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Spring Cleaning Is Here: Getting Started By Melissa J Wantuck  |
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 Yes, it is official. Spring is here. Fling open your windows and let the fresh air in. This is the time of year your mother, or maybe your grandmother, told you is the perfect time to clean your home from top to bottom. It’s called—in no concealing way—Spring Cleaning.
Extensively cleaning your home doesn’t sound like the most enjoyable way to spend your Saturdays when the weather is nice after the long cold months of winter and you’d rather be outside but keep in mind you’ll be rewarded with a well-cared for home that stays in good condition longer along with your furniture and linens than a home that isn’t properly maintained.
Here are some suggestions and recommendations to help you get started in the first part of this two article series.
The three main tasks you’ll be performing during Spring Cleaning are dusting, vacuuming and washing. When dusting, use a lint-free cloth that will absorb the dust, not merely push it around. When vacuuming, Spring Cleaning involves more than doing the floors so you’ll need a hose attachment and a brush end on the hose. Make sure both ends are clean so you don’t add more dirt and grime to your surfaces. Washing the surfaces of your home should be done with all-purpose cleaners for painted and solid surfaces except unpainted wood. Clean wood that isn’t painted with a wood cleaner. After washing each surface, dry it with a towel.
Windows
Clean both the inside and outside of your windows including the glass (with a non-streak cleaner) and the trim around the windows. Vacuum any debris out of the bottom of the window sill and up in the corners. Remove storm windows and set your screens in place. If your screens are dusty from storage, vacuum off heavy dust and then wipe them down with a damp cloth.
Consider hiring a professional to clean the outside of high windows you can’t reach to avoid injury.
If you have wood windows, additional window maintenance that you should perform after winter is to inspect them for loose or missing paint. If your windows show signs of paint deterioration, you’ll want to scrape off loose paint, sand down the surfaces and repaint them, first with a sealing primer then with your colored paint. Wood that becomes exposed to the elements will be at risk of rotting and ruining the window.
Walls
Vacuum the walls and ceilings of your home to remove dust and cobwebs that have collected there. Corners and where your ceilings and walls meet are the most susceptible to cobwebs. Continue on to trim work and above doorways.
Wash all trim work after it has been dusted and if you have wallpaper on your walls, wash it with water mixed with a mild all-purpose cleaner.
Light Fixtures
Dust all light fixtures and ceilings fans with either a dust cloth or your vacuum. Remove globes to empty any bugs that have collected in them then wash the globes. If you have decorative glass ornaments on your light fixtures, clean them using a paper towel with rubbing alcohol sprayed on it then gently wipe the ornaments. Heavy globes that you don’t want to remove from the fixture can be wiped clean with a damp cloth. Gently dust lamp shades and carefully use the vacuum for maximum dust removal.
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