Spring Cleaning Checklist

Spring Cleaning Checklist

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• Open the windows throughout your house.
• Remove your window coverings.  Most drapes can be washed in your machine.  Pay close attention to drying instructions though. Some can be put in the dryer while others will need to hang dry. Pull your blinds down and soak them for an hour in the bathtub with half a cup of vinegar, filling the bathtub with hot water until the blinds are covered, going back to swish them around every once in a while.  For wooden blinds, use a mild wood cleaner and an old sock. Using your fingertip wipe each blind slat; top and bottom.  After cleaning your blinds wiping them with a used dryer sheet will help repel dust.
• Launder the linens on the beds in your home, even the mattress covers if you can.  Sprinkle baking soda on your mattresses and let it sit for about an hour.  Using a vacuum hand tool vacuum the baking soda.  It’ll refresh your mattresses.  Also, if you are able to this would be a great time to flip your mattresses as well.
•  Wipe walls, baseboards, and chair rails using a mild detergent and warm water with a soft sponge.  For hard to reach places a sponge mob works well too.  Two buckets; one with your soap solution and the other for rinsing your sponge or mop makes this task much easier.
• Throw away old magazines, newspapers, coupons, etc.  Go through your files and rid yourself of bills, paperwork, files you no longer need.  For sensitive information make sure you have a quality paper shredder.
• Wipe out your refrigerator and throw away any old condiments.  You can make a baking soda, warm water solution to deodorize and clean the fridge.  This is also a good time to clean the coils of your refrigerator.  Most new refrigerators have casters that making rolling it out much easier.  Just use a vacuum hand brush to clean the coils and an extension to get into hard to reach areas.
• Scrub that oven.  We all hate it but I am sure after Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners being cooked in it, it needs a good scrubbing.  Of course oven cleaner works well but if you do not like the fumes or the harshness you can always make a Soapy Ammonia solution.  DIY websites pretty much all have the recipe and it makes a great grease cutter.
• Remove knickknacks, books, CDs, DVDs, etc. from shelves and dust your home thoroughly.  Make sure you get those ceiling fans and light fixtures!  After dusting, run a used dryer sheet over your electronics, especially television and computer monitor screens.  The sheets being designed to reduce static cling will counteract the electrical charge that attracts dust to these and will help keep it from resettling on them for a few days more than normal.
• Organize drawers and closets.  Donate clothes your family no longer wants or can wear.
• Scrub your bathroom(s) thoroughly.  Remove toilet seats and clean brackets and mounting holes or replace entirely.  Re-grout tile if needed or add new caulking around your tub and fixtures.  Used dry sheets also make good polishers on stainless steel faucets.
• Sweep and mop floors.  Use the appropriate wax to restore luster and shine to dull linoleum, tile, and hardwood floors.  You could even save yourself some time by using a cleaner with a wax in it.  For hardwood floors I love Murphy’s Oil Soap.  It isn’t harsh and it will not strip your floor.  Just remember like anything you plan on cleaning your hardwood floor with to test it in an inconspicuous area before using.
• Vacuum your rugs and carpets thoroughly.  To save time instead of moving furniture completely out of the room, move accordingly to where you need to vacuum.  Same thing when you are cleaning your carpets.  Once you are finished, just slide your furniture back into place and put wax paper under the feet to keep them from getting water damage until the carpet is dry.

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