Summer cleaning checklist
About 8 minutes to read. Published . By the House & Hedge team.
Summer changes what a house needs. Windows stay open, the air conditioner runs, food spoils faster and the grill is in use. NOAA defines meteorological summer in the Northern Hemisphere as June, July and August. The seasons are reversed in the Southern Hemisphere, so summer there is December, January and February. The list below is the same in both, and it is tied to the heat more than to the calendar, so start each job when the weather turns warm where you live.
This list is shorter than the spring one on purpose. It covers the jobs that matter more in warm weather and the ones that need repeating through the season. Each links to the full guide.
1. Check the air filter
Do this one first, because it runs through the whole season. ENERGY STAR’s maintenance checklist says to inspect, clean or change the air filters once a month in a central air conditioner, furnace or heat pump, and warns that a dirty filter can increase energy costs and damage the equipment, leading to early failure.
Put the check on a repeating date, such as the first of the month. Slide the filter out and look at it. The checklist’s wording is inspect, clean or change, so clean it if it is the reusable kind and replace it if it is the disposable kind. A window or portable unit has its own filter, which the manual describes, and the same checklist lists cleaning the evaporator and condenser coils, which the manual says how to reach on your model.
2. Deal with the bin and the fruit flies
Warm weather is when small flies turn up. The University of Kentucky says fruit flies are especially attracted to ripened fruits and vegetables in the kitchen, and that they will also breed in drains, garbage disposals, empty bottles and cans, trash containers, mops and cleaning rags. The whole life cycle from egg to adult can be completed in about a week, so the flies you see today may have started as eggs only a week ago.
That makes the clean-up a search for the damp, fermenting spot rather than a spraying job. Eat ripe produce, throw it away or put it in the refrigerator. Take out the kitchen bin before it is full, wash it with hot water and dish soap, and empty and clean the recycling bin, which the same publication says can breed large numbers when neglected.
For the outdoor bin, the University of California’s pest notes on flies advise sealing household garbage in plastic bags before it goes into an outdoor bin, emptying the bin at least weekly and washing it regularly. The full method for finding the breeding site, testing the drains and setting a trap is in how to get rid of fruit flies.
3. Clean the dishwasher
A dishwasher that smells is usually holding trapped food in the filter, the drain or the seal, and a warm kitchen does nothing to help. The dishwasher guide says to clean the filter once a week if you run the machine every day, and to check it every two or three weeks if you run it less, then to give the machine a monthly cleaning cycle with the product the maker recommends.
The method is in how to clean a dishwasher, including the filter and the spray arms. It is also a good moment to check what goes into the machine in the first place, because heat and detergent damage some cookware. That list is in things you should never put in the dishwasher.
4. Clean the grill in the middle of the season
The grill needs more than the first clean of the year. The grill guide says to clean the burner ports and the grates once a month in a season of heavy use, and to empty the grease tray after every few cooks, or more often if you cook fatty meat.
Do the mid-season clean when the grill is cool and the gas is off. Take out the grates, scrub them, clear the ports on a gas grill and empty the tray. The guide also has a short safety check for hoses and connections. The steps are in how to clean a grill, the grates, the burners and the grease tray.
5. Clean the car interior
The inside of the windshield is the car job with a full guide here. It suggests cleaning the inside of the glass once a month, and more often if you eat in the car. Protect the dashboard before you spray anything near it. The method is in how to clean the inside of a car windshield without streaks.
For the rest of the interior, take out the mats and shake them, vacuum the seats and the carpet, and wipe the hard surfaces with a damp cloth. For any cleaning product on the dashboard, the screens or the upholstery, check the car’s manual first. It says what the materials in your car can take.
6. Clean the sofa
Summer spills and sweat find the sofa, and the right cleaning method depends on the fabric. The sofa guide says to vacuum every week or two, including under the cushions, and to read the care code before any liquid goes near the fabric. The code, W, WS, S or X, says which cleaning agents the fabric can take.
The guide explains the codes and the spot-cleaning method for each. Start with it before you try a stain remover from the cupboard: how to clean an upholstered sofa, and what its care code means.
7. Watch the humidity
Mold and musty smells follow moisture. The US Environmental Protection Agency advises keeping indoor humidity below 60 percent if possible, ideally between 30 and 50 percent, and says to use air conditioners or dehumidifiers when needed. It also advises running the bathroom fan or opening the window when showering, and using exhaust fans or opening windows when cooking, running the dishwasher or washing dishes.
A hygrometer from a hardware store measures humidity, which turns a guess into a number. If the bathroom grout is starting to darken, how to remove black mold from shower grout and caulk has the method. If towels have started to smell, musty towels and laundry covers the wash.
A rhythm for the whole season
Most of these jobs repeat, so it helps to set them against the calendar instead of remembering them. The intervals below come from the sources and guides named above.
- Weekly: empty the outdoor bin and wash it from time to time, vacuum the sofa every week or two, and clean the dishwasher filter if the machine runs every day.
- Monthly: inspect the air filter, clean the grill’s burner ports and grates in a season of heavy use, wipe the inside of the car’s glass, and run the dishwasher’s cleaning cycle.
- Every few months: the deep clean of the grill grates, which the grill guide says to do when they are heavily stained, and a check of the bathroom and the laundry for mold and musty smells.
- Whenever flies appear: stop and find the breeding site, because a trap alone does not remove it.
None of these takes long once the kit is to hand. They take a lot longer once the grime has built up for a whole season.
Ventilate and use one product at a time
Cleaning in a hot house can tempt you to keep the windows shut for the sake of the air conditioner. Open a window anyway when you use a strong product. The CDC advises opening windows and doors for fresh air when using products indoors, wearing rubber or other non-porous gloves and eye protection, and never mixing bleach with ammonia or any other cleaner. The pairings that release dangerous gas are listed in what never to mix when cleaning.
What comes next
When the weather turns, the checklist for the next season picks up the jobs that summer leaves behind. It runs from September to November in the Northern Hemisphere and March to May in the Southern Hemisphere: the fall cleaning checklist.
