SPRING CLEANING MADE SIMPLE!
When it comes to procrastinating, spring cleaning takes the cake!
Most of us are afraid of the amount of work and time house cleaning requires: cleaning the bedroom, the bathroom, and the kitchen—all of those tasks have a lot of smaller parts, so cleaning can be put off for months. However, cleaning doesn’t have to be something to be afraid of. Here is a list of simple shortcuts that can be used to make your house cleaning process much easier.
The Kitchen
Stinky Sink: The sink is one of the places in your kitchen where bacteria love to grow. You can have a spotless kitchen, but if you don’t clean the sink, your kitchen will start to smell like a petri dish. Sink cleaning can be a simple spray from your favourite disinfectant or you can use a more economical (and environmentally friendly) solution by using a bit of soap and water first followed by a small spritz of vinegar. Just let it dry naturally after you spritz. While you are cleaning your sink, you might want to drop in a disinfectant that you can buy at the store for your garbage disposal. Remember, a bit of orange peel will keep your disposal smelling fresh between house cleaning tasks.
Dishwasher Gunk: A dishwasher can be a great time saver for most people, but did you know they aren’t quite self-cleaning? Food can get stuck in the dishwasher and this can cause mould and bacteria growth. To combat this, all you have to do is make sure your dishwasher is a part of your monthly house cleaning routine. You can simply use a baking soda and water mix to remove most of the tough sticking foods and there is even a product you can buy at the store that will clean your dishwasher when used in an empty load. So, the next time you are house cleaning, you might want to show your dishwasher some love. After all, where would you be without your time saving friend?
Don’t Wait: This is a pretty straightforward tip, but it is worth mentioning. Don’t wait to clean up your mess in the kitchen. If you have a sponge or a handy disinfectant wipe, then you should use it after every time you prep a meal or eat. A quick wipe down now will save a lot of time and elbow grease during big spring clean up.
The Bathroom
Toss the Liner: Although shower curtains usually last a reasonable time, the shower liner really takes a beating. Unless you want to bath next to a colony of mould and mildew, you might want to switch that liner out regularly. You don’t have to do it every week or every month, but a nice seasonal change can help your bathroom sparkle. Spring cleaning as a perfect time to pick up a new bright and colourful shower curtain!
Toxic Toilet: Let’s face it, the toilet can be one of the most abused fixtures in a house. It usually is the one place we dread cleaning. One way to keep this monster at bay is to use a weekly cleaning routine. Just like the kitchen tip, the toilet tip will seem similar—don’t wait. If you wipe down the tank, the lid, and dirt trap that is known as the sides and back of the toilet weekly, then you will have a lot less to worry about come spring cleaning. By attacking the toilet in small, manageable, jobs, you will be surprised how easy it is to maintain a clean toilet without the tears that usually go with it. As a bonus, there are even internal cleansers that do most of the work for you. Simply wand gently, release the cleanser, and flush.
Bedding Matters: Everybody loves picking out a new bed set. There is just something about a bed set that can make the entire room become anew. When picking out a bed set, please keep one basic tip in mind: Only buy materials that you can wash. It seems like a simple tip, but how many things do you have on your bed that has never seen the inside of a washing machine? In fact, bedding is one of the few things in your house you really want to use hot water for. You shouldn’t wait for spring cleaning to wash your bedding. This should be a house cleaning ritual that goes on more than once a month. Think of the time you spend in bed, isn’t it a good thought to be surrounded by cleanliness?
Nightstand Blues: The nightstand has become a catch-all for many of us. We put our keys, our tissues, our meds, our jewellery, our books, and anything else we can think of on it. To avoid this clutter, you should have a small basket by your bed. Something nice like a wicker basket would suffice. In this, you can put all the items that usually clog your nightstand and leave your nightstand for the essentials like your alarm clock, the tissues and meds. How much easier spring cleaning would be if you didn’t have to rearrange your nightstand every time?
