural cleaners are:
✔ safe around children
✔ gentle on lungs + skin
✔ biodegradable
✔ affordable
✔ non-synthetic in scent
✔ low sensory impact
For moms with children prone to eczema, asthma, or sensory overwhelm, these swaps can feel game-changing.
And here’s the bonus: kids can help without needing a gas mask or gloves. Toddlers LOVE to spray vinegar solution on windows, and honestly, spring cleaning counts as both sensory play and life skills training.
Realistic Motherhood: Your Spring Cleaning List
Most spring cleaning checklists ignore motherhood. They assume you have unlimited time, uninterrupted focus, and no one asking for snacks every 22 minutes. This list honors reality:
- open windows for fresh air (instant mood shift)
- wash bedding + pillows
- wipe fingerprints from windows + glass
- rotate kids’ clothing + donate outgrown sizes
- go through toys (bye, broken puzzles)
- clean high chairs + stools
- wipe cabinets + fridge handles
- vacuum under beds + sofas
- wash curtains (or at least shake them outside)
- refresh pantry + toss expired snacks
- deep clean bathroom surfaces
- clean drains + sink strainers
- wipe baseboards (kid-height grime is real)
Optional but glorious:
✔ clean the car seats
✔ wash strollers
✔ declutter shoes
✔ wash reusable bags
✔ clean dishwasher filter
But remember: you do not need to do all of this. Be realistic with yourself. Motherhood is not easy, and cleaning sometimes can be overwhelming.
Final Thoughts
Spring cleaning doesn’t need to be aesthetic, expensive, or overwhelming. It doesn’t require custom closets, new storage bins, or color-coded anything. Just make sure you give your home a little refreshment.
