A few specific tasks, done only once or twice a year will freshen up your entire home, try these time saving tips to your own cleaning routine.
Do you clean your home every day?
If you don’t, they say you really should…. I’m not saying “full cleaning”, but they say if you follow some of these tips when it comes to “spring cleaning” it’s only limited to t
Daily preventive tasks: Keep your kitchen organized and clean, wash dish’s daily or put them in the dishwasher if you have one, wipe down counters / surfaces after each meal with a damp rag. Pick up the mess at the end of day; newspapers on the sofa, coffee table, TV clickers all around the room, empty drink glasses sitting around, dessert dish’s sitting about. Take 5 minuets and pick up the dirty dishes and put them in the sink to wash with the breakfast dishes, pick up the newspapers, pick up the babies toys, and put the TV controllers at a designated location every night. You’ll be surprised in time others will pick up on these tasks.
Make your bed each morning, I know some people say they don’t have time. Have you ever timed how long it really takes to make a bed? Really, I timed it and it took me about 54 seconds to pull up the sheets, place 2 shams on the bed, and 5 throw pillows, that’s even with walking around a King size bed. Making your bed daily really has both physical and mental positive effects to your day, and it teaches your children to keep “their” space clean.
Teaching your child good habits can be really easy, at The Trendy Bed we carry Inseparable sheets in 100% cotton, cotton blend, and flannel; check them out at The Trendy Bed.com.
Bathrooms: Try to keep your bathroom organized, there should be a place for everything, hair brush’s in the drawer, hair dryer in drawer or rack, curling iron in drawer or holder. Here is a picture of the holder/rack my husband made for me, I love it. Home Depot little wooden table top, he cut it and drilled the holes in different sizes to fit 3 curling irons and 1 hair dryer.
If you keep up with the daily touch-ups, your weekly cleaning can really get done in a few hours, and your spring cleaning is really just that!
Windows, Doors, Walls : Wash your windows on a cloudy day, when you wash them on a hot sunny day the cleaning solution will dry too fast and you’ll have streaks. Try this washing solution: 1/2 cup of sudsy ammonia, one pint of rubbing alcohol, one teaspoon dishwashing liquid, and one gallon of water. Tip: Other than washing on a cloudy day, to determine whether streaks are on the inside or outside, wipe with vertical strokes on one side of the window, horizontal on the other.
Scrub and vacuum sliding glass door tracks. You’ll appreciate doing this once the outdoor entertaining season gets into full swing. Tip: Use an OLD toothbrush to loosen debris in the track, then using your vacuum hose to remove it debris and the finish with a wet rage or sponge.
Wipe down your baseboards, door frames and walls. These can get overlooked during the year, but once a year give them some T.L.C. Wash them with a sponge and a squirt of dishwashing liquid mixed in a bucket of warm water. Tip: Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for spot-cleaning, good for those big boys, and little men fingerprints, scuffs, and even crayon marks I’ve been told.
Floors: Deep clean your carpet and rugs. Should be done every 12 to 18 months, granted depends on the number of people living in your home, if you have pets or not, and where is your carpeting. Mine is only in the bedrooms and the “formal” rooms in the home, so once a year is perfect for me. This is where you can have them professionally done, rent them from your local grocery store for a day or two, or invest in your own if you have pets.
This is the time to move the furniture and clean under and behind… Tip: If your range has a drawer, remove the drawer and vacuum underneath. If you can slide out your appliances, now’s a good time to clean under and behind those also.
Furniture, Fabric, Fixtures: If you are having your carpets professionally done, now’s a good time to also have them clean your upholstery. Restore smooth leather with an upholstery/ leather cleaner and conditioner.
Window Treatment: In all likelihood, your curtains and draperies aren’t dirty enough to launder. To clean, go over them thoroughly with the upholstery attachment on your vacuum. I do this at home about every 3 months because I love to have my windows and doors open, helps to keep them looking fresh. Tip: To remove dust from sheer curtains, put them in the dryer on LOW with a fabric softener sheet, clean and smelling good also.
Dust your light fixtures, ceiling fans, and lightbulbs. Using one of those microfiber or lint-free cloth to dust fixtures and bulbs you can reach. For the ceiling fans you can skip the ladder and use an extendable duster, good to wipe those high light bulbs also.
Spring cleaning is one of those hate it and love it tasks… Hate doing all the work, but we LOVE it when it’s all done.
Nothing better than a nice, clean home to make your home, “The Trendy Home”…
