It’s that time of year when spring is in full swing — and with it comes the tradition of spring cleaning.
As the natural world around you finds new life in the spring, you may feel more motivated to tidy up your house or property. For anyone with an outdoor space, it is crucial to also freshen up this space as well to ensure you have a pleasant outdoor environment to enjoy during the warm months.
Outdoor spring cleaning can include a variety of different tasks depending on what types of amenities and features you have in your outdoor space.
This article takes you through the specifics of outdoor spring cleaning, including 10 essential tips for how to make your yard and exterior space exceptional.
Keep reading to find out the key tasks to add to your outdoor spring cleaning checklist!
Outdoor Spring Cleaning Checklist
During the winter, your yard and outdoor space are subject to sometimes harsh conditions, especially if you live in an area with dramatic winters. Even in warmer climates, winter can be a time when your outdoor space is not in frequent use, allowing natural debris and clutter to build up.
As spring rolls around and you get ready to spend more time outdoors again, it is vital to know what cleaning tasks can help make your outdoor space beautiful and tidy.
Here are our top 10 tips for outdoor spring cleaning:
1. Clean Your Deck
Decks are great additions to homes, giving you the ideal space to enjoy the fresh air.
However, as decks are exposed to the elements year-round, these features can often experience a build-up of natural debris or mildew. Though many homeowners do not follow this rule of thumb, the best practice for anyone with a deck is to clean it thoroughly at least once per year.
To clean a deck, you will often need a pressure washer and a cleaning fluid that is safe to use on the material your deck is constructed from. Depending on the quality of your deck’s finishing, using a pressure washer may end up damaging the finishing or paint on the deck, requiring you to touch it up after you are finished washing the deck with the pressure washer.
If your deck is made from wood, this can also be a good time to assess the condition of the wood and reapply sealants, preservatives, or other protective coatings.

2. Clean Outdoor Furniture
Have you ever had guests over to enjoy an outdoor get-together, only to discover you have no clean seating to offer to them in your outdoor space?
This is an all-too-common scenario for anyone with a yard, deck, or patio.
To prevent the awkwardness of having your guests wait while you scramble to find clean seats, take the time during your spring cleaning to clean your outdoor furniture as well. Seats made from wood, plastic, and metal materials can generally be wiped down fairly easily, though some may require pressure washing to remove any particularly tricky patches of grime.
For outdoor seats with cushions, makes sure to remove any washable fabric covers and wash them either by hand or in your washing machine. If your cushion’s covers are not removable, it may be best to replace them altogether if they are dirty beyond repair.
3. Clean Your BBQ or Grill
Spring and summer is the season for grilling and BBQs — if you take the time to clean your BBQ, that is.
Keeping a BBQ or grill clean is essential not only for food safety but also because a dirty BBQ can stink up your outdoor space and be an eyesore. To clean a BBQ or grill, you will need a few key supplies:
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- A sturdy brush and/or steel wool
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- A quality grill cleaning solution (such as degreaser spray)
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- A large water bucket (to rinse your brush as you clean)
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- Cloths for wiping off residue after scrubbing
To make the BBQ cleaning process simpler for your future self, you should try to clean it after every use. This doesn’t have to be a super thorough cleansing but simply taking the time to lightly scrub and wipe the BBQ after you use it can prevent serious build-ups of grime in the long run.
4. Garden Clean Up
For anyone with a garden in their outdoor space, you know spring is your chance to start anew.
Some of your most important springtime garden cleanup tasks will be removing any weeds and dead plants from the previous season, as well as hoeing the dirt to make planting easier. To accomplish these tasks, you will need:
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- A garden hoe, rake, and/or shovel
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- Gardening gloves
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- A large bucket or basket for plant debris
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- A wheelbarrow for carrying in new dirt or plants
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- Fertilizer and/or mulch to cover unsightly or unused spaces around the garden
5. Clean Out Gutters
Cleaning your gutters at least once per year is a super important practice, as it ensures your home has proper drainage for rainwater. When gutters are allowed to become clogged with debris and mildew, this can ultimately result in water damage to your property.
This is another task that typically requires a pressure washer. You will also likely need a ladder to stand on to reach your gutters and see into them to spray out debris.
Due to the somewhat dangerous nature of gutter cleaning, this is an outdoor cleaning task that many homeowners choose to hire a cleaning company to take care of. Having professionals handle your gutter cleaning ensures it is done properly to protect your home from future water damage.

6. Care For Your Lawn
Along with cleaning up your garden ahead of the new growing season, it is also vital to get your lawn in order. This can include everything from weed whacking and lawn mowing to reimagining your landscaping.
Springtime lawn care can be especially crucial if you live in a development or neighborhood with a homeowner’s association (HOA) that sets specific rules for yard appearance. To avoid any HOA fees or penalties, keeping your lawn in good condition throughout the warm months is key.
For spring cleaning lawn care, supplies you may need can include:
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- Weedwhacker
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- Lawnmower
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- Shovel and/or hedge trimmers
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- Wheelbarrow
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- Gardening or handyman gloves
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- Face mask and gloves (for weedwhacking)
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- Pest sprays
7. Refresh Garden Beds
Once you are ready to begin gardening for the season, you can begin to bring in new plants.
Planting new crops and flowers in your garden beds can be one of the most exciting times of spring, as it gives you the chance to experiment with your green thumb. Plus, if you are clever about your planting strategy, you can keep different variations of plants growing nearly all year long.
To refresh your garden beds in the spring, make sure you purchase quality soil and fertilizers to give your plants the best opportunity to grow and flourish.
8. Clean Your Windows
Though many homeowners are good about cleaning the interior side of their windows, few regularly clean the exterior side of windows. This can lead to all sorts of build-up from weather events, bugs, birds, dirt, and other natural debris.
Cleaning your exterior windows requires you to first remove the screens from the windows (here’s a quick guide on how to do that). After removing the screens, remember to give them a rinse with a hose or pressure washer as well to remove any lingering dust or dirt.
With the screens temporarily removed from your windows, you can make an affordable DIY cleaner from equal parts water and white vinegar. This mixture is great as it is not only cheap but also works excellently for cleaning windows without leaving stains.
After creating the mixture, simply use a microfiber mob or cloth to wipe down the windows. You can go back in with a dry cloth to wipe away excess liquid or just let the sun work its magic drying the windows.
9. Exterior Pressure Washing
Like with a deck, natural debris can build up on the exterior siding and roofing of your home.
Clearing this debris and getting your home looking great for the season is yet another job for your handy pressure washer. You will need to select a cleaning liquid that is safe for the material used on your home’s siding and roof before beginning the pressure-washing process.
To be as efficient as possible, we recommend combining all your pressure-washing tasks into one day — including the exterior siding, deck, and window screens of your home.

10. Fence Repairs
Our tenth and final tip is to make sure to repair any damage to your outdoor fences if you have them.
Fences can become damaged over time due to a variety of reasons, with some of the most common being severe weather events (such as hurricanes or snowstorms) or natural wear and tear from seasonal changes.
The complexity of a fence repair depends on where the damage is, the severity of the damage, and the type of material the fence is crafted from. If you are not a seasoned handyman, fence repairs are often a good time to call in the professionals, especially if your fence protects your children and pets.
Final Thoughts: Should You Hire a Professional Cleaning Company?
To make your outdoor cleaning as simple as possible, consider hiring a professional cleaning company for all of your spring cleaning needs. Outdoor cleaning and maintenance companies can offer a wide range of services, including:
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- Exterior pressure washing
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- Fence repairs
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- Gutter cleanings
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- Lawn care and landscaping
And so much more!
Whether you work with a professional maintenance company or handle it all on your own, the key takeaway is to create an outdoor space you care about and want to spend time in.
Dedicating time to outdoor spring cleaning is the perfect way to get yourself in a good mindset for making the most out of your outdoor space this season!
To ensure a thorough outdoor spring clean, download our free checklist to refer back to.