In this day and age a person can perform a major “spring cleaning” of their home at any time of the year. People cleaned in spring because their homes had been shut up during the winter, and they could now open up the doors and windows and air out the house as it was scrubbed down. But giving the house a thorough cleaning and declutter when the weather warms up is a noble tradition. Here are some spring cleaning tips:
Let the Appliances Do the Dirty Work
One of the spring cleaning tips in the kitchen is to let the washing machine, the dishwasher and other appliances clean themselves. Pour a cup of white vinegar into the liquid detergent dispenser in the washing machine, and let it run for a cycle. Add dishwasher cleaner to an empty dishwasher, and run a hot wash cycle to get rid of grease and limescale. Put a Pyrex cup of lemon water in a microwave, run the machine on high for five minutes then let it stand for five more minutes with the door closed. Any gunk inside the machine should be easy to wipe off. Toss some fruit pits into the garbage disposal, which cleans the grinding chamber. Freeze some vinegar in the ice cube tray, and toss in a handful to deodorize it.
Wash Walls and Cabinets
Gather all the necessary tools first, including:
- A sponge mop with one bucket with cleanser and the other with clear water
- A lambswool duster
- A minimum of a dozen plain, white cotton cleaning cloths
- A quart of clear ammonia
- At least one scrub pad
- A bunch of 0000 steel wool pads
- A stepladder, though this can be optional
- Drop cloths
- Rubber gloves
Another of the easy home cleaning tips to get this job done faster is to prep the room first. Remove furniture that’s in the way, take down curtains, and send them to the cleaners and roll blinds all the way up to the top. Take down pictures and drape nails with dishcloths to mark them. Vacuum ceiling molding, windowsills and baseboards with the brush attachment before washing.
Then, start by the room entrance and move around the room once, cleaning from top to bottom. Wash the ceiling before washing the walls.
Clean Inside the Stove
Swabbing down the stove every evening is de rigueur for many people, but the stuff that’s inside the stove also needs to be tended to, even if it can’t be seen. Lift up the top of the stove and pick up any large bits, then vacuum the interior with the wand attachment. One of the easy home cleaning tips is to use an old toothbrush to loosen gunk first. It’s also important for the filter in the stove’s vent hood to be cleaned. It can be taken off and put in the dishwasher. If it is in truly bad shape, simply replace it.
