No matter where you live or what culture or religious beliefs you have, most of us start to feel an urge to clean up a bit when spring finally rolls around. Perhaps it dates back to the cave-man days when during the winter months, hibernation ruled. Then spring came and with it warmer days and more light in the day. That gave our ancient humans more energy. They began to clean after the long cold spell which had caused dust and dirt, not to mention other debris, to settle in their caves and huts.
Today, products and modern conveniences, like robots that vacuum, have made spring cleaning a ritual that is fairly easy to do daily.
But if you’re ready for that deep cleaning, the kind you usually only do once a year, then here are a few tips from the pros.
Use a cabinet cream to remove build-up and moisturize your wooden cabinets. Dirt, grease, and dust can make your cabinets sticky and grungy.
Window cleaning: time to clean more than just the inside of those windows. Clean the outside on a cloudy day but not when rain is threatening. This way the heat from the sun won’t dry your cleanser before you’ve had a chance to completely clean your window. Also, don’t forget to wipe the windowsills. Keeping those clean will make it much easier to maintain them over the years.
Refrigerator: pull out all the shelves and the baskets and wash them down with sudsy water. Chances are most of us rarely take out the shelves when we clean out the refrigerator. Springtime is a good time to do this.
The oven: do you have spills in it from last month’s party? Time for a deep cleaning. Use a little baking soda and a few drops of white vinegar. Once it bubbles up, you can scrub off the nasty grime with a soft sponge.
Tile: the tedious task of cleaning tile. Chances are you wish you could live a lifetime without ever doing this. But, of course, that wouldn’t be good for your tile. For a homemade cleaner, mix a 1/2 cup of baking soda with two gallons of water, then use a sponge or string mop to apply it to tile and grout. The pros suggest using this cleaner because of its “neutral pH”.
Closet: out with the old, in with the new. If only that’s what most of us did, our closets would surely be in order. However, a lot of people just keeping stuffing more into their closets. Think of spring as a time to let go of what you’re not wearing to make room for some new finds.
Washing machine: give your washer a break and a good soak. Run your washing machine on a hot water cycle. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes with baking soda and distilled white vinegar to disinfect it. Let it finish the cleaning cycle and wipe dry.
Patio furniture: is your backyard ready to entertain? While we’re still having periods of rain, it’s not too early to think about cleaning your patio furniture. You can use a soapy mixture made from a few drops of dish detergent mixed with warm water in a spray bottle. After spraying the furniture, hose it off. Don’t forget to pull out your cushions and see what kind of condition they’re in. Do they need to be washed or replaced?
Spring is in the air, so roll up your sleeves and get busy with your spring cleaning. You’ll be glad when you’re relaxing come summer time.
