Spring Cleaning Tips for a Fresh Start to the Warm Months

It’s gorgeous outside. You’re spending more and more time on the patio. But inside? Let’s just say that dust leftover from Christmas is still lingering in the corners. It’s time to deep clean for spring!

It can feel like an enormous task, can’t it? Sure, you feel that itch to start fresh, but where do you even begin? Well, put your “cleaning-the-house” music on and pull back your hair. Follow these spring cleaning tips to give your living space a refreshed warm weather welcome.

What should you spring clean first?

Some prefer to start with the windows to let the sun in. Others move from top to bottom (ceiling fans to baseboards), methodically clean one room at a time, or hop from room to room as they blast loud music. Whatever your spring-cleaning ritual, here are a few targets to get out of the way first.

 

• The Kitchen

 

Remove drip pans from the stovetop for a good soaking or to be replaced. Wipe down surfaces and countertops. Don’t neglect your cabinets! A little polish will go a long way toward freshening up that space. Tackle your refrigerator ruthlessly because, if you’re like many busy people, you’ve got some leftover Chinese food that may or may not be past the expiration date. Then, tackle that tile and grout with soapy water and a little elbow grease.  

 

• Bathrooms

 

It’s time to toss those hair and skin products you don’t use anymore. Saving that last little bit of shower gel? Use it or dump it. Scrub the toilet and tub. Dust or clean all counters, cabinets, and shelves. Take a mop and rags to those hard-to-reach areas behind the toilet and along the edge of the bath or shower.

Pro tip: Vinegar can cut through soap scum.  

 

• Living Areas

 

Move furniture away from the walls and clean them from top to bottom. Dust those easily-forgotten places like ceiling fan blades, the tops of shelves and cabinets, and the baseboards. We recommend that you deep-clean your carpets once a year in addition to routine vacuuming. Wash windows and polish surfaces. You can use an upholstery cleaner and conditioner on smooth leather furniture. If your vacuum has attachments, you can use them to clean living room fabrics. It’s also important to wash your drapes to reduce odor and freshen the whole room.

Pro tip: Wash windows on a cloudy day so your cleaning solution doesn’t dry too fast and leave streaks.

Don’t Neglect the Details for Thorough Spring Cleaning

Big stuff tackled? Great. Now it’s time to do that detail work that we tend to miss during the day to day. Here are a few things that are easy to forget:

• Shower Heads: It’s easy to miss these, but cleaning them is just as important as scrubbing your tub.
• Mattresses: Flip them every six months, and use a vacuum to suck out some of that yucky sweat and allergens.
• Trash Cans: You probably take the trash out regularly, but how often do you spray and wipe down the trash can itself? This can make your kitchen and bathroom feel and smell so much better.
• Sliding Door Tracks: Cleaning the debris out of these tracks and finishing with a wet sponge will help as you begin inviting friends over for spring and summer barbeques.
• Dishwashers, Washing Machines, and Other Appliances: Giving the appliances you use every day a good cleaning will help everything smell a little fresher.

What to Use Instead of Store-Bought Supplies

Don’t you hate it when you finally get motivated enough to deep-clean only to discover that you’re out of window cleaner? You don’t have to drive to the store and spend your money on cleaning supplies. Some of the best resources can be found in your pantry. For example, combine salt and soda water to clean your refrigerator. Soak paper towels in vinegar and lay them around your faucet to cut through lime buildup. Need to clean your curtains? Simply run them through the air-fluff cycle in the dryer with a wet towel. This will draw out the dust and freshen them right up.

Visit us for more cleaning tips and tricks or if you’d like a fresh, professional cleaning to start your spring and summer off right.