Are you ready to get your house into tip-top shape? Getting into the mindset and picking a place to start might be the toughest part of spring-cleaning. Start with the big projects that are the most noticeable and work down to the nitty-gritty tasks. Don’t get overwhelmed from taking on your annual spring-cleaning instead do everything in stages. Before you know it your house will be ready for spring.
The Heart of the Home
The kitchen can be the biggest and most daunting of tasks. Even when you clean it on a daily basis, the grime accumulates. Don’t expect to do it all in one session, unless it’s a long one. Most of us have to work around a busy schedule. It helps to clean a section at a time and maybe even over several weeks. Remember, you not only have the sink, counter-tops, stove-top and oven, but you also have to address the pantry, general organizing and conducting a deep clean of the refrigerator.
You can get creative and have a cleaning party with willing family or friends or simply relax and call HouseMaids to do the deep cleaning for you.
Alternate Start: Something Small (or Big)
If tackling the kitchen is just TOO daunting, I sometimes like to start relatively small so I can feel that rush of accomplishment to energize the long haul of spring-cleaning. For me there is one room that fits both categories: The Bathroom.
If you are not diligent on a daily or weekly basis to keep your bathroom clean, you know how things accumulate. In addition to sweeping and wiping down the counter-tops, now is the time to attack hard-water scale and mildew.
Turn on the Tunes
Now that you’ve got the bathroom spic and span, raise the volume on the stereo or put on the earplugs and iPod and boogie through your next round of chores. I like Motown oldies for this, but maybe you are like my friend who always house cleans to the marches of John Phillip Sousa!
Whatever your tastes, upbeat music makes it a lot easier to boogie through the tedious deep dusting and athletic cleaning of windows, blinds, fans, etc. And if you have painted walls, a bucket of soap and water can travel along with you and your clean cloth as you wipe down each vertical surface.
Upholstered Furniture and Bedding
Quit ignoring that red wine stain left by your loud cousin Doris who visited over Thanksgiving. It’s time to say, “Get out, stubborn spot!” and take care of all the upholstered furniture. Remove the stains, deodorize, pull out the cushions, vacuum and fluff the pillows too.
In the bedrooms, you’ll want to launder bedding, remove stains, vacuum and turnover the mattress.
Carpet Cleaning, Area Rugs, and Wood/Tile Floors
Whatever it is you have been walking on all over your house, it must be cleaned! Routine sweeping, vacuuming and mopping will keep things relatively clean, but periodically there must be a thorough shampoo, professional cleaning, polish or scrubbing.
- Use a top-load vacuum, so the dirt falls inward, and HEPA filters. Change the filters often, so you don’t blow pollutants back into the air.
- For less-trafficked areas, you can probably get away with shampooing the carpets once or twice a year.
- For higher-traffic areas, you could bring in a professional to shampoo your carpets three or four times a year (although if you see that your carpets are dirty, you will probably have them cleaned more often for health reasons).
- You should have your area rugs professionally cleaned every one to five years — or every 10 years if a rug is not walked on much or used.
- Use trivets or saucers under plants to avoid water damage
- Use furniture protectors to avoid scratches
- Damp-mop wood floors once a week with a mild soap made for wood floors like Murphy Oil Soap.
Organizing and De-Cluttering is Spring Cleaning, too
One of the joys of a newly spring-cleaned home is that buoyant fresh feeling you get. But a packed clothes closet, jumbled drawers of junk, and boxes of “I don’t remember what” will continue to weigh you down. You will feel much “lighter” if you take the time to winnow out the clothes, shoes and accessories you no longer wear. You can re-organize the bookshelves, giving unwanted books to the local library or literacy program. Clear away new space in your other closets and storage areas by filling a box with “what-ch-ma-call-its” to take to Goodwill.
Cleaning Done Right
Of course it’s best to make the most out of the time you set aside to clean. When it comes to spring-cleaning, the goal is to clean your house, really clean it. This is the time to get really detailed. Polish silver, wash windows, wipe down the light bulbs in your lamps, clean ceiling fans, wipe down the walls, etc.
Everything will gleam and glisten. The effect will be so awarding. It will help with allergies and overall health and make you feel like you have accomplished something grand. Best of all, HouseMaids can help you through the process and maintain your clean house with our continuous deep cleaning that we are known for.
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