Spring brings beautiful weather, new life and an overwhelming urge to get your house in order. After months of being stuck indoors, it’s time to open up the windows, wipe off the dust and finally tackle that garage. As usual, 901 Properties is here to help!
Today, we’re sharing 10 tips for cleaning your house that will help you to maximize the sparkle and minimize the stress.
#1: Make a smart schedule
Writing out your game plan will help you stay focused. You can go room-by-room, completing each space before moving on to the next or choose to go task-by-task, vacuuming every room first, then cleaning the windows, then dusting, etc. You might also work best by “chunking your time” in 20 to 30-minute increments.
#2: Organize and purge
Instead of cleaning around items you don’t need – get rid of them! Studies show that a messy, disorganized home adds stress to your life. (Yikes.) As you’re organizing, fill three bins: one for donation, one for trash and one for recycling.
Declutter by:
- Going through closets and dressers, getting rid of any and all clothes you don’t wear or that are outdated, dingy or just dunzo
- Organize your office, recycle old documents, donate books you don’t need anymore, scan old papers to keep as digital copies and recycle the hard copies
- Dive into the scary junk drawer, playroom and garage
- Go through your makeup drawer and toss items you don’t use anymore
- Organize your medicine cabinet and throw away expired items
#3 Get the fam to help
What’s gonna work? Teamwork! Yep, delegate some tasks. And mix it up so everyone gets to help with each job. Play some music to liven things up! (We won’t tell anyone that you totally used your broom as a microphone.)
#4: Filters
Replacing HVAC and furnace filters is often overlooked but shouldn’t be since it has such a huge impact on your air quality and utility bills. It’s a must!
#5: Kitchen sink, dishwasher, microwave
Stinky and musty? Cleaning sinks and dishwashers is easy and cheap.
- Sink: Drop orange or lemon rinds into the disposal with cold water. Presto, cleano!
- Dishwashers: Remove the bottom dish rack to clean food out of the drain. (Yeah, it’s kinda gross.) Then, put a cup of white vinegar in a dishwasher-safe container on the top rack. Run the hot-water cycle. Sprinkle one cup of baking soda on the bottom of the dishwasher and run a short, hot-water cycle.
- Microwave: Put 1 cup of water and several tablespoons of vinegar in a microwave-safe bowl. Nuke it for a few minutes — until it begins to boil and steam up the window. Leave the cup inside, letting it cool for 15 minutes. Take the cup out and easily wipe down the inside with a sponge.
#6: Reusable grocery bags
These bags are wonderful for Planet Earth but can get yucky with all the food they carry, especially fruits and veggies. Turn the bags inside out and throw them in the washing machine.
#7: Refrigerator
Your fridge works hard! Show it some love. Take out all the food and shelving. Wipe down every part of the inside of the fridge with warm, soapy water.
#8: Shower curtain
You can wash a plastic or vinyl shower curtain. (Who knew?!) Toss it in the washing machine on the gentle cycle with detergent. Throw in a couple towels, which will help get the curtain cleaner. Hang it to dry.
#9: Shower drain
To freshen up the drains, mix 1/2 cup baking soda with 1/4 cup table salt. Pour it down the drain; then pour in 1 cup of heated vinegar. It’ll get bubbly and foamy. After 15 minutes, run hot water for 15–30 seconds.
#10: Windows
Use glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth. It’s best to clean windows on a cloudy day because direct sunlight can lead to streaks. Wipe inside AND out. And don’t forget about the screen, too.
We hope your spring cleaning projects are relatively painless and help bring new life to your property.
We want to hear from you!
Reach out to our experienced 901 Properties realtors and property managers for more spring cleaning tips, plus any and all things real estate.
