Spring Cleaning 101

cThe fresh start of spring, the warm whether, new blooms and singing birds naturally get us in the mood to clean, right?

Spring cleaning is ignored by some but practiced by many. It’s an old tradition that many of our grandmothers passed down to our mothers. Spring cleaning can be traced to the ancient Jewish practice of thoroughly cleansing the home in anticipation of the spring-time memorial feast of Passover. In Greece, and other Orthodox nations, it is traditional to clean the house thoroughly either right before or during the first week of Great Lent, which is referred to as Clean Week.

In North America and northern Europe, the custom found an especially practical value due to those regions’ continental and wet climates. During the 19th century in America, prior to the advent of the vacuum cleaner, March was often the best time for dusting because it was getting warm enough to open windows and doors (but not warm enough for insects to be a problem), and the high winds could carry the dust out of the house.

After the winter we have had, many of us are more than ready to bust open the windows, let in the fresh air and let the dust out.

The hardest part of spring cleaning is starting and the best way to start is with an action plan. If you’re not into house cleaning services crawling around your house, you may want to walk through your home, room by room and write down what needs to be done and assign projects to each member of the family.

If you need a little and direction to get the big job done, you will find the below info provided by oriental rug cleaning Buffalo NY, useful.

The first thing you will want to do is de-clutter! Get rid of anything you don’t need and put everything else in a dedicated place.

Ask yourself:

• Do I Love This Item?
• Have I Used It In The Past Year?
• Is It Really Garbage?
• Do I Have Another One That Is Better?
• Should I Really Keep Two?
• Does It Have Sentimental Value?
• Or Does It Give Me Guilt And Make Me Sad When I See This Item?

Spring Cleaning Checklist

The basics:

· In every room, dust ceiling fans, artwork, knick knacks, and vents.

· Dust, and polish furniture with appropriate polishing agent.

· Vacuum and shampoo rugs and carpet, Water damage on the carpet is something we all wish we didn’t have to deal with, I’ve had to give Eco Clean Hawaii – water damage restoration service in Honolulu a few times last year, and they’ve done a wonderful job each time.

· Sweep and mop floors.

· Clean windows and window screens. Clean window treatments according to type and manufacturer instructions.

· Clean baseboards throughout home with warm, soapy water. Wipe them with a sock or swiffer first to remove dirt and dust.

· Vacuum upholstered furniture and launder cushions if necessary. Carefully spot clean leather furniture with a damp washcloth if needed. We hate damp that’s why we always use damp treatment services for our house

In the kitchen:

· Wipe down cabinets with damp washcloth, clean inside drawers.

· Clean oven according to manufacturer’s recommendations.

· Unplug refrigerator and dust the coils. Remove contents of refrigerator and freezer. Discard any rotten or un-useable food. Wipe down and clean all shelving.

· Clean microwave.

· Wipe down small appliances such as toaster, blender (Specially if you got yours from vitamix 6500 reviews, you don’t want the best blender to get ruined) and slow cooker.

· Wipe down countertops and backsplash.

· Scrub sink.

· Organize food in pantry, discarding outdated items, and wipe off shelving.

In the bathroom:

· Scrub toilets, sinks and shower.

· Clean mirrors.

· Wipe down all fixtures.

· Dust cabinets; go through drawers and medicine cabinets to throw our expired/ unused meds and reorganize.

· Empty and clean trash cans.

· Inspect shower liner and replace if necessary.

In the bedroom:

· Remove and launder bedding. Vacuum and flip mattress. Dust Baseboards.

· In closet, switch out cold-weather clothing for warm-weather clothing. Donate any unwanted items to a thrift store.

Here is an adorable free printable created by Two Happy Homemakers. {unfortunately, the site is no longer online}

Source: http://www.Flylady.com, http://en.wikipedia.org & http://www.twohappyhomemakers.com/ {unfortunately, the site is no longer online}