Nothing gives me more pleasure then a clean home especially when I return from a summer vacation. Have you ever come home with a suitcase of dirty laundry after a family trip only to feel overwhelmed by a household mess?

Cleaning isn’t always fun  and often drops to the bottom of your to-do list. (I confess that I enjoy cleaning thanks to growing up with a mom who was a professional residential housekeeper. I spent my summers cleaning houses and weekends at office buildings.)

Use this Ultimate Summer Housecleaning Checklist to return your home to a spic-and-span space where you’re proud host family and friends. Simply print this post and check off each item as you complete it. Maybe you don’t tackle all thirty-five items, but set your goal and seize the day!

1. Pull out your cars from the garage and pitch broken, aged, and unused items. Don’t forget to sweep or run the Shop-Vac over the garage floors. Organize!
2. Go through those boxes in the unfinished portion of your basement. Haven’t touched it in over a year? Pitch or donate it.
3. Recycle. Some animal shelters even collect cans and the money they raise goes directly to helping puppies and kittens.
4. Clean the inside of your oven. Line the bottom (under the coil) with foil to catch future food drips.
5. Scrub the inside of your microwave. Don’t forget the inside top area.
6. Use the solution in #2 and a sponge to refresh the inside of your dishwasher.
7. Shop-Vac your dryer’s lint trap. Prevent a possible house fire by keeping it clean.
8. Do the laundry but also include bed linens, bathroom rugs, and guest bath towels.
9. Wash your dog. It’s probably been awhile and your pup deserves a spa day, too.
10. Deep clean the inside of your washing machine by scrubbing that dirty agitator. Make a solution of baking soda, white vinegar, dish washing soap with hot water to use with a heavy-duty non-scratch sponge. Then run a small load rinse cycle.
11. Use glass cleaner to shine your windows inside and out. Vacuum the windowsills afterward.
12. Attack those closets and donate or toss any out-of-date clothes and accessories.
13. Open every bedroom drawer and get rid of shrunken shirts, old sweaters, and/or faded clothing.
14. Go through your purse collection and empty any contents. If possible, turn the bag inside out to remove any little trash.
15. Sit down at your desk with a recycling bin or paper shredder nearby and pitch any old bill statements.
16. Buy few dollar store bins and organize your bathroom vanity contents so you don’t waste time looking for items each morning.
17. Wash the pet bed.
18. Use a broom and run it around the wall corners of each room to catch any cobwebs.
19. Use a dry cloth to clean ceiling lights and fans. Make sure to cover your bed with an old bed sheet before you clean that dusty fan.
20. Run a moist cloth over dirty vents.
21. Clean dead bugs from overhead light fixtures. Replace any dead light bulbs.
22. Dust all furniture. Don’t neglect your furniture’s legs.
23. Run your dust cloth over the items sitting on tables, ledges, and countertops.
24. Don’t forget to use a cloth or handheld duster to clean up those window blinds.
25. Run the vacuum. Move the furniture first.
26. Trash old condiments bottles from the refrigerator, remove remaining contents, and clean the inside with soapy water and a sponge.
27. Run a wet cloth over inside kitchen cabinets shelves. Face your spice cabinets showing the labels out. Organize them by type.
28. Scrub any cutting boards with coarse salt, a halved lemon, and rinse it with hot water.
29. Deep clean the bathroom. Run a wet cloth over vanity items, which often get overlooked but they get dusty too.
30. Empty the trash around the house and place a new dryer sheet and an extra bag in the bottom of each can before re-lining it.
31. Head outside and grab the hose to spray down the front porch steps or deck. Careful to not remove deck stain with too much water pressure.
32. Spray for wasps or hornets and remove their nests from eaves or under the deck.
33. Use a degreaser spray to clean the outside of your barbecue grill.
34. Clean and refill any bird feeders.
35. Wash and refill any pet feeders.