Here's What You Need To Put Onto Your Spring Cleaning Checklist
While spring cleaning may not be the most exciting part of the new season, it brings a warm feeling of renewal to the home. Keeping your home fresh and updated will help you maintain clutter-free spaces year after year. Plus, it will leave you with fewer things to clean and take care of.
You can easily predict many of the items on a spring-cleaning checklist: Storing winter clothes, donating the old clothing and items you no longer use, and dusting furniture, per Merry Maids. However, there are several chores that don't always make it onto the checklist. Perhaps it's because they seem unnecessary, or because you had never even thought of them. A deep clean of your pantry and freezer, for instance, will remind you to throw out expired products and keep your food-storage areas sanitized, per Taste of Home. Plus, it will create newfound storage space for other foods and ingredients. By remembering to do the uncommon chores, you may save yourself a great deal of cleaning, and money, down the road.
Cleaning your baseboards, oven, and windows
One of the most commonly neglected areas of any household are the baseboards. The small ledges that line every room might seem insignificant, but no room will look completely clean if the baseboards aren't washed. According to HGTV, the best way to clean these surfaces is to first vacuum them to remove dirt and dust. If you don't have a vacuum, try running a Swiffer duster or a small whisk broom along the baseboards instead. From there, wipe the surfaces down with a damp cloth, or a sponge and disinfectant.
In addition, many people don't realize that they can and should clean their ovens. As reported by Cooker Solutions, ovens collect a buildup of spilled food, residue, and germs over time. If left uncleaned, they may not be as efficient and might even fail altogether. Fortunately, Kitchn states that you can easily clean your oven with a mixture of baking soda and white vinegar. Let the mix sit in the oven overnight. In the morning, use a cloth and a brush to scrub away dirt and residue.
Lastly, cleaning your windows will immediately brighten your rooms. Good Housekeeping suggests doing so by first removing dirt and dust with a vacuum, brush, rag, or Swiffer duster. Then, spray the glass with a household cleaner or a homemade solution of water, white vinegar, and rubbing alcohol. A microfiber cloth or strong paper towels will help you remove dirt quickly.