Warmer weather triggers the urge to throw open the windows. And that’s when we see it: the pet hair, dust, mud and muck that overrun closed-up homes during the winter. But who really wants to take down drapes, whack the dirt out of rugs or wash the walls in the spring the way Grandma did?
Spring cleaning for today’s consumer is more about banishing the cobwebs from our minds than tackling the ones on our walls. Decluttering can offer the same psychological boost as that annual warm-weather cleaning rite.
“People are so busy today that if their homes just look neater, they feel cleaner, even when they aren’t,” says Carolyn Forte with the Good Housekeeping Research Institute in New York.
Finishing one big project gives a sense of accomplishment, she says. Organize a closet, clean out the garage or sort through junk in the basement.
“Do something that’s been nagging at you,” Forte says. “Then you (will) feel ready to welcome the new season.”
This new, holistic idea of “clean” also has revolutionized cleaning products. Disposable wipes, for instance, now enable people to integrate cleaning into a daily or weekly routine instead of leaving it as an onerous task at the end of the week.
Teamwork helps, too: A family of four can clean a 2,000-square-foot house in one day if they organize and delegate, says Susy Johnson, branch manager for the Merry Maids franchise in Parker. Here is the spring cleaning strategy that Johnson suggests:
Decide who will be responsible for certain areas of the home. Put the sponges, rags, mops, brooms, cleaning products needed to clean a specific space in that room.
Separate jobs based on “wet work” and “dry work.” Wet work involves water, such as cleaning the bathrooms, while dry work means dusting, vacuuming.
Offer the team a reward once the work is finished, like dinner out or a ski trip.
Decide how much time to invest on each room. Declutter first by tossing items into baskets labeled “charity,” “garbage” and “not in the right place.” Get rid of the garbage right away. Call a favorite charity to pick up that box before it becomes clutter. Put the items in the third box in their place.
“At this time of the year, all you want to do is be outdoors as much as possible,” Johnson says. “Follow these tips and you will be outside in no time.”
Staff writer Sheba R. Wheeler can be reached at 303-954-1283 or swheeler@denverpost.com.
Make a plan and have supplies on hand helps to lighten the Spring cleaning load
Windows
Dirty, streaky windows is a tell-tale sign the house needs freshening up.
Forte recommends using a window cleaner and a microfiber cloth to eliminate lint. Wash the windows in the shade, not direct sunlight. The heat dries the cleaner too quickly and streaks.
Johnson says keep the windows closed for a while to prevent more dust and allergens from getting into the home.
Her homemade cleaning solution includes putting a few drops of dishwashing liquid in a bucket of water and using a squeegee to wipe off excess. Move from top to bottom, and from a dry area to a wet area to get every angle of the window. Wipe the blade dry each time you pick up the squeegee.
Floors
Johnson says 80 percent of the dust in the home is carried in on shoes. Place a mat inside and outside of each entryway to trap it. For hardwood floors, Use a mixture of vinegar and water. For carpet, consider hiring a professional steam cleaner or renting a machine and doing it yourself.
One last tip: When scrubbing floors, use two buckets – one should be filled with cleaning solution and water, the other should be empty. Wet a sponge with the cleaning solution, then ring the dirty water out in the empty bucket to keep cleaning solution fresh.
Storage
This chore includes walk-in closets, garages, basements and cellars. The best tip for keeping clean-up minimal in storage spaces is to install cedar planks and panels that help keep these areas moisture- and bug-free, according to Pat Simpson, host of the HGTV series “Before and After” and “Fit It Up.”
“There was a reason Grandma would put quilts and seasonal clothing in those cedar boxes,” Simpson says. “A walk-in closet can be done with cedar panels for under $350.”
Driveways, decks and fences
This chore includes vinyl siding and outdoor furniture. Consider renting a power pressure washer since these surfaces take a pounding during the winter months.
The average price is about $60 a day for the small, cold water unit, says Gary Lewis with the Home Depot Tool Rental Center. Just be sure to avoid cleaning windows with it.
The narrower the tip of a pressure washer, the more concentrated the pressure. Aim for a wider, 25- to 40-degree tip as smaller tips can be dangerous. Home Depot, for instance, doesn’t allow customers to use a 0 point tip because it produces a concentrated stream of water that’s powerful enough to put a hole through someone’s hand.
As long as you are outside, clean out the gutters too. Gutters clogged with leaves, twigs and other debris can cause overflows that rot out wood. Overflows also can seep into a home’s foundation, causing basements and cellars to get damp.
Living room
Pull out the furniture and vacuum behind it and along the baseboard. Vacuum the upholstery, especially if meals and snacks are eaten frequently here. Then, wipe down the walls with a dry Swiffer.
The fireplace hearth also tends to get icky this time of year. Cover the floor around the fireplace with a drop cloth. Mix up a concoction of high alkaline cleaner – one that doesn’t contain ammonia or bleach – with one ounce of bleach per gallon of warm water. Wet the fireplace surface with the solution and then scrub it with a brush.
Next, wash rugs or shake them out and hang them up for fresh air.
Don’t ignore the ceilings. Furnace heating pushes hot air, cobwebs and dust into hard to reach places on the ceiling as well around return air vents. Changing filters more often will help control dust, but an old fashioned broom or telescoping pole with a feather duster attached on the end also gets the job done.
Kitchens
Since kitchens and bathrooms tend to be cleaned throughout the year, use spring for deep cleaning in these rooms.
Start with a degreaser since Kitchen dust tends to be greasy. Clean the top of the fridge, then tackle the inside. Take out all the food and wipe down the shelves.
Wash behind canisters and pull out cupboard shelves and drawers. Wipe down knobs, hardware and drawer pulls where fingers leave smudges. Clean the exhaust fan too.
Bathrooms
Beware of mold. Simpson says its not uncommon to see black mold growing along the walls, around the sink and in exposed grout lines in the shower. His favorite tool: A water spray bottle filled with 50 percent water and 50 percent bleach. Spray on the mixture, let it soak in and then rinse it with warm soapy water. He is also a big fan of TSP, or Trisodium phosphate – found in the paint section of the hardware store – because this heavy degreaser and all purpose cleaner has a fungicide and mildicide.
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How to get stains out
Spots and stains don’t have to ruin your favorite upholstery or fabric. The designers at countrycurtains.com offer these ideas for getting a stain out of almost any fabric. Remember, acting fast prevents a temporary spot from becoming a permanent stain. Here’s how:
Blot the remaining liquid with a clean rag or white paper towels.
Soak the fabric in cold water as soon as the accident happens to make sure the stain doesn’t set.
Pre-treat fabric with a concentrated stain remover before laundering.
Club soda or seltzer is an age-old remedy that still outperforms many commercial stain fighters. Keep a bottle for emergencies.
Salt works well for cleaning liquid and food stains. Sprinkle a heavy layer of it on the affected spot to keep it from setting. Then, launder as usual. -Country Curtains
