Spring, a time when things start anew is fast approaching. Like most you may be turning your thoughts to spring cleaning your home, but feel overwhelmed or unsure of the best way to get it done. There is no need to worry because with a few of these tips and strategies you can have your home sparkling in no time.
Declutter
Homes tend to get cluttered through the long winter months. People stay inside and things don’t always get put away as they should. You can’t clean properly through stacks of clutter so tackle it first for a great start in achieving your cleaning goals. Take three card board boxes marked “put away” “throw away” and “donate” Or you could use a box marked with each family member’s name. A third option is to label the boxes by room. Put items that need to be put back in their proper place in a corresponding box. Throw away items not needed, for example, old catalogs or newspapers. If you happen across something still of use to someone else place it in the box marked donate. Then put away all the items and put the donate box aside out of the way so you can take it later to a local thrift shop. Now you have clutter free surfaces that can be cleaned.
Room by Room Tips
Bedrooms and Bathrooms
- The main thing to focus on in the bedrooms is the mattresses. A mattress harbors germs and dust mites, even dead skin cells. So strip the bed completely free of all bedding. Spray disinfectant spray all over the bed then allow to dry completely. Vacuum the mattress once dry then flip it and repeat the process. If your pillows can’t be machine washed do the same thing with them.
- Most surfaces can be cleaned with disinfectant or bleach but for hard to reach or smaller places such as grout or stripping use an old toothbrush. Make sure to throw it away afterwards.
Living Room
- This area is touched by many hands in a day because it’s the space where your family relaxes. It’s also an area that tends to have bigger windows that streak when you clean them. Windows turn into a time consuming tedious chore when for every streak you get rid of three more pop up. Throw out your paper towels and invest in a regular cleaning squeegee. Poof! The streaks are gone.
- Dusting may feel like a nightmare with so many knick knacks and photo frames, not to mention things like blinds and silk flower arrangements. Always remember to start at the top and work down. To do otherwise would cover just dusted surfaces in grime again. For bigger surfaces covering your hands with socks and double dusting makes the job go faster. For your smaller treasures and blinds use a feather duster with a retractable handle. It’s great for ceiling fans too. Silk flowers end up dust free after blowing the petals off with a hair dryer set to cool.
Kitchen
- The kitchen is home to hundreds of not thousands of bacteria and germs. Keeping it clean is vital to our health. There are many strong chemical cleaners available especially for kitchen surfaces. But chemicals where you eat aren’t very appetizing. Besides, they can make breathing difficult for some, such as asthma sufferers .Instead clean kitchen countertops, stoves and refrigerators with basic peroxide. It sanitizes and also disinfects.
- For drains, run a mix of equal parts water and vinegar with a little bit of baking soda down them. The vinegar causes the soda to bubble up, removes grime and leaves the drains smelling fresh. For a garbage disposal drain some attempt to clean them by grinding up a lemon in them. This backfires though as bits of lemon cling to the blades and rot which defeats your purpose of erasing odors. Instead use the vinegar, water and baking soda. If you just love the lemony smell add a couple of drops of lemon juice.
Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be lengthy or expensive. By following these tips your home will be sparkling and ready to welcome spring with you.
Kate Simmons is a freelance writer on topics related to housekeeping and family life. She is currently writing on behalf of Renters Voice.
