Spring cleaning not only makes your home look nice, but also improves indoor air quality for less sneezing, sniffling, and itching as allergy season gets underway. Make sure these tasks are on your spring cleaning for better air quality checklist.
Weekly Checklist for Spring Cleaning to Improve Air Quality
Here's a weekly checklist to help you tackle your spring cleaning for better air quality. These tasks will reduce dust, clutter, pet dander, mold, mildew, and other debris that can cause health issues for many people.
- Declutter & Donate: Go through each room and identify items to donate, discard, or keep. Clear out old clothes, toys, books, and unused gadgets.
- Dust & Wipe Down: Dust all surfaces, including shelves, furniture, and electronics. Wipe down baseboards, door frames, and light fixtures. Clean blinds and window sills.
- Windows & Mirrors: Clean windows for a streak-free shine. Wipe down all mirrors.
- Kitchen Refresh: Clean out the refrigerator and pantry to reduce the number of products that dust can attach to. Wipe down kitchen cabinets and countertops. Clean the microwave, stovetop, and oven.
- Bathroom Blitz: Scrub toilets, showers, and sinks. Clean grout and shower curtains. Wipe down the vanity and mirrors.
- Floors & Carpets: Vacuum all carpets and rugs. Mop hard floors. Consider spot-cleaning or shampooing carpets if needed.
- Bedding & Linens: Wash all bedding, including duvets and pillows. Launder curtains and throw blankets.
A Detailed List of How to Spring Clean for Better Air Quality
This guide will walk you through more detailed cleaning steps to minimize allergens, dust, and other irritants, ensuring a healthier and fresher living environment for you and your family.
Dust Ceiling Fan Blades
You probably haven’t run the ceiling fan since late last summer. In the intervening months, it has likely gathered plenty of dust. To prevent this allergen from swirling around your living room when you turn on the fan for the first time this season, get up there with an electrostatic duster and clean the top of each blade. You’ll be glad you did.
Clean Air Registers
The grates that cover your supply and return registers can become gunked up with cobwebs, dust, and other debris. Use the brush attachment on your vacuum to clean every air register in your home. This helps prevent dust and allergens from blowing into the room every time your air conditioner runs.
If you remove any grates and notice that debris has also built up inside the ductwork, schedule duct cleaning this spring. Clean, unclogged ducts promote better indoor air quality and more efficient A/C operation than gunky, grimy ducts do.
Replace the Air Filter
If you have a regular media air filter, you should replace it at least every two to three months. If you have a box-type filter, you only need to clean or change it once or twice a year. Either way, spring is a great time to replace the air filter for a fresh start, now that you’ll be counting on your air conditioner for indoor comfort over the next few months.
Clean Up Bathroom Mold
While your home was closed up tightly all winter, mold had a chance to take hold. Damp places, including the bathroom and basement, are particularly susceptible areas for mold growth.
Kill existing mold with a solution of water and hydrogen peroxide. This is just as effective but safer than using bleach is. Then, prevent future bathroom mold growth by running the exhaust fan when you shower and mopping up damp surfaces immediately.
Vacuum Hard-to-Reach Places
Spring cleaning for better air quality is all about going above and beyond your regular chores to make your home cleaner than it’s been in months. Take the time to move furniture so you can vacuum dust bunnies out from underneath them. You should also vacuum drapes and blinds with the brush attachment to eliminate accumulated dust and dirt.
Clean the Carpet
Rugs and carpets are havens for dust mites, a common allergy trigger. Vacuuming is a good first step to make sure these microscopic critters know they have nowhere to hide. During your annual deep cleaning, hang rugs on an outdoor clothesline and beat them to air them out and eliminate hard-to-reach allergens.
This is also the time to spot clean wall-to-wall carpeting for a fresh, clean look. For a more thorough job, hire a professional carpet cleaner. Steam cleaning extends deeper into the carpet fibers where vacuuming can’t reach. Then, make weekly vacuuming a priority, so your carpet contributes less to your allergy symptoms in the coming months.
Let Aire Serv® Help Improve Your Indoor Air Quality
A thorough spring cleaning to improve air quality will help reduce allergens, dust, and other irritants, ensuring you and your family can breathe easier and enjoy the warmer months with fewer sniffles and sneezes.
As part of your spring cleaning process, you should also hire an HVAC professional to ensure your air conditioner is in good working order and will maintain the quality of your environment. We offer HVAC-related spring cleaning services, including duct cleaning and air filter replacement, all backed by our Neighborly Done Right Promise®. To learn more indoor air quality tips or to schedule services, please contact your local Aire Serv today.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and may not be applicable to every situation. You are responsible for determining the proper course of action for your home and property. Aire Serv is not responsible for any damages that occur as a result of this blog content or your actions. For the most accurate guidance, contact the Aire Serv location nearest you for a comprehensive, on-site assessment.
