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Design Dilemma: 8 Spring Cleaning Tips and Ideas

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It’s spring! It’s time to clear out all the dust and clutter of winter. If you read our post about downsizing in place, you may already have a few ideas about how to bust away unused, outdated or unnecessary clothing, books, papers, expired medications, etc.  Your surfaces, drawers and closets should now be free of junk. But now what? It’s time to get down to actual cleaning!

1)Do the small stuff that never gets done. Clean your windows, dust your light bulbs, wash your blinds, switch the direction of your fan blades on ceiling fans. (Counter clockwise provides cool air in the warm months. Clockwise helps to redistribute warm air in the colder months.) Now’s a good time to dust around your baseboards and moldings. Vacuum those lampshades. Turn your attention to all things hidden and less obvious. You know how light switches get grubby with fingerprints? Clean away the grub with a damp sponge! Dust off the tops of cabinets and the fridge, where dust tends to collect. Mix up a solution of white vinegar and baking soda as a natural, non-toxic and all-purpose cleaner around the house. While you’re getting into a detailed clean, use the opportunity to switch out the batteries in your smoke detectors.

2) Clean your carpets and rugs. If you have an area rug and a clothesline, now’s a great time to pull that rug outside and beat it the old-fashioned way. Beating manages to rid carpets of dust and dirt that vacuums never reach. Allow your rug to hang out in the sunlight for a few hours. If you have wall to wall carpet, now’s the time to rent a steam cleaner.

3) Clean your drapes. Here’s something else that rarely gets done. But now, with warmer weather, its a perfect time to throw open the windows and pull down the drapes for a really good cleaning. You can vacuum them, steam clean or have them dry-cleaned.

4) Clean out your fridge. This is something that needs to be done every few weeks, but so many of us procrastinate. Now you can pull all food out of your fridge. Toss old and expired items. While your fridge is empty, wash the interior with a solution of two tablespoons of baking soda for every quart of warm water. Wash removable shelves and drawers in the solution (let glass shelves come to room temperature first so warm water won’t crack them) and loosen hardened spills on fixed parts by wetting the area with the solution, allowing the residue to soften. Use a toothbrush to scrub crannies and don’t forget to vacuum condenser coils to keep your fridge from overheating.

5) Clean white appliances. Are your white appliances yellowing? Whiten them up by combining a quarter of a cup of cup bleach with a quarter cup baking soda and four cups of warm water. Apply with a sponge and allow it to set for 10 minutes. After that rinse  and dry thoroughly.

6) Clean your walls. Here’s an area that few of us ever think of cleaning. But walls do get dirty and that’s especially true if your have young kids at home.  For cleaning walls, mix a half cup of ammonia with a quarter of a cup of white vinegar, and a quarter of a cup of  baking soda to one gallon of warm water. If you have a textured walls use nylon socks instead of a sponge or cloth to avoid leaving chunks of sponge on your wall.

7) Clean your wood floors. You can actually make your own cleaner by mixing a half cup of white vinegar to one gallon of warm water. Damp mop with a mop squeezed nearly dry. Mist the mop with the cleaner rather than applying it directly to the floor. Work in sections and dry each portion of floor with an old towel to prevent streaks. Never allow liquid to stand on wood floors.

8.) Take stock of your upholstered furniture. Are upholstered chairs or couches getting grubby? Use an upholstery cleaner or steamer to clean these surfaces. If you’ve got leather furniture, use a leather cleaner to spruce up those leather surfaces.

What’s left? If there’s anything left out don’t hesitate to go for it! Spring is one of those times of years when we have the energy and excitement to attack so many tasks that ordinarily fall by the way side. By the time you’re done, you’ll feel a keen sense of accomplishment that will prepare you to enjoy your spring and summer.