6 Spring Cleaning Tips for Inside and Outside Your Home
When spring comes around, you can’t help but want to start making everything fresh again. Maybe it’s something about being cooped up all winter, but nesting and cleaning seem to be the natural thing to do when the days start getting warmer and longer. Here are some tips to remember for this year’s spring cleaning.
Clean the sink, disposal, and trash can.
Don’t forget to clean the things you clean things with. Start by cleaning your sink with soap and water, spray a mist of vinegar, then a mist of hydrogen peroxide to disinfect. For your disposal, stick a lemon, salt, and ice cubes down the disposal. This combination kills bad odors and residue. You can also buy pre-made disposal deodorizers. Last, clean the trash can! Use the hose to pressure-wash your trash can and then turn it over to air dry.
Clean the places you keep your food.
Make sure you clean the pantry and the refrigerator. Over the year, things get shoved to the back of the pantry or the refrigerator, forgotten about, and then eventually expire. It’s best to get that stuff out before you really need a can of beans just to find out the one you have expired three months ago. That goes for the refrigerator, too. Keeping your refrigerator clean will prevent any weird smells from developing and probably cut down on the amount of times someone has to wonder if the mayonnaise or ketchup is still good.
Dust thoroughly, inside and out.
During the year, we all just do a quick dusting pass to say we did it right before company comes over, but for spring cleaning, you should do an all over dusting job. Spring cleaning is the time when you should take all of the photos off the mantle, get the chair and dust all of the ceiling fan blades, and move furniture to dust behind there, too. Make a point to change air filters, sweep the chimney, and take a look at all of the air vents at the same time. You can even “dust” the exterior of the house by attaching a spray nozzle to your hose and washing off a year’s worth of grime. You’ll be amazed by how bright the paint looks after a good wash.
Check for drafts and water damage.
It’s been a long, rough winter and the best time to prepare for the next winter is right as this one ends. Right now you can remember which rooms felt unusually cold, and this is the best time to check for drafts and faulty insulation. It is also cheaper to repair all these little things before everyone is rushing to do them in the fall, and of course it will also save you money throughout the year on heating and cooling. Water damage is something that can sneak up on you; just because that little spot looks small isn’t a reason to ignore it for later. You should take the time to investigate any water spots just to make sure it’s not the tip of an iceberg.
Don’t forget your home’s exterior!
Spring cleaning for the home includes the whole house, not just the interior. Remember that winter storms can do a number on the exterior of your home, just like being stuck indoors all winter can destroy the inside. So take a walk around the house and check for storm damage, chipped or peeling paint, or other winter dents and dings on your home exterior. You can easily touch things up with a can of extra paint and a few turns of a screwdriver. If you want to take it a step further, you can also add elements like new planter boxes or decorative shutters to really start fresh!
Spruce up your yard too.
If you really hate yard work, remember that this isn’t for your neighbors. This is for you. Having a pretty home exterior means you’ll get to see it every time you come home. And you can feel proud of yourself for all your hard work. So get outside and spring clean the yard as well as the house exterior. Trim off those broken branches and prune back those dead vines. Rake up any debris in your yard and either shred them for mulch or properly dispose of them. You can usually get yard debris bags from your local hardware store, and they can help you find out when yard trash pickup is in your neighborhood.
No matter if you go crazy and tackle the whole list or only do a few things, it’s important to have a spring cleaning session once the cold of winter has eased up a bit. Cleaning both the interior and exterior of your home in the spring also helps you start the new year off on the right foot with everything in order. You never know, you might even inspire your neighbors to do the same!