It’s that time of year again, when the snow gives way to the first shoots of spring, and we throw open our windows to let in the sunshine — which glares like a spotlight on all the dust, grime and salt stains that have accumulated over a long, hard winter.

Spring cleaning has long been an annual ritual, but as many of us continue to spend more time at home even after the lifting of pandemic restrictions, it can be particularly important. Over the past several years, our homes have become offices, restaurants, theatres and gyms. When your kitchen floor doubles as a yoga studio, you start to notice the dirt on your baseboards and the popcorn kernels under the stove.

So it’s not surprising that the sheer volume of cleaning has ballooned. Our clothing, for example, sheds microscopic fibre particles all day long, says Melissa Maker, the cleaning pro behind Clean My Space. When you’re not out and about during the day, those fibres end up accumulating in your home. “Never have I used a vacuum so much in my life than in the past two years,” she says.

Spring is an ideal time to tackle deep-cleaning tasks, such as washing the winter grime off windows to let in the spring sunshine. Other deep-cleaning tasks could include washing mini-blinds, sanitizing your kitchen and laundry appliances, and steam-cleaning carpets, curtains and upholstery (consider how many microscopic fibre particles are on your couch if you spent the winter inside watching Netflix).

 

Tackle Your MIA

 

Maker says spring cleaning is like a choose-your-own-adventure, meaning you can dial it up or down depending on your personality. She recommends tackling what she calls MIA, or Most Important Areas — anything that gives you a visceral reaction when it’s dirty. And that’s different for everyone.

“If you’re a Martha Stewart type, you’re cleaning out your fireplace,” says Maker. “Or you might be pulling out appliances and vacuuming up those shrivelled blueberries or going through kitchen cupboards getting rid of pots, pans or serving pieces you no longer use.”

One spring cleaning task that shouldn’t be skipped, however, is tackling your hall or entryway, such as cleaning salt stains off boot trays and putting away winter gear.

“This is a time where I recommend people give all of their winter belongings a good washing. Things like winter clothes — coats, heavy sweaters, hats, mitts — and definitely heavy blankets and quilts,” says Ivanka Siolkowsky of The Tidy Moose (who has found herself taking a toothbrush to her baseboards during the tedium of the pandemic).

According to a survey conducted by Whirlpool Canada, one in 10 Canadians have either never washed their duvet cover or washed it more than a year ago, and 16 per cent have never washed their winter jacket.

Siolkowsky points out that with so much going on in the world — and in people’s personal lives — that “washing a duvet isn’t even close on the priority list.” But making the time can help to preserve your favourite items. Salt and sweat stains destroy clothing and boots, so it’s important to wash or clean those items before you store them over the summer.

 

Take Stock of Your Space

 

It’s also a good time to declutter. “With every season I recommend taking a moment to reflect on items used or not used in the season that just ended. We all know if we favoured a certain coat or pair of gloves, so why keep the others? It’s a great time to re-evaluate the items we love, versus the items we keep for the ‘just in case’ times in our lives,” she says.

There are plenty of spring cleaning checklists to guide you, but it’s worth taking stock of your own space — and the people and pets living in it.

“Checklists are helpful, but they mean nothing if they don’t mean anything to you,” says Maker, who recommends taking a moment to figure out what’s most important to you, which PTT (products, tools and techniques) you’ll need, and then schedule it in — whether it’s a marathon cleaning weekend or small tasks spread out over several weeks. After all, she says, everyone is different and “to clean is to know thyself.”

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A version of this story was originally published in March 2022.