Throw open those windows! Nice weather is upon us!
For now, anyway. We've had a wild last few months here in Lethbridge, AB, haven't we?
We've gone from 20 degrees Celsius days to snow in just a few short days. I remember watching the snow fall whilst I stared out my deck door with a sunburnt face.
BUT Mother Nature is looking promising once again! Now is the time to start freshening up your home.
Here is a general spring clean checklist. Just do one room or area at a time as you have the time and energy to get these things done. I usually work from top to bottom but whatever works for you.
One. I sometimes take a broom to the ceiling. It can get incredibly dusty and cobwebby. Look at the ceiling fixtures whether they be lights or fans or whatever you got hanging from there. Grab a ladder and a damp cloth and start wiping as good as you can. If you can get the globes off of the light fixture, do it! For caked on dust and dirt, I use TSP. You can find this stuff in the local hardware store in the paint department. It comes in liquid, premixed spray or crystals. The crystals mixed in water work the best but the other forms will do too. Some say Dawn dish detergent works too...use whatever you've got. Often I end up using pure Murphy Oil Soap if I'm out of TSP.
Two. Look at the curtains and blinds. If you can pull off the curtains and wash them, that's the best. Wash them and just hang them back up again. The room smells amazing and fresh if you hang up your curtains damp from a fresh washing. Blinds, depending on what kind, can usually be wiped with a damp cloth. May have to use TSP for that as well.
Three. Look along the walls. Sometimes I dust the walls and then spot clean any fingerprints or smudges and sometimes, if I'm feeling feisty, I take a damp flat mop and run it along the walls to get a good wiping done. It's up to you. Baseboards, door and window trim may have lots of insect poo when you look closely...especially if they're white.
Four. Carpets. Move the furniture that isn't too hard to move--or get help if needed, and really vacuum well behind there. It's amazing what might be lurking under the couch! Run the vac wand alongside the baseboards. Don't forget to go into closets. They have feelings too.
Five. Windows and screens. Use glass cleaner or warm dish detergent water and give the glass a good wash with a wet cloth then another wipe with a dry cloth. If you can pop the screen out, that's great, and vacuum the best you can. Getting into the tracks of windows and sliding doors is easy. Just use an old toothbrush and the vacuum cleaner at the same time and brush that debris out of there.
In the bathrooms, I suggest popping out the fan and give it a good vacuum. Don't forget to also clean behind the toilet and in the cupboards.
Kitchen cupboards will need a good wiping as well. I use TSP the most in kitchens as they are generally the greasiest room.
This is a great time to declutter if time and energy permits. Feel the sense of renewed energy. Anything you haven't used in a long time, get rid of it. Someone else can use it instead of it hiding in your space, or throw it out if it's just not worth anything to anyone. Broken, chipped or damaged items that are not being used, need to go out.
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