Spring Cleaning Checklist That Is Simple Yet Effective
Are you feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of spring cleaning your home? We’ve compiled a list of our favorite time-saving and cost-effective tips to help you spruce up your home after the long winter months. Follow these 10 spring cleaning tips and tricks to refresh and organize your home this season.
Supplies Required for Spring Cleaning
You might think that in order to complete this list, you’ll need to visit your local Target and stock up on cleaning supplies. You’ll be surprised to learn that most of what’s required is likely already in your possession.
Aside from some food waste (just some old coffee grounds and citrus peels), you’ll also need:
- Baking soda
- White vinegar
- Microfiber cloths
- Dish soap
- Foam carpet cleaner
- An old toothbrush
- Melamine foam sponge
- Dryer sheets
10 Spring Cleaning Ideas for a New Beginning
1. Clean out your refrigerator
The first item on the spring cleaning checklist is to clean out the refrigerator. There’s no better time than now to get rid of expired food and condiments, clean your refrigerator shelves, and clean the drawers. Remove the bins and clean them in warm, soapy water before replacing them in the fridge.
You’ve probably heard of using baking soda to deodorize the fridge, but did you know your morning coffee can save the day in another way? If baking soda isn’t enough to deodorize your fridge, coffee absorbs odors effectively. Spread freshly ground coffee evenly on a plate and place it in the fridge for 24 hours to eliminate lingering food odors.
2. Refresh Your Garbage Disposal System
Cleaning your garbage disposal is simpler than you might think. To begin, run a few ice cubes through the machine to sharpen and clean the impellers. Then, while the disposal is running, add a few lemon or orange peels to remove odors and start fresh with a mild citrus scent. Dumpster rental Cape Cod is ready to assist you in your dumpster service needs.
This is a natural way to clean your garbage disposal, as well as a great way to use up citrus peels.
3. Clear Drain Clogs
This inexpensive DIY spring cleaning tip will clean your shower drains. Pour 12 cup baking soda and 14 cup table salt down the drain, followed by 1 cup warm vinegar, which will foam with the mixture. After 15 minutes, pour 30 seconds of hot water down the drain.
4. Replace Your Cleaning Materials
This may sound like an oxymoron, but how clean can your house really be if you clean it with dirty supplies? Replace any rags, brushes, or sponges that have been used frequently in the last few months. These items should be cleaned after each use, and to avoid bacteria, they should be replaced when they become worn.
Spring cleaning is also an excellent time to thoroughly clean your most-used appliances and cleaning tools.
5. Get Windows Without Streaks
One of our favorite spring cleaning tips is to use a microfiber cloth to clean your windows on a cloudy day. Because cleaners like Windex dry faster on warm windows, washing them in direct sunlight, as well as wiping them down with paper towels, can cause streaks.
To remove dust and clean window treatments, use the upholstery attachment on your vacuum. Most curtains can be dried on low heat with a fabric softener sheet for a deeper refresh.
Make sure to dust your blinds while you’re cleaning the windows. “So many blinds can be a pain to clean,” Jenny Silverstone of Mom Loves Best says. But I’ve discovered a simple solution. I take an old sock – there always seems to be one I can’t find a match for – and mix water and white vinegar 50-50. It clings to the dust, and the sock is strong enough for the job.”
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6. Upgrade Your Bedding
Fresh linens are the epitome of “spring cleaning.” Flip your mattress, wash your pillows, and air out your comforters now.
We recommend washing your pillows in the washing machine with 12 cup baking soda added to the detergent. Use your dryer’s air cycle to fluff and extend the life of your pillows by running a load with two tennis balls in socks.
Take your comforter and blankets outside to air out, and then run them through the dryer’s air cycle with a fabric softener sheet for added freshness.
7. Carpet and tile cleaning at the same time
Throughout the winter, your carpets and tile flooring take a beating, and this spring cleaning trick allows you to clean both with a single product. While you’re cleaning the carpet with a foam carpet cleaner, such as Resolve, you can also clean the tile grout.
Allow the carpet foam to sit for 10 minutes around the edges of each tile. Then, using a scrub brush or an old toothbrush, scrub the cleaner away. Keep a rag nearby to wipe up any dirt that falls into the cracks as you scrub.
8. Dust and residue can be removed with dryer sheets
Your home accumulates more dust than you might think during the winter, but it can be difficult to tell how much has accumulated when sunlight isn’t streaming in every day. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to tidy up with something you probably already have lying around.
Dust electronics, lamp shades, and appliances with dryer sheets. The sheets have anti-static properties that keep dust from adhering to the screens or stainless steel.
Dryer sheets can also be used to remove soap scum from shower doors, clean food residue from pots and pans, clean your blinds, and remove pet hair from your couch, among other things.
9. Remove Scuffs, Marks, and More In and Around the Home
Housekeepers rejoice: Mr. Clean saves the day once more. With a Magic Eraser or a melamine foam sponge, you can remove everything from marks to mildew from your home’s rooms.
Put on some cleaning gloves and a Magic Eraser to remove scuffs from the walls, clean the cabinets, remove soap scum, and remove mildew from the shower curtain liners. These sponges make a noticeable difference quickly, so you’ll save time while cleaning your baseboards.
10. Remove Hard Water Without Being Harsh
We have a natural spring cleaning tip to remove hard water build-up around your faucets, sink sprayer, shower head, or refrigerator water tray (and without chemicals).
Fill a spray bottle halfway with distilled white vinegar, saturate the cleaning area, and leave it for 20 minutes. Wrapping vinegar-soaked paper towels around the handles of your faucets is the simplest way to clean them. Then, using an old toothbrush, scrub the hard water away.
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