I think it’s safe to say everyone is excited that spring is finally here! More sunshine. More time outside. More time to fully enjoy life again after a crazy long winter season. One way to help you enjoy all that’s around you is through church spring cleaning! Out with the dirty things and in with the clean things.
As a church, this could be specifically revitalizing for you as it creates space for you to breath again and start off on the right foot. Maybe you could even designate a church spring cleaning day for your staff and volunteers! (Pro tip: be sure to stock up on cleaning supplies before you do this!)
But, what does spring cleaning look like when you have a staff, building, and many other important tasks depending on you? Well, fear no more. We’ve created a handy church spring cleaning checklist for you to use so you don’t miss a thing!
Kitchen, Baths, and Decor
When it comes to the church spring cleaning in the kitchen, there are often many items that have been donated, bought, and stored for years. Before you dive into cleaning everything, spend some time going through each storage space, including the refrigerators, and toss out anything that is expired, broken, or simply needless. If you only have the lid of a blender, but not the blender itself, it’s safe to say you don’t need that taking up valuable space anymore. Take this mentality and purge the storage spaces in the bathrooms too, as well as any unnecessary decor you may have lying around. That one fake green plant that is falling apart needs to be laid to rest so new, wholesome plants can come in. After you’re done getting rid of all the unnecessary things, it’s time to get cleaning. Here’s your checklist:
- Microwaves
- Stoves
- Ovens
- Coffee Pots
- Tea Kettles
- Refrigerators
- Drawers
- Cabinets
- Countertops
- Sinks
- Toilets
- Floors
- Baseboards
- Walls
- Windows
- Ceilings
- Light fixtures
Nursery
This might be the most important place to focus on while church spring cleaning to help eliminate any remaining sickness still looming from winter’s past. But, before we jump in and clean, we need to do one thing. As we did before with the Kitchen, Baths, and Decor category, it is important to first purge. Toss out expired snacks, diapers, wipes, etc. Get rid of toys that are broken, or repair any that are capable of resurrection. This is also the perfect opportunity to make sure that age-appropriate toys/activities are in each room. If this needs any reorganization, now is the perfect time! Plus, making sure your nursery areas are spit-spot will be sure to impress parents and first-time guests that are definitely looking to see if you have a clean space for their children. After you accomplish those tasks, here’s the cleaning checklist to get you started:
- Countertops
- Sinks
- Cabinets
- Drawers
- Sanitize all toys
- Chairs
- Floors
- Baseboards
- Windows
- Ceilings
- Light fixtures
- Replace old batteries in toys
- Restock diapers in all sizes
- Restock wipes
- Gather changes of clothes (in case of accidents)
- Make visible your up-to-date emergency plans
Church Offices
While the church office may be one of the most secluded places in your church, no doubt it needs a little church spring cleaning too. Spring provides the perfect opportunity to go through those old files and wipe away the grime on your desk. Make it fun by creating a staff challenge to see who can purge and clean their office the best or the fastest. Designate a non-biased judge (so no pastor wives or husbands haha) and let them declare a winner! Be sure to post the results on your church website and social media accounts to get your audience involved! This church spring cleaning challenge could include not only cleaning out old file cabinets, but also making sure that each office is decorated, clean, and sanitized. Also be sure not to skip over the common areas like the break room, conference room, work room, print room, and staff bathroom. Come together and tackle those together. Here are a few key places to make sure you include:
- Desks
- Desk chairs
- Desk accessories/supplies (staplers, tape dispensers, etc.)
- Phones
- Computers
- Keyboards
- Computer mouse
- Tables and chairs
- Floors
- Baseboards
- Ceilings
- Light fixtures
- File Cabinets
- Book shelves
- Whiteboards/chalkboards
- Wall decor
- Clean out old files
- Clean out bookshelves
Sanctuary/Chapel, Classrooms, and Other Spaces
In a church there are many nooks and crannies where things tend to gather and never be seen again. No matter what room you are in, you can often open any drawer and find one of two things: pens that don’t work or old church bulletins from at least a few months ago. So, in typical church spring cleaning fashion, the first thing to do in all these areas is purge! Get rid of those old pens and bulletins. Say goodbye to pamphlets made in the 1970’s with inaccurate information. Ditch the dry erase markers that haven’t worked for months. Make space for what the future holds. After that, dive headfirst into this church spring cleaning list:
- Countertops
- Cabinets
- Drawers
- Floors
- Baseboards
- Walls
- Windows
- Ceilings
- Light fixtures
- Chairs
- Pulpit
- Pews
- Band/Choir equipment
- Books
- Screens
- Projectors
- Computers
- Whiteboards/Chalkboards
- Restock pens
- Restock tissues
- Restock Bibles
- Restock Hymnals
- Restock Guest Information and/or connect cards
Digital Spaces
You may be asking yourself what do you mean by digital space? Just as drawers and cabinets can collect expired items with inaccurate information, so can your digital presence. Have you looked at your church website in a while to make sure everything is up-to-date? What about your social media accounts? Do you and your staff have a user friendly way to store files on your church server? If you are getting overwhelmed with these questions, take a deep breath! That’s what checklists are for. Just tackle one at a time (for example, a social media clean up) to make sure everything is accurate and up-to-date (including your logo, branding, and any photos used):
- Website
- Home page
- Contact Us page
- Ministries page (including your children, student, and adult pages)
- Small Group page
- New Here page
- Livestream page
- About page
- Media/Sermon page
- Giving Page
- Headers and Footers
- Remove and replace old photos
- Update your events and calendar
- Link to updated social media accounts
- Social Media Accounts
- Snapchat
- YouTube
- Vimeo
- Email signatures
- Server files
- Personal files
This may all seem like an overwhelming task. But, the good news is when it comes to church spring cleaning, you only have to do it once a year, and once it’s done, it’s DONE. Whether you choose to do a spring cleaning themed church event, or just tackle a little each day, you’ll be glad you did it.
Still feel overwhelmed and like you don’t have enough time to get all these church spring cleaning checklists accomplished? Don’t put it all on your shoulders. Ask for help! There are people at your church who would love to help do some of these things. All you have to do ask.
We’ve actually created an easy-to-use church management system, called Elexio that can not only house all these tasks, but can create emails to recruit volunteers and manage interactions between your staff and the blessed saints who volunteered. You can also create alerts so you know when one task is completed and another is ready to begin. This software helps not only with church spring cleaning, but in nearly every area of your church when you need something done. Don’t let that feeling of being overwhelmed drag you down. Elexio makes your life so much better, just like finding that 1970’s church pamphlet with an embarrassing picture of your pastor that they’ll never live down.