It’s that time of year again. The birds are chirping, the flowers are blossoming, the sun is shining—and your house is a mess. For all of the great things spring brings, it also comes with the unavoidable chore of spring cleaning. This year, make it less of a chore with these easy tips.
Clean more than the usual suspects.
There are many things in your home that you’re likely overlooking when cleaning. Unscrew lightbulbs and polish them with a dampened microfiber cloth (carefully avoiding the metal base), and use an extendable duster to clean bulbs in recessed fixtures. Your dishwasher cleans your plates, but what cleans your dishwasher? Remove any visible food particles from the base and door and run a cycle with a specialty dishwasher cleaner to keep it working well. Apply the same theory to your washing machine: disinfect it with a mixture of distilled white vinegar and baking soda. Run hot water, add the cleaning agents, let them sit for 30 to 60 minutes, restart your machine, and wipe it dry after the water drains. If using a front-loading washer, be sure to wipe the rubber ring around the door with water afterward; vinegar can eat away at the rubber if it’s left there.
Rethink your normal routine.
Wash your windows when it’s cloudy out, not sunny. Direct sunlight can often dry the cleaner before you can wipe it, leaving streaks. Also, try using a rubber-edged squeegee instead of newspaper or cloth for a more effective clean. Mopping your wooden floors every week can actually do more harm than good. Instead, wet clean them once every month or two and spot clean them with a dry cloth as needed. Have shedding pets? Skip the lint brush, and instead put on some rubber gloves, wet down your furry friend, and collect all of the hair at once.
Make your kitchen shine.
To avoid kitchen grime, run your exhaust hood every time you cook. To clean existing grease, cabinet cream products cut through dirt and leave wood moisturized. Love stainless steel but hate all those fingerprints? Mix a solution of one teaspoon dish detergent and one quart hot water, clean with the grain using a microfiber cloth, rinse with hot water and dry immediately. Run the cut side of a lemon over your wooden cutting boards to remove food stains and smells (and pop the plastic ones in the dishwasher). When cleaning your fridge, don’t forget to pop out the door shelves and bins to wash away food bacteria and spillage.
Your outside areas need love, too.
Prep your patio furniture by adding a squirt of dish detergent to a bowl of warm water and wiping down your table and chairs before spraying them clean with a garden hose. Investigate the outside of your house for leaks around windows and doors, and caulk or seal them to keep the cool air inside once you turn on the AC. Don’t forget to clean your screens for those warm, breezy days. Simply remove them, spray them with a hose, and use soapy water and a brush for a deeper clean.
Say goodbye to clutter.
Spring cleaning isn’t literally just cleaning; it’s also de-cluttering your home and your life. Like to keep spare chargers and cables in case one gets lost or broken? Buy a decorative box to store them neatly in. Sort your closet when you swap out your seasonal clothes and be really honest about whether or not you even wore some of those items this winter. Apply The Minimalists’ 20/20 rule when deciding whether to throw out or donate that item you never seem to use, but fear you’ll miss one day. If replacing it costs less than $20 and can be achieved within 20 minutes, get rid of it. For the clutter that isn’t as easy to part with, has sentimental value, or you know you will need in the future, consider renting a small, affordable storage unit instead of saying goodbye. Storage lockers, which are about the size of a closet, offer an easy way to keep your belongings in reach, but out of site.
Now that your home is refreshed for spring and summer, find a home for things you love but don’t have room to keep. Contact the experts at your local Secure Self Storage today and hold on to the things that matter.