The Spring Cleaning Checklist We Actually Finish

For about six years, my spring cleaning list was two pages long, front and back, and I finished maybe a third of it before the pool opened. Then I'd feel bad about the other two-thirds all summer. Last year I cut it down, spread it over four weekends in April, and gave everybody in the house a job. We finished it. This year we're on track to finish again, and it's only the middle of the month.

The trick wasn't working harder. It was admitting what we'd never get to and taking it off the list.

What we buy for it

Almost nothing. Most spring cleaning is elbow grease plus a few cheap basics. This year's supply run came to about $15:

• A gallon of white vinegar - about $3
• A box of baking soda - about $1.20
• A pack of microfiber cloths to replace the ones the kids used on the car - about $8
• A two-pack of generic melamine sponges for scuffs - about $3

Dish soap, a bucket, an old toothbrush and a vacuum with the hose attachment do the rest.

The checklist, by weekend

Each weekend gets one zone and no more than about three hours of work, split between Saturday and Sunday. If we finish early, we stop. That rule matters more than it sounds.

Weekend 1: Kitchen

1. Empty and wipe out the fridge. Toss the jars nobody has opened since Thanksgiving.
2. Pull the fridge out and vacuum the coils and the floor underneath. I read that dusty coils make it work harder, and judging by what came out from under ours, they had plenty to fight through.
3. Clean the oven with a baking soda paste left overnight, then scrub.
4. Wipe the cabinet fronts, top of the fridge and range hood filter (soak it in hot water and dish soap).

Weekend 2: Bedrooms and closets

1. Wash all bedding, including mattress pads, pillows and comforters (the laundromat's big machines are worth a few dollars for comforters).
2. Flip or rotate mattresses.
3. Swap out winter clothes, and pull anything outgrown for the hand-me-down bins.
4. Vacuum under beds. Recover lost library books.

Weekend 3: Windows, walls and floors

1. Wash inside windows with a vinegar and water mix. Take the screens out and hose them off in the driveway.
2. Wipe baseboards and light switches, and hit the wall scuffs with the melamine sponge.
3. Dust ceiling fans (a pillowcase slipped over the blade keeps the dust from raining on you).
4. Move the couch and vacuum everything that lives under it.

Weekend 4: Safety and the boring stuff

1. Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and replace batteries.
2. Clean out the dryer vent line and the lint trap housing, not just the screen.
3. Check the fire extinguisher gauge and go over our "get out of the house" plan with the kids.
4. Toss expired medicine and sunscreen, and restock the first aid kit.

Who does what

This list only works because I'm not doing it alone. Mike takes the heavy stuff: moving the fridge, flipping mattresses, the dryer vent and the screens. Ella washes windows and wipes baseboards, and she's honestly better at windows than I am. Owen vacuums and is in charge of the under-the-bed treasure hunt, which he takes very seriously. Rosie gets a spray bottle of plain water and a cloth and "cleans" the lower cabinet doors. It keeps her busy and occasionally one of them gets cleaner.

After each weekend, we do something cheap and fun as a family. Last Sunday it was a walk to the ice cream stand that just reopened for the season.

What we cut, on purpose

These used to be on my list and never got done, so they're gone:

• The garage. It's too cold in early April and it's too big a job. The garage gets its own weekend in May, and it's Mike's project.
• Shampooing carpets. We rent a machine every other year, in the fall, when the summer dirt is in.
• Organizing every drawer. I do one junk drawer a month instead, all year.
• Washing exterior windows. Our 1970s ranch has storm windows that are a pain to deal with. The rain does an okay job, and I've made my peace with that.

A finished short list beats an unfinished long one. That's the whole lesson, and it took me six springs to learn it. Next weekend is windows, and I'm already bribing Ella with the promise of picking Friday's pizza toppings.