Spring Cleaning Tips

Are you counting the days until the first day of spring?  Or counting until the warm weather arrives?  Either way, most of us think about spring cleaning whether we like it or not.

Here’s some helpful motivation. We’ve put together a spring cleaning list for those areas in our homes we most neglect throughout the year.  Plus, there are some tips to make these chores less of a headache. First, pick a weekend you want to spend spring cleaning and get your family on board.

Now you’re ready to tackle this spring cleaning check list: 

Walls: Dust all walls with a vacuum brush, clean using an all-purpose cleaner and then rinse. Check walls for holes and dings.  Repair walls and then touch up with paint. Don’t use a spray cleaner, since it will leave your walls with streaks. Soak a lint-free cloth in cleaner, then wipe. To rinse, start with a cloth soaked in plain water.

Baseboards: Dust with a lint-free cloth or use a vacuum brush, spray with an all-purpose cleaner and wipe clean. You’ll want to clean all floors first before cleaning the baseboards, since cleaning floors will move the debris up into the baseboard area.

Windows: Use a lint-free cloth soaked in a solution of ¼ cup vinegar, ¼ to ½ teaspoon dish soap, and 2 cups water. More is not always better.  Don’t use more vinegar, too much can make windows look cloudy.

Window screens: To get your window screens nice and clean, you’ll want to remove them. Place screens on a plastic tarp or other waterproof surface, then with your soft brush, cleaner and hose, gently clean each screen. Repair any torn window screens.

Driveway: Use a pressure washer to give your driveway (and garage floor) a good cleaning. It’s surprising what a clean driveway makes to your home’s curb appeal. Try using Coke or Pepsi to remove any oil or grease stains. It may take some elbow grease, but the acidity of the sodas helps remove oil stains and even rust.

Siding: Using warm soapy water and a soft brush attached to a long handle, clean your house in sections so the soapy water doesn’t dry before you rinse. Presser washers can make your job a lot easier. You’ll find that the newer ones are much lighter and easier to use.

Upholstery: Vacuum your furniture and spot clean or steam clean as needed. Toss your pillows, throws and curtains into the dryer on low to remove any dust, or take them outside on a nice day to air out and fluff.

Ceiling fans: Before you get on your ladder to clean your ceiling fans, check to see if all fans are set in the right direction to keep your home cool. Spray a cleaning solution inside old pillowcases and then slip the case over each blade and wipe clean.

Air conditioners: Change your air conditioner filter, or if it’s a reusable filter soak in a vinegar and water solution for about 2-4 hours (depending upon how long ago you last cleaned). Let the filter dry completed before reinstalling.  Consider drying the filter outside in the sunshine to kill bacteria and help remove any odors.

For more spring cleaning lists, check out the Spring Cleaning 101 Guide.