How in the world is March here already? I have no clue. But I do know that spring is in the air! And with spring comes the inevitable spring cleaning. Unless fall/summer/winter cleaning is more your jam. Then save this post for that time.
I’ve caught the spring cleaning bug, and every day I’m doing at least one thing to get my home cleaned and organized – both big and small tasks. In doing my own cleaning, I’ve taken inventory of the areas of our home that aren’t always on the top of our minds to deep clean. I’ve made a list and wanted to share with you to help keep it on your radar as your doing your own spring cleaning!
And the top 20 are…*drumroll*
1. Door knobs and handles.
The place where you, your family, and guests probably touch the most in your house. It’s the perfect home for germs. I like to do a good wipe down with Clorox wipes, not only in the spring, but on a consistent basis.
2. Air vents
Vacuuming out your air vents not only helps to keep your energy bill at bay, but it also gets rid of that thick layer of gray fur on your vents. When allergies are acting up, sure enough, my air vents haven’t been vacuumed in a while.
3. Pillows
Toss two pillows in the wash at a time {to balance out the washer drum}. Add detergent and a cup of bleach. Feather pillows dry on the air cycle, synthetic pillows dry on low heat, and foam pillows must air dry. Toss in a couple of clean tennis balls while they dry to add some fluff.
4.Mattresses
Are you imagining all the nasty grime our mattresses accumulate? Just me? Yeah, let’s not think about it. Instead combine 2 cups of baking soda {for king size mattresses} with 8-10 drops of lavender oil and shake it through a sifter over your mattress. Then vacuum.
5. Fan
Every time I see that layer of dust on the edge of our fan blades, I can’t help but think of how that’s skin cells and dust just waiting to wreck havoc on my allergies. Simply throw on a dust mask, use a garbage bag to drag the dust off the fan, and vacuum.
6. Vacuum under bed
You wouldn’t think that dust can reach here, but oh, it can! I moved our bed recently, and there was a layer of dust.
7. Washing machine
It sounds weird to wash your washing machine, doesn’t it. But it needs it! Turn on the longest cycle with the hottest water. Add 4 cups of bleach, and let it agitate for a few minutes to allow the bleach to mix in. Then let it sit for an hour. Let it finish the cycle, and once it’s done, immediately begin the second cycle and add 4 cups of white vinegar. Let it agitate for a few minutes and then sit for an hour. After it sits, finish the cycle. The final step is scrubbing down the barrel, bleach dispensers, and agitator with a cloth or sponge.
8. Tile grout
I recently did this, and I love the fresh white sparkle of our tile grout. It looks like it did when we first installed it! I simply sprinkled a VERY small amount of baking soda throughout the grout. Then I added a little bleach and white vinegar to some water and scrubbed. I wiped the water up with a towel. But I noticed that there was a chalky feeling left on the tile from the baking soda. So I used a rag and dish soap to scrub up the excess baking soda and wiped it away with a towel.
9. Keyboard
Here’s another place that we use all the time but might not think to clean. First, blast away all those pesky crumbs and then go through each key with a q-tip that’s been dabbed in a tiny bit of peroxide. Lastly, give it a quick wipe down with a Clorox wipe.
10. Cell phone
Probably one of the dirtiest things we own. Just give it a quick wipe down with a Clorox wipe, and you’re good to Facebook on the toilet again.
11. Vacuum
It’s funny to me to have to clean the things we clean with. Our vacuums are no exception. Make sure the bags are clean of dust and dirt, and uncoil all the hair the brush picks up.
12. Dryer vent
Hopefully you’re cleaning out your lint catcher with each load. But spring cleaning is a good time to unscrew the coils in the back of your dryer and vacuum out all the lint. Making sure those coils are clear helps your dryer heat properly and prevents it from catching on fire.
13. Dishwasher
Refer to this great tutorial on cleaning out your dishwasher!
14. Trash cans
Grimy! Get those guys out to the backyard! Add some dish soap, soak them with a hose, and give it a good scrub.
15. Blinds
Nothing a little Swiffer duster can’t cure.
16. Behind appliances
I call this The Abyss. The place where crumbs, kids toys, rogue ice cubes, and dog food go to die. Pull those appliances away from the walls to give that area a good vacuum.
17. Refrigerator coils
Making sure your fridge coils are vacuumed and cleaned will help prolong the life of your fridge.
18. Kid’s toys
I soak plastic toys in a hydrogen peroxide bath then pop them in the dishwasher. The heat helps sanitize them. Run cloth toys through the washing machine.
19. Faux plant leaves
They aren’t immune to dust either, so give them a good wipe down.
20. Oven
Run the cleaning cycle on your oven and remove tough stains with lemon oil, water, white vinegar, and baking soda.
What other places can you think of that may get over looked during a spring clean?
