Spring Cleaning Made Easy

It’s an exciting time of year.  The sun makes a little more of an appearance as opposed to a peep show every now and again and there’s that smell in the air.  It is the smell of flowers and trees welcoming the nourishing rain, the smell of people coming out from their homes, where they have been hiding all winter long.

Perhaps the abundance of life that springs up at this time of year is responsible, but the season is synonymous with spring-cleaning.  People use these few months as an opportunity to fling open the windows in their house and reduce the clutter.

While it may seem to be a rather daunting task, spring-cleaning can be a snap, so long as you don’t aspire to get it all done in a day.  Heck, not even Facebook was done in a day.  Plan to do one or two of these tasks over the course of the week and you’ll be way ahead of the game.

Windows

Go ahead and complain, but windows are responsible for making sure that the sun gets in and that the rest of the weather stays out.  They may have taken a beating since last spring, so you should probably give them a little TLC.  To make your life simpler, use a handheld rubber squeegee.  You can find them inexpensively at any dollar store.  With a little Windex (or vinegar, whatever fits your fancy) and a bit of elbow grease, your windows will be filtering through that sparkling sunshine right to you in no time.

Window Treatments

This is a great time to beat the tar out of your curtains and wipe down wood and aluminum blinds.  For wood blinds, you can use a hardwood floor cleaner like Murphy’s Oil on a cloth to make them look (and smell) fabulous.  For aluminum, you can use dip a cloth in some Lysol and work it between the slats.

Wood Floors

Hardwood flooring is no doubt stunning, but can be a handful if not properly cared for and maintained.  Check that all of your furniture has proper padding on the feet and replace any that is worn away.  If your floors are showing signs of wear, a good rub down and wax will make them sparkle.  For heavier damage, have a professional strip and stain them.

Bedrooms

Spring is a fabulous time to capitalize on the latest trends and give your bedroom an amazingly modern, fresh look.  Take a gander down the linens aisle the next time you’re out shopping and pick up a fun, very spring set.

Kitchen

Who likes cleaning out the fridge?  Anyone?  No one likes the idea of having to remove everything from the fridge to wipe it down.  Mostly, it is the fear of finding some smelly science experiment hiding at the back of the fruit drawer.  All the same, it needs to be done.  Remove all of the removable shelving and drawers and wash them down with warm soapy water.  Stick a new box of baking soda in and rearrange the shelves to change things up a bit.

We’ll leave you with the most important tip of all:  get outside!  Don’t let all of that beautiful balmy spring weather go to waste.  Pace yourself with the spring cleaning and your house will look all shiny and new before you know it.