The Ins and Outs of Spring Cleaning – More Accurately Any Season Cleaning!
It’s called Spring cleaning because, traditionally, it is the time of the year when we freshen up our homes and clear out unwanted stuff as we transition from winter to spring. This freshening up, however, is not limited to only spring. While a survey reveals that 76%1 of U.S. adults say they tackle spring cleaning every year, 6% admit to never doing it and another 18% only take a crack at their spring cleaning checklist every other year or less, which leaves three other seasons to complete our spring cleaning.
It is understandable after a long cold winter, we’d all rather be outside in the sunshine than scrubbing bathtubs, mopping floors or wiping down dusty cabinets. However, cleaning is cleaning no matter when you do it! Enjoy what matter most to you, just don’t neglect the clear advantages of tidying up your house, including ridding your home of clutter and things that trigger allergies and asthma, such as dust.
To efficiently clean whenever it works best for you, try this guide for a clean and useful house.
Room at a Time
The thought of cleaning the entire house can be overwhelming. So, take it one room at a time, in an orderly fashion – starting with the most used rooms in the house and working your back to the most neglected rooms. Focus on all four walls as well as the ceiling and floor when getting going.
- How to clean carpets. For high trafficked areas, consider professional deep cleaning or using a Rug Doctor and on those more personal spaces, a household vacuum should cover it. Be sure to clean and clear out the bag to ensure proper suction.
- How to clean hardwood floors. First, sweep the space for a clear floor to mop. Now the good news…you don’t have to mop every other day or even every week. Wet-cleaning is recommended once every one to two months, but sweeping and spot cleaning on the regular can prevent tracking dust to even more places.
- How to clean windows. For curtains and blinds, dust collects inside the fabric or material, so use a safe dust spray to remove all particles. Don’t forget the curtain rods too.Also, glass is clear, so you must clean the inside and out wherever possible.
- How to clean the kitchen sink (without a lemon). Wet the lining of the sink and sprinkle baking soda around before adding hydrogen peroxide and a little dish soap. With a nonabrasive sponge scrub the surfaces and rinse with hot water. For extra help on the disposal, place baking soda and white vinegar in the drain and let sit for a few minutes before running a slow stream of hot water with the disposal running.
- How to clean cabinets. A gentle combination of dish soap and warm water does wonders on cabinets. Use a microfiber cloth to remove grime, dust and grease.
- How to clean appliances. The experts at Home Depot have a step-by-step guide for your refrigerator, oven, stovetop, microwave, and dishwasher.
- How to clean bedding. Washing sheets, blankets and pillowcases is recommended every two weeks, but a seasonal cleaning means you have to wash the hardware, or software in this case, too.That means the soft pillows, pads, liners, or comforter need a trip in the wash too. Read the label for proper cleaning.
- Lean on Lemons. Lemons are a versatile spring cleaning resource. If your kitchen drain is a smelly mess, throw a few lemon peels down the drain and turn on the disposal. If your microwave is sticky, chop up a lemon, place in a microwave-safe bowl of water/vinegar and run the appliance on high to loosen the gunk inside; stains will wipe away in no time. You can even clean up your cutting board by shaking some salt on it and scrubbing with a lemon half to get out grime, even from groove marks.
- Declutter Drawers. They start out very orderly, but drawers in the kitchen, office and bedroom can get filled with junk. So, take everything out of a troublesome drawer, dispose of what’s unneeded (like empty tape dispensers), use your vacuum to suck out the dust and dirt, wipe it clean with Scott® Paper Towels, and put the items you’re keeping back where they belong.
- Put the Kids to Work. If you’ve got youngsters who would rather do anything other than clean, promise them something fun – like a picnic in the park -- once the job is done. Then get them in on the “fun” by assigning them an easy task like cleaning the kitchen, bathroom and/or laundry room countertops. Arm them with Scott Paper Towels and some spray cleaner, and they’ll do just fine.
- Ladder Up. Out of sight, out of mind. If you follow that adage, your spring cleaning experience may miss the mark. That’s because there are plenty of places that get dusty and dirty, but you simply don’t notice them because they’re hidden from view – including ceiling fans, crown molding and crud-catching corners. Use your ladder to climb above eye level and you’ll find plenty of nooks and crannies needing some attention.
There are tons of other tips to help make spring cleaning, or anytime cleaning, a breeze. Share your favorite tips, your spring cleaning checklist, or when is spring cleaning is for you and be sure to use #KeepLifeRolling.
