Use this list of what to clean in April as your simple guide to what jobs need to be tackled this month around the house.
April is definitely that classic “spring cleaning” month, but as you know, I don’t do spring cleaning. I’d rather just establish a set of systems that allow me to do a little bit at a time throughout the year. That way I always have a clean house and I never have to deal with the rollercoaster of a house that feels like such a mess that I need to set aside an entire week to clean it. So if you’re following along with my little system of monthly cleaning plans, that’s what we’ll be doing instead. 🙂 April is just another month, so it’s cleaning as usual around here! Here are my thoughts on what to clean in April!
What to Clean in April
I love to put together these lists of what to clean each month because they make the whole process of keeping on top of cleaning around the house so much less overwhelming. I pick ten items that are perfect to do at exactly this time of year, so we’re doing just the right thing at the right time and not wasting time on things that don’t need to be done yet, or that we’ll end up having to re-do in a month or two. Efficiency is the name of the game here!
Change Smoke Alarm Batteries and Replace Units as Needed
If you forgot to do this when you set the clocks forward to daylight savings time, now’s the time to do it!
Find new smoke alarms here: Kidde Smoke Alarm
We also just replaced our Carbon Monoxide Detector in the kitchen, which is a good idea to stay on top of as well, especially if you have a gas range like we do.
Clean Siding and Exterior Window Screens
Hopefully, if you did this along with us at the end of the warm season last year, things won’t be too bad with your siding and the exterior screens on your windows. I find that even if we stay on top of it in the fall, there’s still quite a bit of dust that builds up on our white siding over the winter and a quick wipe-down always helps to brighten things up for spring quite nicely. Pro tip: If you live out in the country like we do and you tend to get random leaves stuck in your window screens or spiderwebs that just won’t come off so matter how much you pressure wash them, change your window type to one without screens, or with screens on the interiors of the windows when you replace them. It makes life so much easier and your view so much cleaner.
Clean And/Or Replace Door Mats
I’ve sadly lost confidence in basic coir doormats, even though I love how they look when they’re fresh and new. They just seem to wear out and look sad so quickly. I’ve discovered that I much prefer using basic cotton mats in the warmer months so that I just can just toss them in the washing machine whenever they need to be freshened up. These waterhog doormats from LL Bean are also pretty much indestructible and can be refreshed with a spray of the hose as needed. If it seems like I’ve become unusually passionate about quality doormats in recent years, it’s because I have! Ha! The cheap ones are just so frustrating and such a waste of time and money. Live your life, enjoy your doormats! 🙂
Wipe Down Storage Area Shelving
It won’t take long. Just give the shelves in your basement or storage areas a bit of a wipe to remove all the dust that has probably accumulated there. You don’t need to move absolutely everything, just remove as much dust as possible without going crazy over it. If the dust isn’t too thick, a basic feather duster (one with ostrich feathers) will be your best friend.
Clean Soft Fabric Window Coverings
Definitely make use of my Curtains in the Dryer trick here. You’ll refresh your curtains nicely and save all the money and effort involved in dry cleaning all your window coverings. For roman shade, cornices, or valances, clean them the same way that you would clean your lamp shades.
Remove the Toilet Seat and Clean Underneath it
This one gets the prize for grossest task of the month, but you’ll be glad to have this one done. It has to happen every once in awhile, especially if you have little boys in the house. Unscrew the bolts under the toilet that hold the seat in place, remove the seat, and clean both the toilet and the seat.
Vacuum Under Everyone’s Bed and Bedroom Furniture
This task comes to us courtesy of my daughter Kennedy. She was home from school one day a couple of weeks ago and started to feel better a little later in the day, so she decided to be productive and vacuum under her bed. We realized that it had probably been quite a while since we’d done that to any of the beds in our house when we saw all the dust bunnies under there, so I’m adding it to this month’s list, just in case you’ve been missing this too.
Clean All Those Glass Things You Always Miss
If you look around your house, you’ll start to realize what I’m talking about. The little decorative mirrors, the glass on all the prints on your walls, the glass door on your living room built-ins. Well, that last one might be specifically for me. Anyway, give your world a little extra shine this month. I just use my e-cloth polishing cloth and water, like always!
Wipe Down Houseplant Leaves
Not only will your houseplants look better, but they’ll also be healthier. Also, we’re heading into the active growing season for houseplants now, so this is a great time to feed them a little fertilizer while you’re at it.
Clean and Sharpen Your Pruning Shears
You’ll soon be using these all the time for trimming back shrubs and bringing in cut flowers, so take a few minutes now to make sure that they’ll be in tip-top shape all summer long. If you need a new pair, I think these pruners here are the updated version of the ones that I have. I’ve had mine for about ten years and I use them almost daily out in the yard and to make arrangements for shoots and they just keep going! I definitely can say that I recommend Fiskars at this point, like a lot of other people do.
Read next: What to Clean in May
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- The Creek Line House Cleaning Archives
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Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.