Springtime means clean time. While it might not sound like a lot of fun, it’s necessary chore as the warm weather roles in.
Here’s a guide to help you jumpstart your Spring cleaning regime:
Where to Clean
1. Walls: Dust them with a vacuum brush attachment, then wipe clean with an all-purpose cleaner.
2. Baseboards: Dust with a microfiber cloth or vacuum, then spray and wipe with an all-purpose cleaner.
3. Window screens: Remove them first. Lay them flat on a tarp outside, then spray them clean with a garden hose.
4. Shelves: Take everything off first, then dust.
5. Driveway and garage floor: Use a pressure washer to remove caked-on crud.
6. Ceiling fans: Spray the inside of a pillowcase with cleaner, then slip the bag over the blade and wipe clean.
The Bathroom
1. Erase mineral deposits and rust from toilets, tubs, and showers with a pumice stone and rubber gloves. For more power, mix baking soda with acidic vinegar.
2. Make a creamy soft scrub for surfaces with baking soda, castile soap, glycerin, and essential oils.
3. To clean your toilet, use an all-purpose cleaner plus a little baking soda. Hydrogen peroxide adds sparkle.
4. Clean your drains by pouring in a quarter cup each of baking soda and vinegar. Leave the concoction overnight, then flush with boiling water.
5. Clean mirrors with a mixture of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Wipe with a microfiber cloth.
6. For tile floors, use your usual cleaner, but don’t mop — that’ll drive the grime into the grout rather than remove it. Instead, run a wet/dry vac, which will suck contaminants out of the grout.
Your Room
1. For upholstery stains, particularly those mystery ones, hire a pro. Costs vary widely depending on the size of the furniture and the quality of the upholstery, but a typical sofa might run $70 to $90.
2. For surfaces like windows, wood, mirrors, the tops of bookshelves, ceiling fan blades, and the plastic housing of electronics, use a damp microfiber cloth. But use a cloth you didn’t already use for the bathroom or kitchen to avoid spreading germs.
3. Lift rugs, to vacuum the debris that filters through the threads. Then mop.
The Kitchen
1. Declutter. Do a search and destroy mission in your cabinets and drawers. Donate or toss anything you don’t need. Wipe down drawers and cabinets. And clear your countertops of everything except items you use daily.
2. For dirt and stubborn grease deposits, use a microfiber cloth.
3. To combat stains, use vinegar and baking soda — plus a little elbow grease. They’ll clean and disinfect for a fraction of the price of commercial cleaning products.
4. Clean your smelly sink drain. Pour in a quarter-cup of baking soda followed by an equal amount of vinegar. Leave it overnight, then flush with boiling water.
5. To clean your oven, coat it with a paste of baking soda and water. Leave it to sit overnight, then wipe it down.
6. Wipe fingerprints off stainless steel appliances with a mixture of natural dish soap and warm water.
7. Combine equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle clean countertops.
8. Tackle once-a-year chores like vacuuming refrigerator coils (unplug your fridge first), and tossing expired food from the back of the pantry.