3 Costco Finds That You'll Want Handy For Spring Cleaning

Spring is a time of renewal, as many people look forward to the greener grass that lies on the other side of winter's fence. It's also the season that people might start with the time-honored tradition of spring cleaning.

Spring cleaning goes deeper than the normal routine of dusting, vacuuming, and mopping that makes the home presentable to guests, although those tasks are included. A proper, deep spring cleaning involves cleaning windows, power washing privacy fences, siding, paved walking paths, and drives, and removing winter's grime from your vehicle.

Sometimes, spring cleaning generates a list of DIY home improvement projects you can try before calling a pro. The process of cleaning windows inside and out not only allows sunlit warmth to fill our homes and viewing spring flowers, it's a good time to inspect window glazing for any damage incurred over the winter. Pressure washing the privacy fence often reveals boards or hardware that require repair, replacement, or a fresh coat of sealer or paint. Cleaning concrete can reveal cracks that should be sealed before the damage can spread.

If you're already a Costco member, it's a good place to find spring cleaning supplies. If you're not already part of the club, it may be worth getting a Costco membership just for the savings on gas.

Outdoor spring cleaning chores often involve the use of a pressure washer. In addition to pressure washing fences and concrete surfaces such as patios, walkways, and driveways, the Greenworks 3,000 psi electric pressure washer combo kit, priced at $449.99 at Costco (online only with free shipping), includes accessories that help with cleaning windows, siding, and vehicles.

The Greenworks electric model is the brand's most powerful pressure washer. The pressure washer features a 14-amp brushless electric motor to deliver 1.1 gallons of water per minute (gpm) at 3,000 PSI and up to 2.0 gpm at lower pressures. While the output pressure of the Greenworks pressure washer isn't adjustable, it comes with five spray tips offering various spray patterns, pressures, and rates of flow.

The 15-degree tip, for cleaning brick and concrete, delivers the maximum pressure and most restrictive flow, while the soap nozzle offers the most volume with reduced pressure to 100 psi. Other spray tips include the 25-degree tip designed for cleaning wood and outdoor furniture, a 40-degree version for siding and windows, and a turbo nozzle that's useful for hard-to-remove grime.

Other items that come with the kit include a 25-foot kink-resistant high-pressure hose, a 35-foot GFCI-protected power cord, a 12-inch wand extension, a quick-connect garden hose kit, a foam cannon, and a 15-inch surface cleaner. Costco advertises the Greenworks electric pressure washer's 80-decibel operation as four times quieter than gas-powered models, and the unit can stand vertically to minimize its storage footprint.

Spring cleaning also applies to vehicles. Whether you live in an area that sees adverse winter weather or a more temperate climate, our cars rarely get the same amount of attention through the winter months. The first warm days of spring are a good time to wash away the grime and avoid the damage road salt can do to your car.

After using the Greenworks electric pressure washer with the foam cannon attachment and completing your preferred car wash routine, you can invest some elbow grease into drying your vehicle to prevent water spots. If towel-drying your car takes all the fun out of spring cleaning, consider investing in the Unger spotless car wash system, available online at Costco for $179.99, including shipping.

The Unger system utilizes a resin-filled bag to filter away the minerals and contaminants from household tap water to deliver pure deionized water that dries without leaving spots on your car's paint, glass, and plastic. In addition to washing your car, Unger recommends using its system to achieve a spot-free finish after washing RVs, motorcycles, house windows, and solar panels.

The kit includes a short hose and quick-connects to attach the system to a water supply, two resin bags, the Rinse'n'Go container, a soap dispenser and sprayer, and a meter to measure TDS (total dissolved solids) in the water. The Costco product page says the Unger system is "lightweight, compact, and ready to use right out of the box."

Tineco vacuums might not be among the top-ranked vacuum cleaner brands on every list, but Costco customers give the Tineco Homekit 5 bundle, priced at $299.97, a 4.5-star rating averaged across 487 reviews. The HomeKit 5 bundle includes a Tineco FloorWasher 5 wet/dry cordless vacuum with mess detection to adjust cleaning power automatically and a Go Mini handheld cordless vacuum for smaller messes.

The FloorWasher 5 cordless wet/dry mop and vacuum isn't designed to vacuum your 1970s shag carpet. Instead, its three-in-one design vacuums, mops, and self-cleans to deliver clean, streak-free hard-surface floors like vinyl, wood, and other sealed surfaces. The included battery provides 220 watts to power the FloorWasher 5's 0.3-horsepower motor with speeds up to 450 rpm and 30 minutes of run time. The FloorWasher weighs 9.48 pounds, provides a 9.2-inch-wide cleaning path, and features adjustable suction. 

Tineco's Go Mini handheld cordless vacuum weighs in just under four pounds. It features a rechargeable battery that delivers up to 20 minutes of run time and a "max mode" for messes that require a little more suction.

While the Tineco HomeKit 5 bundle is handy for spring cleaning, its versatility makes it convenient for everyday messes too. The unit's design allows cleaning a variety of messes from hard floors and hard-to-reach areas, including dry debris, pet food, pet hair, raw eggs, ketchup, and spilled milk, just to name a few. The Costco kit includes the two cordless wet/dry vacuums, two replaceable air filters, two rollers, one bottle of anti-odor cleaning solution, a cleaning brush, and self-cleaning station that doubles as a charging dock.

These three Costco finds hold promise for making your spring cleaning chores easier while delivering better results than some other options. We considered the tasks we've undertaken for our own spring cleaning projects, then searched through Costco's online catalog and store shelves looking for items we'd like to have handy.

Once we identified several items, we turned to online reviews posted to Costco's and manufacturers' product pages, as well as forum posts on community sites such as Reddit. We narrowed the list to the best-performing and handiest Costco finds available.