Our Guide to Spring Cleaning Your Home

“Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love.” – Sitting Bull

The winter chill has left, and birds are singing again – it’s time for us to thaw out and welcome the spring once again. Along with crisp, fresh air, many of us begin to feel that yearly inspiration to deep clean our homes. Keep reading for our top eight tips for cleaning your home this season.

8 Tips for Spring Cleaning, Room by Room

Getting Started

Choose the right supplies. Just like General MacArthur used to say that a general is only as good as the troops under his command, you are only as good as the tools you use to clean your home. This list of cleaning supplies will give you a good idea of what products you need for each room in your home, from lemons to vacuum cleaners.

Create a plan. Certain rooms are going to be a bigger priority, so you’ll want to sit down and decide what those are. Create a list which can also act as a schedule so you can make sure you accomplish everything you set out to do.

Focus on one room at a time. Rather than trying to cover everything at once, work on one room at a time. This will help to keep you from feeling overwhelmed by the end goal. With every room you complete, allow yourself to celebrate the victory.

The Rooms

The Kitchen. The kitchen is one of two locations in the home that collects the most dirt and grime — the other is the bathroom. This is the room that you’ll probably want to start with and give the most elbow grease to. Start by give the face of the kitchen a thorough cleaning — that includes the counter, the sink, the cupboard doors and large appliances. You should also tackle:

• Cleaning out the pantry and fridge, making sure to throw away anything that’s expired.
• Deep cleaning the oven.
• Vacuuming and mopping behind the refrigerator.

The Bathroom. As the other room with the most dirt and grim, this should be the next item on your list. Follow the supply list above to make sure your bathroom sparkles. Some necessary pain points are:

• Disinfecting the tub/shower.
• Washing or replacing bathmats.
• Dusting shelves.
• Cleaning or replacing shower curtains.

The Living Room. The living room is most likely where you spend much of your waking time in the home, therefore it needs some tender loving care during spring cleaning. Vacuuming carpets, dusting flat surfaces and washing blankets are a given, but you should also:

• Vacuum upholstery.
• Dust and polish furniture.
• Clean lampshades.
• Shampoo carpets if possible.
• Wash throw pillows.

The Bedroom. As the room where you sleep, it’s important to declutter your bedroom and remove all the dust that accumulated. There are also some minor things you can do during spring cleaning such as:

• Washing all the bedding and pillows.
• Flipping or rotating the mattress.
• Getting rid of anything stored under the bed that you no longer need or use.

The Hallways and Miscellaneous Areas. Some of the areas in your home don’t always belong to a specific room or area. You have hallways, dining areas and workspaces. Some of the ways to handle these transitional areas are to:

• Wipe down walls and baseboards.
• Test and replace batteries in smoke and CO detectors.
• Check the expiration on fire extinguishers.
• Clean up the porch, patio or balcony.
• Move any winter items into storage.
• Disinfect commonly used items such as computer keyboards and light switches.
• Throw away old or expired makeup.
• Update first aid kits — if you don’t have one, get one.
• Donate anything in good condition that you no longer use.

Live Stonebridge at Montgomery’s Vibrant Lifestyle

At Stonebridge at Montgomery, we take care of the chores and cleaning for you. Our vibrant senior living lifestyle gives you the experience of maintenance-free, carefree independence so you can have peace of mind and enjoy what you love. We’ll take care of the housekeeping, outdoor maintenance and safety and security while you take care of living. Contact our team today to learn more and schedule a personal tour.