Spring Cleaning Over Spring Break

Care to knock out your spring-cleaning over spring break? It may seem impossible, but it can be done!

A guide to keeping your space clean and clutter free

Day One: Declutter
Decluttering is a big aspect of any cleaning project. You cannot clean clutter! Whether it be your closet, bathroom, basement, garage, or other areas of your home, your first task is to declutter. Purging and organizing should be done before any major cleaning, as you don’t want to be dusting and wiping things that you may not even end up keeping.

How do you do this? You will need a large garbage bin at easy access, a box for donations, and a box for items that need sorting through later. Start in one corner of the room and place items in one of these 3 bins or in its proper place in the room. Once you start the process you will find that the decluttering is really just a matter of quick decision making. Garbage, donate, save or set.

***If you haven’t used an item in 6 – 9 months, it’s time to purge it.

Day 2: Clean
After decluttering, it’s time to start deep cleaning and disinfecting your home. Do a wipe down of your countertops, furniture, and flooring.

[START AT THE TOP. CLEAN FROM THE TOP DOWN]

Remember, dust and particles fall. If you start by sweeping and mopping the floors and then clean the tops of your cabinets, you will need to repeat your floors all over again. Clean from the top down.

Don’t forget about those often skipped areas like the garbage can, light switches, and washing machine. Break out the cleaners (better yet, make your own) and put on a winning playlist, and you’re one step closer to making your home brand new again.

Tip: If the grille on your bathroom exhaust fan is clogged with dust, try a trick that’s faster and more effective than vacuuming. Here’s how to clean a bathroom fan: Turn on the fan and blast out the dust with “canned air.” The fan will blow the dust outside. This works on the return air grilles of your central heating/cooling system too. Run the system so that the return airflow will carry the dust to the filter. You’ll find canned air at home centers and hardware stores, usually in the electrical supplies aisle. Caution: The cans contain chemical propellants, not just air. Don’t let children play with them.

Tip: Dust with your dryer. Blankets, pillows, STUFFED ANIMALS, slipcovers, drapes and other textiles not only trap household dust, but they create it as they shed and disintegrate. Curtains and drapes, in particular, get dusty because they absorb moisture and dirt from the outside and act as a landing pad for dust from ceiling fans and air vents. The best idea for how to clean dust is to buy machine-washable items and launder them twice a year (OK, at least once). For non-machine-washable textiles, throw them in the dryer on the air-fluff setting (no heat) for 20 minutes with a damp towel. The damp towel will attract pet hair, and the tumbling movement and airflow will remove the smaller particles for you.

Tip: Keep your bathroom and toilet brush smelling lemony fresh by using a few splashes of Pine-Sol in the bottom of the brush container. Not only will it help to deodorize your bathroom, it will also help as a convenient disinfecting cleaner for your toilet brush.

Tip: Keep a cleaning caddy loaded with Windex, bleach spray, paper towel and rags at a minimum. This eliminates having to gather these necessities any time you are ready to wipe down a room.

Tip: Keep windex in small spray bottles in each room that has a mirror. Small spray bottles can be found in the travel section or beauty supply store. You can also purchase windex wipes!

Day Three and Four: DIY and Touch Up
A DIY home project can take longer than a week, but is often a part of spring-cleaning. When bins are stacked with winter’s goods and the counters are shiny again, you may decide you want to completely redo a portion of a room or an entire area. There are plenty of projects to consider: turning your typical storage bins into hanging shelves, making decorative trays to spruce up your decor, replacing kitchen hardware, or repainting areas in desperate need of a revamp.

Touch up white paint chips on baseboards, doors, cabinet and more. You will be amazed at what 1 hour of effort put forth on touch up painting will do!

Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be a daunting undertaking. Break up your tasks in a reasonable order to get your home in tip-top [clean] shape for summer, and the months to follow!

P.S.

TIP: The hardest part is getting started!

Have a cleaning tip or service to share? Drop us a note!