Spring is in full swing but since we still had some colder weather in April you may not have really wanted to jump into spring cleaning at that point. Now that we are in May and the weather is getting warmer and sunnier we wanted to share some of our best Spring Cleaning tips with you to make your home fresh and bright for the summer ahead.
1.) Check it all out: As you look around your home, do so with a new eye to it. What areas do you note that need the most work? These would be areas that you may skip over on your regular weekly cleaning. Make a list of what you need to do and work top down from room to room. Having a plan in place will keep you focused and also help you to feel accomplished as you go.
2.) Declutter: We all have clutter and often we accumulate things over the long, cold, winter months that we don’t necessarily need. When you declutter it makes your cleaning more efficient, keeps you feeling less cluttered in your mind as well as your home and allows you to find things easily when you are in need of them. Some areas to start decluttering are your closets, your home office and your drawers. Once you are done with this step note how you feel. Most likely you will feel lighter and more energetic.
3.) Where to start: As we mentioned above, cleaning top to bottom is key. You don’t want to vacume the floor and then dust everything back onto it. A vacuum with an extension hose would be best to get cobwebs and dust from higher places such as your ceiling, fans and lights and will save you more dust you have to clean below in the long run. Next move to dusting and scrubbing your cabinets and furniture so you can end with vacuuming and mopping your floor.
4.) The right vacuum: Do you have a good vacuum? If not you want to do some research and invest in a good one. This will save you time as well as help you long term in your cleaning. You don’t want to waste time fixing a broken vacuum all the time and you don’t want one that blows everything you vacuum up right out the back again. A high quality HEPA vacuum will clean up particles you didn’t even know were there. It will trap pet dander, allergens and all household particles in your home. Also be sure that your vacuum has attachments such as dusting brushes, crevice tools, and hoses that can be used to clean any location.
5.) Go Green: While you are helping your family you can also be helping the earth. Don’t expose your family to chemicals and toxins. There are a lot of great cleaners out there that are chemical free, smell great and clean amazingly. If you want to make your own cleaner, combine white distilled vinegar, baking soda, and water. These ingredients are affordable, non-toxic, and work great to clean thoroughly.
6.) Don’t Forget your Walls and Windows: You can easily clean your walls and blinds with a damp towel to get all the dust and dirt off of them. You also want to be sure to remove and wipe down window screens and vacuum out the window sills followed by wiping those out as well.
7.) Kitchen and Bathroom: While these may not be your favorite places to clean, they need a good cleaning because they are the most used areas of the home. Start in the kitchen and wipe down your cabinets. Clean out your pantry and refrigerator, get rid of anything old and wipe down the shelves. Scrub down your garbage container too. Disinfect it and wipe it down. Then move to your bathroom. Change your shower curtain if you need to or scrub down your shower walls and doors and get any soap scum off them. Scrub the floor of the shower and/or tub as well and rinse afterward. Go through your cabinets and properly discard any expired items. Check out your bathroom fan and clean it or install a new one if you need to.
8.) Air Vents: We often don’t really think about the air circulating in our home but we should. Clean or replace any filters such as your HVAC system to be sure your air quality is top notch. This is an overlooked and inexpensive way to be sure your family is breathing clean air.
9.) Keep allergies at bay: Allergies are interesting. You may not have experienced them before but something in the air could cause you or your family to suddenly experience this happening. These tips all outlined above will help to also keep allergies at bay as much as possible which will keep your family more comfortable. Air purifiers are another way to do this and making sure that your items in your home are hypoallergenic as much as possible.
10.) Bring in the light: If your home feels dark and heavy, you can make some easy adjustments to help bring in the light and ensure it feels much more airy and light. Add some colorful pillows or art in areas that seem dark. If you have darker walls paint them a lighter color to help the area seem larger. Replace items in your decor that feel heavy or dark to a lighter, brighter version. This will transform the feel of the room and also your own mindset around it. The areas you previously didn’t like being in may become your new favorite spots.
We hope these tips have helped you and given you some idea for your spring cleaning. While you are at it, the team here at John Scott Insurance would love to do a spring cleaning on your insurance policies to ensure your coverage is adequate for any new additions or even any downsizing that may have occurred for your family this past winter. Give us a call!