There’s no season quite like the spring. It’s a time of new beginnings, fresh air, and a welcomed goodbye to the long and cold winters that many of us experience. When it’s finally time to come out of hibernation, there are naturally going to be many things to do that we weren’t able to accomplish over the previous months.
One of those things is a good old-fashioned spring cleaning. It doesn’t matter if you live in a snowy and cold climate or not; by the time the flowers start blooming, most of us are ready to clean house. Here are ten great spring cleaning tips to make sure you set the tone for the months to come and make sure your space is looking tip-top.
1. Spray and Wipe Down Your Windows and Blinds
Hopefully, wherever you live, spring means more sunshine. With that in mind, you want to make sure that as much light as possible shines into your place. Nobody wants dull and restricted sunbeams caused by dirty or cloudy windows and blinds.
Pick an overcast day so you can see better, and then begin by giving your blinds a nice dusting. After you’ve vacuumed or swept up the dust, pull the blinds up and wash wipe your windows down with glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth.
2. Get Those Walls Shining
It’s easy to neglect cleaning your walls, but every once in a while, they need a good scrub down. Old greasy fingerprints will be more noticeable in the spring, so it’s good to nip the problem in the bud right away.
Wiping down your walls isn’t difficult. Just remember to start at the top and work your way down. Again, a microfiber cloth and warm water will do the trick. Don’t forget about the door frames and baseboards if you really want to have the place sparkling.
3. Give Your Fridge a Makeover
Let’s face it; nobody likes cleaning the fridge. And for that reason, there are things in the dark recesses of a lot of people’s fridges that should never be opened or talked about again. Even if you stay on top of removing the old organic matter to avoid those unpleasant fridge smells, it’s still likely that you have more than a few expired items nestled away in there somewhere.
It’s best to wait until it’s almost grocery day and then empty your fridge completely. From there, you can take out the shelves are drawers and give them a proper cleaning before you fill them up again with fresh food.
4. Include the Kitchen Sink
Have you ever noticed a foul smell coming from somewhere in your kitchen that you just can’t identify? Chances are, it could be your garbage disposal. A nifty way to tackle that odor is to send a few lemon rind wedges through the disposal while running cold water. Just another use for this amazing and versatile fruit.
5. Clean Your Reusable Bags
We all want to do our part for the planet, and using reusable shopping bags is one way to take some of the burden off of mother nature. But with time, these bags can become grimy with dirt, dust, or even small organic material that broke off on the way to the fridge.
Check to see if your bags are machine washable. If so, great. But if they aren’t, give them a wipe down with something natural like these home cleaning products.
6. De-Stain Your Cutting Boards
Have you just accepted the fact that your cutting boards will always have those nasty stains on them from constant use? It doesn’t have to be that way. Once again, it’s the multipurpose lemon to the rescue. Cut a lemon in half and sprinkle a teaspoon of baking soda on it. Scrub the board and watch the stains and smells magically disappear.
7. Get Those Pots Shimmering Again
You don’t have to live with baked-on stains on the bottom of your pots and pans. Try adding some water and dish soap to the pot, and then simmer it on the stove for ten minutes. Then use a scrub brush with a little salt to remove those stubborn markings.
8. Tackle the Oven
Spring is a perfect time to take care of all those leftover pizza toppings and the like that have been baked into your stove over the past few months. Most ovens these days have a self-cleaning option. If that’s the case, just wait for the cycle to finish and then wipe down the remaining ash once it has cooled down.
If you don’t have that option, try letting a hot and wet cloth soak over top of the particularly burnt-looking areas. Then use a scrub brush and some baking powder to remove the gunk.
9. Clean Your Shower Doors or Curtains
It’s always a good idea to wipe down your shower doors or curtains after every use, but sometimes that just isn’t realistic. But with time comes grime.
For shower doors, mix some all-purpose cleaner with warm water and use a scrub brush, working your way from top to bottom. Rinse and repeat until it’s to your satisfaction. For curtains, a machine wash is the way to go. Put your vinyl or plastic shower curtains on a gentle cycle, and then hang them up again to dry.
10. Clean Your Trash Cans
If there’s one thing in your home that is in desperate need of a cleaning, it’s probably your trash can. These vessels have a dirty job, so naturally, we want to keep them as clean as possible to prevent unwanted odor. Give it a hose down outside or in the bathtub with a scrub brush, dish soap, or all-purpose cleaner.
Do You Have Any Spring Cleaning Tips To Add?
The list of spring cleaning tips can be long, so although we’ve covered ten great ones here, there are plenty more to really get your space ready for the warmer months. If you found this article helpful, be sure to have a look at our huge inventory posts on everything from business to technology to health.