Spring cleaning is a tradition around the globe! In East Asia, preparations for the Spring Festival (also known as Chinese New Year) include vigorous housecleaning as a way to banish bad luck along with winter grime.Similarly, Persian cultures celebrate the first day of spring by meticulously cleaning the house to welcome returning spirits. Such traditions show how spring has long been seen as a time of renewal.

The prospect of renewing your home with a deep clean can seem overwhelming. If you’re not sure how to get started, try these tips for focusing on the jobs that make the biggest difference. Once these tasks are out of the way, your home will look and feel cleaner and brighter, and the rest of your spring cleaning chores will seem easier.

1. Start at the door. Your doormats have been absorbing mud, slush and snow all winter, so they’re probably ready for a cleaning. If they’re washable, spray them with the hose (use a trigger sprayer for a more forceful water flow). If not, shake them out and brush them off with a stiff-bristled broom. Taking care of your mats before you clean cuts down on the amount of dirt and dust tracked inside, so you won’t need to wash your floors as often.

2. Take it from the top. What goes up must come down, so start high to avoid having to clean floors and furniture again.

Light fixtures and skylights. You’ll be surprised how much brighter your home will look after you’ve cleaned your light fixtures and skylight windows! Use an all-purpose cleaner, sponge or polishing cloth to buff windows and fixtures to a high shine. Use an extended reach cleaning tool, a ladder or step stool depending on the height of your ceilings.

Ceiling fans and vents. Use a vacuum with a soft nozzle attachment or an extended-reach cleaning tool to remove dirt and dust from air conditioning vents, heating vents and ceiling fans. Also sweep away any cobwebs that have sprung up over the winter.

3. Get vertical. While dust doesn’t build up on walls, cabinets and baseboards as much as it does on floors and other horizontal surfaces, seasonal cleaning is still a wise idea. The tool for this job is a sponge – use a hand sponge for areas within easy reach and a sponge mop for higher places. A solution of water and dishwashing detergent works well – keep a clean bucket of water handy for rinsing your sponge. Be sure to dry wood surfaces with a clean cloth after you’ve washed them.

4. Shampoo carpets and furniture upholstery. It’s a good idea to clean your carpets and upholstery at least once every two years to brighten a room, banish dust and ease allergy symptoms. Professional carpet and upholstery cleaners will save you the work, but here are a few tips if you plan to skip the expense and do the job yourself with a rented cleaner:

Do a test run with the cleaner on a hidden area to be sure it won’t discolor the fabric or cause dyes to run (and to help you get used to running the machine).

When cleaning carpets, there’s no need to empty the room of furniture – simply shift it out of the way. Cut out small squares of plastic wrap, or use a folded plastic bag under the legs of chairs, couches and other furniture after cleaning – this will protect both the carpet and the furniture legs from staining while the carpet dries.

To help carpets and upholstery dry faster, open the windows.

Vacuum upholstered furniture regularly to reduce the need for shampooing (brushing upholstery on a routine basis also works). Always spot-clean spills and stains as they occur.

5. Don’t neglect hard-to-reach areas. When we’re in a hurry, dusting the obvious areas makes more sense. But make sure to get out of sight, out of mind areas at least once a season. Dust mites trigger allergies and asthma attacks in some people, and dust build-up can be damaging to large appliances. Don’t neglect easy-to-miss spots like doorframes, window blinds and curtains, window sills, shelves, lamp shades, picture frames, fans, moldings, curios and electronics. Get into each room’s corners, too.

Dust build-up in your refrigerator’s condenser coil can cause energy waste and overheating. Use a long-handled bottlebrush or a vacuum cleaner with an attachment hose to clean the coil and remove dust and lint.

Furnace air filters last up to three months, but should be changed as they become clogged with dirt and debris. Check and maintain them regularly to make sure they’re functioning properly.