It’s a new season at Lancaster Homes; one brimming with excitement and the promise of tomorrow. Warmer weather is on its way and we’re taking more and more time for ourselves to get outside and receive some well needed fresh air. Yet inside our homes, we face the sometimes daunting task of organizing our belongings to prepare for the warmer seasons. Whether that means decluttering and organizing, putting our winter gear away for the year or simply giving our living space a refresh, spring cleaning doesn’t have to be a chore (just ask Monica Gellar from Friends). Take a look at our favourite spring cleaning tips to make your house feel calm, clean and beautiful:
1. Create a Checklist
Getting started is often the most difficult when tackling your cleaning endeavours. Our advice to get you started: create a cleaning checklist. It helps to organize your tasks and ensures no mattress goes unturned. You can easily divide your list by room, and check off every task as you go, which is not only incredibly satisfying but makes cleaning easy and organized.
2. Clean One Room at a Time
This one may seem obvious to some but when faced with an entire home to scrub, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Selecting one room to clean at a time is the best way to tackle the space and really achieve a thorough clean. Move through the room slowly and organize your actions – pick up items off the floor, declutter surfaces and move your items around in order to make space for any scrubbing or dusting that needs to happen.
3. Vacuum EVERYTHING
Vacuuming isn’t just for your floor. It’s a fast and easy way to pick up any crumbs, dust or hair off your surfaces. Your new favourite vacuum cleaner attachment are horsehair brushes, which are soft on surfaces, so you won’t create any scratches and will still pick everything up. This is particularly useful when you tackle your bathrooms. Before you scrub your floors and countertops, give it a quick hoover to ensure you’re not spreading dust all over the place.
4. Declutter and Organize
One of the most important aspects of spring cleaning is diminishing clutter. Just because something is clean doesn’t mean it’s organized. Identify your main problem areas in a room and ask yourself why it looks the way it does. Sometimes looking for organizational inspiration helps to drive innovative ideas you can easily implement. You can also sort your belongings using the “4 container method”. At the end of the day, the most important part is consistency. Will you stick with your new method of organizing? Or is it too complicated and tiresome on an everyday basis?
5. Locate the Germ Spots and Snuff Them Out
This doesn’t sound pleasant, but germs are all around us. When you’re cleaning, it’s important to find the main problem areas and tackle them thoroughly. Some big offenders: cabinet handles, light switches, dishwashers (just because their job is to clean dishes, doesn’t mean they don’t need disinfecting) and doors—wipe every handle with a gentle disinfectant and don’t forget to wipe the sides and fronts of your doors where your hands often reach.
Squeaky Clean Tip: if you’re wondering if you should replace your kitchen sponge, it’s already too late. Most sources agree you should be replacing your sponge every 1-2 weeks, depending on how often it’s used.
6. Use the Right Tools
The right cleaning tools can make all the difference, but the trick is to not use too many different types. Mixing cleaning chemicals can be dangerous to your health and often, some of the simplest products work best. If you’re a GoCleanCo. fan, you may already know the magical do-it-all cleaning recipe: water, bleach and powdered Tide. Bleach disinfects and the powdered Tide (never liquid), is a great stain and grease remover. Not a fan of bleach? No problem, the warm water and Tide are just as effective on things like refrigerator shelves, hardwood floors and more.
Squeaky Clean Tip: wear gloves when using cleaning supplies to protect your skin or try products like Gloves in a Bottle* if you’re a cleaning master and disinfecting often.
*Take extra care when trying new products to ensure they do not affect your health. It’s always best to try new products on small areas first.
7. Don’t Neglect Outside
Seasonal cleaning can involve every part of your home, including outside. In the spring, it’s important to wash your windows, doors and trim of any salt residue, dirt or dust. Sweep out any entrances and clean your gutters of any debris. Tarion has a useful spring maintenance checklist you can refer to on a monthly basis. As the weather continues to warm up, you can continue the work outside which will include cleaning out garden beds, taking out patio furniture and more.
8. Get the Family Involved
If you have kids running around the house, they may be able to help. From small tasks like stripping their bed, taking out their bedroom trash or dusting furniture with a damp cloth, it not only helps you out but teaches basic tasks they’ll need in the future, reinforces a healthy work ethic and allows them to feel like they’re part of a team.
9. Establish New Clean Habits
If you’ve finally achieved your spring cleaning goals, you’ve likely learned a lesson: it’s always best to clean your home regularly so you don’t feel overwhelmed. A great suggestion from the Spruce details 15-minute cleanups, which organize small cleaning tasks that only take 15 minutes to do on a regular basis.
That’s all for now. Your home should be clean and ready to usher in the spring. Were there any tips you already knew and use on the regular? Are there any cleaning tricks you already have up your sleeve? Let us know on social: Facebook & Instagram.