Start a spring clean at the doors and work inward. In Central Ohio, winter leaves road salt and grit in the first few feet inside every entry, and mud season adds to it in March. Clear that first, then go top to bottom, room by room, before the April pollen starts coming in.
When should you spring clean in Central Ohio?
Late March to mid-April, after the last real snow and before the trees are in full bloom. That’s the window where the winter mess can come out and the house can be closed up again before pollen season peaks.
The timing matters because of the trees. Tree pollen season here starts in early spring, and April is usually the peak month. A spring clean done in May is cleaning up pollen that’s already inside.
Where do you start a spring clean?
At the entry floors, the mudroom and the garage door. That’s where the winter has been coming in for four months, and dirt from there gets carried to every other room.
What winter leaves behind:
- Salt film on hard floors by every door, the white haze ordinary mopping only spreads. Salt season has the routine for it.
- Grit in the rugs and mats that a quick vacuum doesn’t lift.
- Dust on baseboards and vents from months with the house closed up and the heat running.
- Closets and storage full of boots, coats and gear that came in wet.
What’s the right order for a spring clean?
Top to bottom, dry before wet, one room at a time. Dust falls, so ceiling fans and the tops of cabinets come before counters, and counters before floors.
| Step | What | Why this order |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Entries, mudroom and the floors right inside each door | It stops winter dirt from spreading while you work |
| 2 | Ceiling fans, light fixtures and the tops of cabinets | Dust falls onto everything below |
| 3 | Vent covers, baseboards and door frames | A winter of heat leaves dust on all of them |
| 4 | Kitchen: cabinet fronts, inside the microwave, the backsplash | Grease builds up on everything near the stove |
| 5 | Bathrooms: shower glass, grout lines, the base of the toilet | Soap scum and hard-water film build up between deep cleans |
| 6 | Floors in every room, vacuumed then mopped | Last, so they catch everything that came down |
That list is most of a deep clean. For a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath house in average condition, a deep clean runs $240 to $310. A house that hasn’t had a professional clean in a long time is closer to $260 to $350.
How do you keep pollen out of the house?
Keep doors and windows closed during pollen season, vacuum once or twice a week and wash bedding every week in hot water. Those are the steps the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America recommends for controlling allergens indoors.
A few more from the same guidance:
- Dust with a damp cloth, not a dry one, so the dust is picked up instead of moved into the air.
- Use a vacuum that doesn’t blow dust back out. A poor-quality vacuum can put dust back into the air.
- Wash bedding at 130 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter, along with uncovered pillows and stuffed toys.
- Watch the pets. Long-haired dogs and cats can bring pollen inside in spring and fall. House cleaning with dogs and cats covers the rest of what they bring in.
- Change the air filters often, and run the air conditioning instead of opening up the house.
How do you keep it clean after spring cleaning?
With regular visits and a short routine in between. A spring clean resets the house; regular cleanings every week or two keep it from sliding back, which matters most in the months when pollen and mud keep coming in.
Recurring cleaning every two weeks for the same three-bedroom house runs $115 to $150 per visit. Between visits, the 80/20 rule keeps the spots everyone sees in check in ten minutes a day. The estimator shows the range for a spring deep clean, or regular visits, on your own home in about a minute.
