Here’s the inside scoop on tackling the dreaded chore of deep cleaning.

With the turn of the season comes a household chore Americans love to hate: spring cleaning. Whether you call it spring cleaning or deep cleaning and do it in the spring or another time of year, the idea is the same. You break out the sponges and brooms and get scrubbin’ on--and behind and under--every surface in your home.

The reasons to do it are more than tradition. A deep clean is good not only for your home but also for your mental health. Homeowners say a clean home improves their well-being and lowers their stress, according to a survey by OnePoll.

The survey, conducted in 2023, found that 68% of consumers call spring cleaning overwhelming, and many say they often postpone the heaviest tasks for days. Some never do it at all.

But consumers may be warming to the idea, according to a spring 2024 survey conducted by the American Cleaning Institute. It showed that 80% of US households do deep cleaning at least yearly. However, 10% do it every other year, and 6% don't do it at all. Another interesting finding: The biggest reason consumers dread deep cleaning is dealing with places that are hard to reach, such as behind or under furniture or appliances.

No matter where you fall on the frequency or dread scale, don't throw in the towel to get optimal results. Read on for the low-down on deep cleaning and how to make the process less stressful.

When and How Often to Deep Clean
You should do a deep clean once or twice a year or maybe even twice a year. It doesn’t have to be done in the spring; it could also be in the summer, fall, or winter.

How Is Deep Cleaning Different from Routine Cleaning?
To destress the process, it helps to break down what’s involved. Deep cleaning takes your typical day-to-day or week-to-week cleaning a lot, well, deeper. It’s all about removing dirt, grime, scum, and gunk all around your home--even under the bed and behind furniture and appliances.

Routine cleaning, which often is done weekly or every other week, focuses more on tidying up spaces and spot cleaning, including:

• Vacuuming or mopping floors
• Wiping countertops and surfaces in the kitchen and bathrooms
• Taking out the trash
• Dusting furniture and shelves
• Scrubbing toilets
• Cleaning and wiping off surfaces as they become dirty

Deep cleaning encompasses the nooks and crannies of your space, from the blinds and curtains to walls, ceiling fans, and upholstered furniture.

Places that collect a lot of dust and dander, like shelves and spaces behind the furniture, should be the focus of some of your deep cleaning to mitigate asthma and allergy triggers. High-touch areas, like doorknobs, remote controls, and even keyboards should be cleaned and disinfected to kill bacteria.

Deep cleaning extends to purging and decluttering. Don’t get so sidetracked vacuuming and dusting that you forget to ever purge or declutter a drawer. You need to declutter periodically or else everyday messes and clutter can quickly get out of control.

How to Make Deep Cleaning Manageable
Make a home cleaning schedule that includes a room-by-room cleaning task checklist.

• Daily: Spot cleaning and tidying up your space, such as emptying the dishwasher, attending to any spills, cleaning, and putting away dishes or clothes.
• Weekly: Surface-level wiping of countertops, vacuuming floors, and dusting
• Periodic or deep cleaning: Wiping down baseboards, ceiling fans, and windows, and scrubbing surfaces more thoroughly than you would day-to-day.
• Daily and weekly cleaning don't need to take hours. You can spot clean in a matter of seconds. If you see a problem with the toilet, grab a toilet brush and give it a quick scrub. If you see a blemish on the bathroom mirror, wipe just the spot with cleaner. You don’t have to clean the entire mirror.

If you keep up with daily and weekly cleaning chores, deep cleaning or spring cleaning your home will be easier. For a lot of people who don’t do deep cleaning, they likely haven’t kept up with their maintenance cleaning. It makes deep cleaning so much more work since the grime has built up to a higher level.

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