5 Simple Tips to Faster Spring Cleaning

Don’t let spring cleaning overwhelm you!

Spring Cleaning is an age-old must-do. All winter long, you’ve been spending more time indoors to get away from the cold. When you do go outside, the snow dampens your shoes, making more dirt, grime, and ice-melting chemicals stick to them, which you then bring inside. Maybe you’ll take longer, hotter showers, steaming up your bathroom more than usual. Have a pet dog? All that fur will bring in even more dirt and grime than your shoes, not to mention all the pet dander. All this combines to make a big mess in your house by spring-time. Naturally, the first thing you want to do as soon as it warms up is get it out.  As we move into February, it’s time to start planning for it.

That’s a huge job, though.  Just thinking about all that work is enough to make your arms ache. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get it done faster and with less trouble? Well, here are some tips to do just that!

1. Have A Checklist

Not knowing what to do slows you down a lot. This is why having a cleaning checklist is the first step to getting the job done quicker. If you have a checklist to refer back to, you know what you’ve cleaned and what you haven’t, so you don’t have to spend any time trying to remember what you’ve done. It will also help make sure you don’t miss anything. Another great advantage of a checklist is that it gives you a place to start. Deciding what to start with is often the hardest part of any big job. With a written checklist, you’ll be more inclined to starting with the first item on it, removing that pesky indecision from the equation.

2. The Tube Sock is Your Friend

Instead of throwing out old socks with holes in them, use them as cleaning rags. When it comes to cleaning blinds, a tube sock is an amazing tool. Dip it in a mixture of hot water and vinegar and rub it across one side of the blind, flip it over, and wipe down the other side. Repeat for each individual blind. Wipe it dry after and let them hang in the sun where the remaining dampness can evaporate quickly. This is far more effective than a duster and won’t get any dust in the air.

3. Give Your Dishwasher a Drink of Lemon Kool-Aid.

No, I’m not joking. The citrus in lemon Kool-Aid is surprisingly effective eating the lime deposits and stains in your washing machine. But only lemon flavor seems to work. Just pour a packet of it into the detergent coup and run a cycle without any dishes or silverware. You’ll be surprised!

4. Bathroom

Your bathroom is definitely a place you’ll want to clean out. The bathroom is one of the places most likely to develop mold infestations. Mold can be hard to get rid of, but a good cleaning can help prevent it from taking root. For that, here’s a couple of tricks.
Tiles: Mold can’t grow on tiles because it needs organic material to feed on. The dirt and grime that builds up on grout is its favorite food in this case. To get rid of it, mix ¾ cup of baking soda with ¼ cup of bleach to make a thick paste. Use a brush to apply that past to the grout and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then scrub it even deeper and let it sit for another 5-10 minutes before rinsing it off. Once it dries, you’ll be amazed at how clean they are.

Shower heads: If you want to clean and unclog your shower head, fill up a plastic bag with white vinegar. Wrap it around the shower head and tie it off with a twisty-tie. Leave it sitting for 2 hours and it will clean away the dirt and lime build-up, letting your shower run as clean and good as new.
The advantage of these tricks is that it only takes a little bit of prep-work to prepare the cleaning materials. Once applied, you can leave the bathroom to work on other quick cleaning jobs, letting you kill two birds with one stone.

5. Steam Clean Your Microwave

Microwaves get a lot of food splatter on them. That can be a pain to clean through the usual methods. Fortunately, the very way that microwaves cook food can allow you to quickly steam clean them. Fill a microwave safe bowl with a mixture of equal parts water and vinegar, put it in the microwave, then run it on high. The liquid will evaporate, condense on the inside surfaces and attach to the grime. When the microwave finishes, simply wipe it down with a paper towel and watch the grime come right off.

More Tips

These are just a few of the deep cleaning tips you can make use of to speed up your spring cleaning, but they’re far from all. If you want to see some other deep cleaning tips to get a good clean going, try looking at some of these.

Don’t Get Overwhelmed!

The biggest tip is not to overwhelm yourself. Springing cleaning is a big job and it’ll take time, but if you let that get to you, it can be overwhelming. Don’t look at everything at once, but instead focus on individual tasks (your checklist will help). You don’t have to do it all in one day, either; you can take your time. Allow yourself to have a break now and then.

Sometimes, it’s just nice to have a bit of help, too. Whether some physical limitation is slowing you down, you just don’t have enough time between work and whatever else goes on in your life, or you just have trouble getting started, we’re there for you. We’re the expert cleaners in Cache Valley, whether it’s for businesses or residential homes. Get in touch and let us know how we can help. We’ll get the deep cleaning done so you can have more time to focus on things that matter to you!

Fall

Fall is a very pretty time of year.  The leaves start to change colors, the weather finally cools off and people start decorating for the holiday seasons.  It’s also a good time to do a thorough cleaning of your house.  After all, once winter comes, you’re going to start spending more time in the house.  Who wants to spend months choking back the accumulated dust of several months?  Nobody, that’s who.

So, here’s a fall cleaning checklist to help you make sure you get everything.

1. Cleaning the Windows

Using glass cleaner, spray down your windows and wipe them off with a microfiber cloth.  If you pick a cloudy day, you can see the streaks better and get a more complete clean.

2. Clean the Blinds and Curtains

Use a low setting on your vacuum cleaner and a brush attachment.  Vinyl shades can be wiped clean with a dampened microfiber cloth if they need more.  Check the labels on your curtains and window covers for washing instructions.  Some can be machine washed, but some will need to be sent to a professional cleaner.

3. Clean the Walls

First, figure out what kind of paint is on your walls; certain paints are less durable and may come off if you scrub too hard.  Dust your walls first.  When you’ve dusted, lay down towels to catch excess moisture.  Wipe down your walls with damp cloth, using only soft water first, starting at the top of the wall and working down.  If that isn’t enough, you can try warm water mixed with dishwashing soap.  If you still need something stronger, ¼ cup of ammonia and ¼ cup of baking soda mixed in a gallon of warm water and a good sponge should do the trick.  Be sure to dry off your wall with a towel when you’re done to prevent streaking and water damage.

4. Cleaning the Ceiling

Start with a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment and vacuum.  Then get a feather duster and clear away what remains – you may need to clean the duster before you finish if the ceiling is particularly dirty.  If any dirt remains, use a microfiber cloth to wipe off the rest.  Do the same to any ceiling fixtures.

5. Vacuum and Spot Clean Upholstered Furniture

Using an upholstery attachment, vacuum your upholstery from left to right in short, overlapping strokes.  When it comes to spot cleaning, you’ll need to check your furniture for cleaning instructions.  Different kinds require different cleaners and have different instructions.

6. Kitchen Cupboards and Pantry

Empty your cupboards and pantry so you can see all of the shelves.  Wipe them down with a damp cloth, then follow up with a soft cleaner.  If you use shelf liners, replace them now.  While you have everything out, now is a good time to check everything for expiration dates and throw out anything that’s past its time.

7. Carpets

Carpets need a good deep cleaning twice a year.  Spring and fall are the usual times to do this. First, vacuum thoroughly.  Then spray down the entire carpet with a bottled foam carpet cleaner.  Scrub the carpet in a circular motion, moving from one side of the carpet to the next.  Let it sit for a few hours to let the cleaner break down the thick grime deposits that build up.  Finish by a second thorough vacuuming to clean up everything the cleaner broke down so it doesn’t thicken up again.

Sometimes, it’s a good idea to have a professional carpet cleaner come in and do the work.  They will often have specialized tools and cleaners that can do a much better job than you can on your own.

8. Wood Flooring

Using warm water and soap, mop your wood floors.  If you have scratches, you can hire a professional sand, recoat and refinish them to get them good as new.

9. Clean Your Computer Area

Computers get a lot of use in the modern day, so if they’re dusty, using them will subject you to a lot of allergens and cause health issues.  Clean and wipe down your keyboard.  Use a light duster to clean the dust off your monitor.  Using a microfiber cloth (very important to avoid scratching), spray a little bit of soft cleaner and wipe it down to get any fingerprints, or other remaining residue.  Check your computer’s instructions to see what cleaners are safe for this.  Scratches can be fixed with a scratch repair kit.

The inside of your computer also needs cleaning to keep it in good condition, but unless you’re experienced, it’s best to send it to a professional to do this so you don’t’ accidentally damage it.

10. Straighten out your closest

Empty out your closet.  Dust and clean it like you would the walls of your other rooms.  If you have any clothes you haven’t worn for a while, it might be a good idea to clean them just to get off any dust they gathered before you put them back.  While you have everything out, it’s a good time to go through it and see if there’s anything that’s worn out, or anything you don’t ever wear that you can get rid of to help declutter your home.

11. Replace Your Furnace Filter

The furnace filter needs to be changed about every three months.  Since you’ll probably be using your furnace a lot over the winter, now’s the best time to do it.

12. Test Smoke Alarms

Modern smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are very well-designed and can usually last for years – up to 15 sometimes – but you should still regularly test them just to be safe.

13. Chimneys

If you have a wood burning stove or fireplace, they need regular cleaning to get rid of the soot and ash that builds up over time.  This isn’t something we do, as there are very particular safety steps to follow.  For health reasons, you’ll need to hire a professional.

14. Declutter

People gather a lot of stuff.  It’s just what we do.  A lot of it is stuff we don’t need and only a lack of thought has kept us from throwing it out.  Since you’re giving your home a thorough clean, it’s a good opportunity to make decisions on what you have that you can do without.  It makes more space for you to live in, which is always more enjoyable.  And a yard sale is always a good way to make some quick extra cash for Christmas shopping!

Let Us Help

Clean Freak are experts at this sort of thing.  Not just homes, we also clean offices and commercial buildings.  For reasonable prices, we can do a lot of the cleaning for you, freeing up your time to do more of what you enjoy doing.  If you want to get a professional cleaning before winter comes so you can feel comfy and healthy through the cold months, get in touch with us today!