Your Guide to Spring Cleaning!
By Aurora M.
Spring is quickly approaching, and so is spring cleaning. Although spring isn’t the only time that we should deep clean our house, it seems to be a popular time to get rid of the old things we don’t need and rejuvenate our homes. It’s nice to get all of the mud and grime leftover from the winter sludge out of the house, and to pack away all of our snow shovels and winter wear.
Spring cleaning can be a daunting task, and because of that, there are some things that you may overlook. We usually remember to put all of our winter gear into storage, scrub our floors, and reorganize things. But what other things should we be deep cleaning in preparation for the rest of the year?
Give your dishwasher some attention
Our dishwasher does such a good job of doing the cleaning for us, we sometimes forget to give it a little nudge, just to keep it running smoothly all year long. You’ve probably forgotten that you’re supposed to clean the filter out every few months, so now is a perfect time to dig out your user manual, and replace the filter! And next time you run the dishwasher, wait for it to fill with water, and then add a teaspoon of white vinegar. It’ll help clean the dishwasher as it’s running, and it also combats hard water stains. This article has more handy info about keeping your dishwasher running smoothly.
Tidy up your yard
A lot of the greenery in your yard probably died during the cold months, and so now that the snow is melting, it’s a perfect time to tidy it up, before the weather gets warm enough and everything starts growing out of control. Pull out any of the dead plants and weeds that are getting in the way. Revitalize your lawn and fertilize to replace nutrients that were lost over the winter months.
Wash your baseboards and walls
This is a project that you usually forget about until your walls are grimy and your baseboards are dusty. It really should be done a few times a year, at the least, to keep anything from getting stuck and making the job harder. To wash your baseboards, just use a dishcloth that’s damp with soap and water, and rub the baseboards until all of the dust and dirt buildup is gone. You can do the same for your walls. You don’t want to use anything harsh on your walls, because you don’t want the paint to come up. Be gentle and rub with a soft microfiber cloth, don’t scrub.
Drain your washing machine
The washing machine and dryer are two other appliances that, like your dishwasher, do such a good job of cleaning that you forget they need to be cleaned too! Your washing machine should have a drain pump. There’s usually an access panel on the front or side that’s not too difficult to locate. Check your user manual to make sure you do it correctly. It’s a generally easy job, all you need is a bucket to drain the water into. The user manual for your machine should clarify the correct way to clean the drain pump.
Your dryer could probably use a little spring cleaning love, as well! Clean out the dryer vent, and then wipe down the exterior of both machines, because they seem to love accumulating dust and lint!
Clean your furniture
If you never clean or maintain your furniture, you’ll end up with dingy furniture that’s way too difficult to clean on your own in a few years. For leather furniture, rub it down with leather cleaner. Remove the stains from upholstered furniture. Use a wood polish to bring shine back to your wooden furniture. For anything cloth, vacuum it, and then wipe down any hard surfaces. You usually don’t notice your furniture needs cleaned until it’s too late! Your furniture will look nice longer if you make sure you clean it at least once a year, and you’ll improve its longevity. You can always learn more about green cleaning recipeshere.
The most important thing to remember when doing spring cleaning is that you don’t have to do all of it at once! Spread it over a few days, and enlist the help of your spouse, roommates, or children to help make the burden lighter and the work quicker.
