I recently read an instagram post that made me laugh. Maybe of you have seen it….”Home isolation has its ups and downs. One day you’re flying high and cleaning the baseboards with a q-tip, and the next day your drinking tequila and watching the squirrels out the window. There’s no in between.” I can identify with this based the last month and having a family at home. While the sun is out and your feeling ready take note of some of these amazing cleaning tips.
Nothing feels quite as satisfying as coming home to a clean house. Since cleaning your house from top to bottom can be overwhelming — not to mention, time-consuming — take it room by room (or appliance by appliance) with these tried-and-tested spring cleaning tips. No matter if you have five minutes to freshen up or an entire weekend to spare, give all your home’s trouble spots a refresh with these cleaning how-tos from Carolyn Forte, director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab. And while you might not think about cleaning your reusable shopping bags or vacuum on a regular basis, spring cleaning season is the perfect time to spruce up your daily go-tos, especially since they collect dirt and grime just like everything else.
It’s up to you: Go slide-by-slide for a whole home makeover or tackle your home’s dirtiest spots (the microwave, junk drawer, you name) when you have some extra time on your hands. Either way, you’ll have a cleaner, more livable space in no time.
Your Doormats
Trap more dirt by using two mats, one outside the door and one inside. To refresh, hose off and air-dry mats. Vacuum indoor ones on both sides — going over the back will push trapped dirt out onto the floor where it will be easier to pick up.
Your Windows
Wait for an overcast day and start on the shady side of the house, as direct sun can lead to streaks. “Raise blinds or shades and wash windows with glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth,” says Carolyn Forte, Director of the Cleaning Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute. “Then lower the blinds and vinyl shades and dust with a duster like Swiffer and finish by vacuuming fabric shades and drapes.”
Your Kitchen Sink
Got kitchen stink you just can’t kick? Try running a couple of lemon rind slivers through your garbage disposal and follow with cold water to dispel the smell.
Your Microwave
Enough with the tomato sauce stains — this trick will make cleaning ’em up easier. Place large microwave-safe bowl with 1 cup of water and a chopped-up lemon, lime, or orange or several tablespoons of vinegar inside. Turn the appliance on high for several minutes or until the solution boils and the window is steamy, then let it sit to cool for 15 minutes before opening the door. Remove and wipe out the inside and outside with a sponge.
Your Grocery Bags
Reusable grocery bags cut down on wasteful plastic, but they can get grimy with time. Run your reusable bags through the washer regularly to remove any lingering food bacteria, turning them inside out before you toss them in. Pay attention to the bag’s fabric when selecting a dryer setting.
Your Countertops
Dig out the granite polish to restore shine and help repel stains on your kitchen surfaces. For daily wipe-downs, use a specialized cleaner, like GH Seal star Weiman Granite & Stone Daily Cleaner & Polish. The mild formulas cut grease and remove surface stains without the damaging effects of vinegar or ammonia, and they won’t leave behind a dull film like ordinary dish soap can.
Your Cutting Boards
If you think that nasty mark is permanent, you’re wrong. Run the cut side of a lemon over the board to remove food stains and smells. Want an extra cleaning oomph? Sprinkle it with salt or baking soda first.
Your Fridge
You probably wipe down your fridge’s interior shelving on the regular already, but don’t forget about the rest. Pop out the door shelves and bins, and wash in warm, soapy water to get rid of food bacteria and spillage.
RELATED: The Best Way to Organize a Fridge
Your Pots and Pans
Soften burned-on residue by adding water and dish liquid to your cookware and letting it simmer on the stove. Use Brillo pads to remove any remaining stuck-on bits. Ketchup (yes, really!) helps dissolve tarnish on copper pots and other copper cooking accessories. Just massage the red sauce over the surface and add a pinch of salt to your polish if you come across exceptionally stubborn spots.
RELATED: How to Clean a Burnt Pot or Pan
Your Oven
Use your appliance’s self-cleaning function to remove stubborn, baked-on grime. If your oven doesn’t have one, place a hot, wet cloth on top of burned spots to help soften the gunk. Then scrub with a heavy-duty pad and wipe dry.
RELATED: How to Clean an Oven Quickly
Your Kitchen Cabinets
Sticky kitchen grime is a mix of dust and grease that builds up over time. Run the exhaust hood over your range every time you cook to keep grease from settling. To de-gunk, use Parker & Bailey Kitchen Cabinet Cream because it cuts through dirt and leaves wood moisturized. Do an extra pass around door and drawer pulls and other places where grease collects.
Your Stainless Steel
To make this surface sparkle again (see ya, fingerprints), mix a solution of 1 teaspoon dish detergent and 1 quart hot tap water. Using a microfiber cloth, rub the detergent solution onto the marks in small sections, going with the grain. Rinse with clean hot water only, and dry immediately with a clean cloth.
Your Junk Drawer
Start small and pick your stash spot. Empty it out and suck up dust with your vacuum’s nozzle. “Toss or relocate any items you no longer need or that don’t belong there,” Forte says. Everything else goes back, but this time in an organized manner. Repurpose pretty plates and bowls to store cords, stamps, and other odds and ends. A nonslip liner will keep them in place.
RELATED: 15 Desk Organization Ideas That Will Boost Your Productivity
Your Shower Curtain
Yep, you can wash a plastic or vinyl curtain in your washing machine. Do it on the gentle cycle with detergent and add a couple of bath towels for extra cleaning power. Then hang it to dry. To keep the curtain cleaner longer, spritz it a few times each month with a bleach-containing all-purpose cleaner. Then just let the shower rinse it off (before you hop in).
RELATED: How to Get Rid of Mold and Mildew
Your Makeup
Getting rid of expired makeup, skincare, and hair products is a quick way to declutter. Not all products note an expiration date, but many say how many months the product will last after opening. “To stay on top of their expiration date, use a thin-tipped permanent marker to write on the date you opened it,” suggests organizing expert, Jeffrey Phillip.
Your Makeup Brushes
To degunk your favorite foundation brush, squeeze a few drops of shampoo or dish liquid into your palm and rub the bristle tips into the soap, then gently work the suds through them. To rinse, hold the brush (bristles down) under warm running water. Gently shake over the sink to remove excess water, and lay the brush down on a paper towel to finish drying.
Your Grout
Trust us when we say this 15-minute task makes a huge difference in your bathroom if you have white (not colored) grout. “Spray grout with Good Housekeeping Lab pick CLR Bath & Kitchen Cleaner,” says Forte. “Let it set for several minutes, then scrub with a stiff brush like the Casabella Smart Scrub Grout Brush and rinse.”
SHOP CLR CLEANER
Your Shower Drain
To freshen drains (not unclog them) and help keep them free-flowing, mix 1/2 cup baking soda with 1/4 cup table salt. Pour the mixture down the drain, followed by 1 cup heated vinegar. It will foam and bubble. Let it stand for 15 minutes — longer does not work any better. Follow by running hot tap water for at least 15 to 30 seconds. This is especially good for seldom-used drains, like in a guest bathroom.
Your Furniture
“Pull furniture away from walls and vacuum behind and under it,” Forte says. “Do the woodwork and air vents while you’re back there.” Then switch the upholstery tool on your machine to go over both sides of cushions and underneath them. The crevice tool can help degunk along the trim and stitching.
Your Curtains
Put your dryer to work and toss drapes, curtains, and even throw pillows in the dryer for 15 minutes on the “air-only” cycle, then rehang immediately to avoid wrinkles.
Your Bookshelves
After all of those cozy winter reading sessions, your library (and likely your kid’s too!) is in need of a cleanup. Take a few minutes to organize your coffee table books, bedside novels, or favorite magazines. You can alphabetize, coordinate by color, or sort by size. And don’t forget to dust!
Your Ceilings
Spring cleaning season is all about focusing on the spots you forget about the rest of the year. Grab an extendable duster and attack ceiling fans, hanging and recessed lights, moldings and more.
Your Kids’ Toys
Don’t overlook the convenience of your dishwasher. It can take on more than just plates, including your children’s (and pet’s) plastic toys. Just choose the crystal or quick cycle and skip the heated dry. For stuffed animals, check the care tag first and then gather in a mesh bag or pillowcase and throw in the washer on a gentle cycle. A quick once-over with a lint roller can help too.
RELATED: Toy Storage Organization Ideas That Will Get Kids to Clean Up
Your Bedding
It’s time to tackle bulky items you typically avoid, like pillows and comforters. You only need to clean these items two or three times a year, so they should be at the top of your list during spring cleaning season. But make sure you check the manufacturer’s label before tossing ’em into the washing machine.
Your Mattress
Spring cleaning is the perfect time to pay attention to the thing under the sheets. Press firmly with your vacuum’s upholstery and crevice tools to clean the top and sides. After cleaning, rinse with a damp cloth, bolt dry, and sanitize with a disinfectant spray like Lysol. Steam from a garment steamer or iron will also kill dust mites near the surface. Vacuum afterwards.
Your Closet
Go through clothes and shoes from the season that’s just ended — and remove anything stained, in need of repair, or worn out, Phillip advises. Make a second pass through spring and summer clothes as you take them out of storage. Try on anything you’re unsure about before giving it closet space.
RELATED: 30 Super-Smart Tips for Your Most Organized Closet Ever
Your Washing Machine
Before you start to notice an odor in your appliance, disinfect it by running the special washer cleaning cycle with bleach or using a washing machine cleaner, like GH Seal star Tide Washing Machine Cleaner.
Your Dryer
More than 15,000 fires start in home laundry rooms every year, according to the National Fire Protection Association (yikes!). Beyond removing the fuzz from your dryer’s filter after every load, pull out hard-to-reach lint with the crevice tool on your vacuum to suck up debris. Vacuum under, around, and behind the dryer as well.
Your Phone
Bad news: Your cell phone probably harbors more germs than your toilet seat. That’s why you should give it a once over with an alcohol wipe to zap germs, as well as other electronics, like your TV remote and computer mouse.
SHOP WIPES
Your Purse
Take everything out, toss trash, and organize items by category. Sort smaller items, like lipsticks, into little pouches or purse organizers, before you put them back inside. And wipe it down the exterior with a disinfectant wipe while you’re at it.
RELATED: The Best Handbag Organizers for Getting Your Messy Purse in Order
Your Vacuum
Yes, you have to clean your cleaners. Replace the bag, clean the dust cup, and replace or wash the filters. Snip threads snarled in the brush with scissors or a seam ripper.
RELATED: The Best Vacuums You Can Buy
Your Broom
Another cleaner that needs to be cleaned! Clear any dust bunnies stuck on your broom’s bristles by swishing the broom head around in warm, soapy water, or vacuum it with the end of the vacuum hose.
Your Patio Furniture
With warmer weather on the horizon, it’s time to get your outdoor furniture ready for lounging. To do this, add a squirt of dish detergent to a bowl of warm water, then wipe down tables and chairs. Finish it all off with a spray of water from the garden hose.
Article from: Better Hones and Gardens
Written by: Lauren Smith McDonough and Caroline Picard
Jan 23, 2020
Photography by: Claire and Barrett