Perhaps the most awaited season of the year after summer, spring is known to many people as the time when every part of nature throws off winter’s cold and starts growing afresh. New plants and flowers sprout up from the ground and animals make the first step out of their underground homes, ready to live on land again. In general, spring is the time to turn around and start again and that feeling tends to resonate well for both nature and human beings.
Spring cleaning is just one way through which humans illustrate that feeling, and it involves carrying out a general clean up of the home, throwing out unnecessary items and reorganising the property to start a new page. Many households have picked up on spring cleaning ever since it started years ago, and the practice only gets more popular by the passing day.
Look out for the clothes in your closet that you no longer want to wear or those you wore the least times in the previous year and donate them. If you know how you can also fix the old clothes you still like and adapt them to the current fashion trends. Do the same for your shoes too.
For the most part, it is better to buy new shoes if the old ones show signs of being in bad shape. Your family needs new things too, and you should involve every member in the clean out process to make it more fun. Unless it is really damaged or dangerous, do not just throw any article of clothing away. Someone else may be in need of it.
For most people, general house cleaning is the most boring and difficult part of the spring cleaning exercise. But with a little order and direction, it doesn’t have to be. To start, spread the furniture apart to thoroughly clean the areas under them Then pool the furniture together and clean out all the corners.
Review the lamps, furniture, glass, etc., in every room and inspect them for cracks and other damages. Go cleaning from room to room and don’t forget to dust the walls behind hanging ornaments and pictures. For stubborn stains, you can always check out cleaning companies or specialised how-to internet sites to get removal ideas.
Do not forget air conditioners and house plants; you’d be surprised how much dust accumulates on and under their leaves! And take the opportunity to renew some domestic items that are performing poorly and throw out those you may no longer like.
Apart from the dirt that accumulates in various corners of the bathroom over time, there is the added issue of old perfumes, make-up sets, and remedies that may be expired or whose empty containers may be poorly disposed of. Throw them out and get new supplies if you can. Do not forget the taps!
Cleaning bathroom mirrors must be done with care and no harsh chemicals. If chemicals get too close to the edge of your mirror, over time, they will seep in between the glass and the mirror backing. This will permanently damage your mirror, and give the appearance of green and black spots/speckles. As explained by Neatspiration.
The kitchen is bound to take the most work. It is the part of the house where grease and dirt accumulate most, courtesy of the items stored in it and the activities are done there. Empty all the cupboards and check that they still work correctly. You must also inspect the house artefacts for damages if you have any! What’s more, you can always do this with your family members to make it more enjoyable and less dreary.
The garage usually accumulates every item that is no longer in use around the house. That means there’s a large amount of stuff to sift through during cleaning and an equally large amount to throwing out. Most times, you will find items that you no longer need but are still in good shape. To create more space, you can hold a garage sale and generate some money in the process. If you intend to keep some of the items, you have to take all of them out and rearrange them into boxes with the appropriate labels for easier location in the future.
You might not accord them a thorough scrubbing because it takes a lot of time, but do give the windows and doors a general cleaning to do away with some of the dust that settles on them over time. Shop for and use only good cleaning products if you want excellent results. The kitchen windows deserve extra attention because they accumulate grease and even soot in some instances. Do not forget to clean the frames too; not much attention is paid to them during the year.
They are probably the last places one would think of cleaning but they are just as important. You should take this opportunity to clean the sofas and beds deeper to rid them of stains and excess dust. You will need different cleaning products depending on the material i.e. wood and metal require different cleaning material. You must remember to check below furniture for spiders and their webs.
After many months of usage, the mattresses and pillows in the house need aerating too. Shake them well to remove dust and mites. You can also reinforce vacuum cleaning to clear away the dust.
Everyone knows that both carpets and curtains collect dust almost every day, which warrants a thorough clean up. Remove both items from every room they are placed in and give them a good cleaning! While you may want to do the cleaning yourself, it is better to procure the services of specialised companies to avoid the risk of ruining whole pieces of carpets and curtains while trying to remove remaining spots. You can always use the money from the garage sale to buy new pieces of each if you prefer purchasing to cleaning up. It is a good idea to have sets of spare curtains to replace with when others are removed for cleaning.
This is another piece of hard work. For more effective clean up, you must take all the from books from the shelf before removing the dust and cleaning the library. This section of the house also requires that you use cleaning products according to the material in your library. In case you have corners in which you have placed books, you should thoroughly clean each corner before dusting each book.
If you have pets who share the house with you such as dogs, cats, birds etc., make it a point to clean the places where they sleep, their toys and clothes and everything else they might use. You can also renew any of their stuff. If you have birds, you should know that you expose your family to the risk of disease if everything is not kept clean. During this period, you should also take a visit to the vet to have the pets checked and treated for any diseases.
You might have liked all the ideas above and decided to implement them. The main advantage is that you will get to supervise every aspect of the cleaning and have it done the way you want. While it might also save you some money by doing it yourself, it is still a lot of hard work. So, if you’re not willing to tire yourself out, the alternative you have is to hire a cleaning company to do the work for you. There are many registered companies in this line of business that will leave your home spotless and fresh. For the record, they always know what they are doing.
Spring cleaning is and should be a fun, refreshing activity. It presents the opportunity to clean out your house’s corners with much more concentration than ever before. If you decide to try it out this coming spring, the tips above should be enough to get you started on your own. And while you’re at it, remember to keep mindful of your spending. You don’t have to buy everything a new!