Spring Cleaning Strategy, Articles, living

Spring Cleaning Strategy

By Myreille Simard published April 24, 2008

Rating: (57 Ratings)

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Article Content: 1. Spring Cleaning Strategy

Spring cleaning is unavoidable, but can be tackled more easily if you take it one room at a time. Print out our checklist and keep it handy as you go cleaning about the house, feeling a sense of accomplishment with each item you check off. Happy cleaning!

Before you begin…
- Tell everyone to put away their things and throw away whatever they no longer need;
- If possible, organize a yard sale to be rid of all that extra clutter;
- A few days before the big cleanup, be sure you have all tools and cleaning products handy;
- Write up a list of things to do in each room;
- Divvy up the task by assigning each family member a section of the house.

Everywhere
o    Clean your hard, non-wood surfaces with a damp cloth or sponge. Rinse it out and then run it over the same surfaces to be rid of the soap.
o    Vacuum all carpeted floors; be sure to move the furniture to ensure you don’t miss a spot.
o    Once you’ve finished with the vacuum, mop the floors. (Tip: Murphy® Oil Soap is a trusted product for all wood floors.)
o    Use a moist cloth on all chandeliers, sconces, ceiling lamps, and fans. A step-ladder will be useful in these situations.
o    Wash your windows when it’s sunny out, allowing them to dry quickly. Also, make use of a ceiling mop to help you out with larger windows.
o    Open up the windows by a few inches to let some air in.
o    Don’t forget to clean ceilings, walls, window sills and borders.

Tip: For all rooms, be sure to start cleaning the ceiling, following up with the walls, windows, and then the furniture and floor. This will prevent messes on newly-cleaned surfaces.

Living room
o    Wash all curtains and pillows.
o    Dust any lampshades you may have. (A pet hair/lint remover will be helpful.)
o    Pass the vacuum on the couch cushions and spray with a fabric freshener.
o    Dust off every CD and DVD one by one.
o    Gently clean the television screen.
o    Take the rugs outside, sprinkle baking soda, and let them sit for a few hours before vacuuming them.

Tip: Take a moist cloth, dampened with rubbing alcohol and pass it over all electronic equipment (television set, CD and DVDs players) to reduce static.

Kitchen
o    Empty out the fridge and be rid of all expired foods.
o    Let the freezer defrost for a few hours before cleaning its interior.
o    Let your oven racks soak in hot, soapy water before scrubbing with a steel wool.
o   Put your oven in self-cleaning mode, or else apply grease cleaner the night before scrubbing it to facilitate the task.
o    Clean out all your cupboards; click here for tips.
o    Clean the inside and outside of your microwave oven.
o    Clean your coffee machine by running a cycle with white vinegar instead of water—omitting the coffee, of course! Run two cycles of water to rinse.

Tip: Clean the refrigerator from top to bottom so as to not have dust and crumbs fall on the just-cleaned surfaces.

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bevlaf
April 29, 2008 at 1:00 pm

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Does anyone really do this anymore? I do these jobs all year long so now there isn't really any need to do this tedious "spring cleaning" chores anymore.
- savvy50
  May 30, 2008 at 3:42 pm
  
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  It seems it has to be done constantly. With teenagers, nothing stays right. My biggest beef is trying to get things organized so that it is so easy and logical that they will just do it automatically. My last coup was to find a storage solution for kitchen knives so they would not be thrown into a drawer or left on the counter. I found this sturdy white plastic holder which fits on the inside panel of my lower cupboard door so the kids just have to open the door slightly, pick and use the knife (we go through bagels like they are candy) and then just slip in back in. I can't believe they are actually putting the knives away now! The name of the product is "knifaway" and I got it through a friend and it is just one more tiny step in my search for an organized home! (it guess this item is meant for condos and apartments but even if I have a large house, I just never have enough counter space)
Suzylee
May 23, 2008 at 3:05 pm

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I used to always carry a small sewing kit with me. Thanks for the reminder.
miss_kris
June 3, 2008 at 12:20 pm

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I think the toe loops would drive me nuts!
Rose56
November 18, 2008 at 11:39 am

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Why not add some of that double sided tape as well? Use it to fix a hem. It would be a lot faster & you can sew the hem properly later on.
moosie
July 13, 2010 at 10:44 am

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Word of Caution: Do not try to carry this sewing kit in your purse (or carry-on) if you are flying somewhere. I lost a good pair of scissors because I had accidentally put them in my carry-on after using the kit instead of back into the bag that was going to be stowed.