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Refresh your home for the new spring season

By Frances Borsodi Zajac fzajac@heraldstandard.Com 5 min read
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Refresh your home for the new spring season
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Refresh your home for the new spring season

While the air is still feeling cool and some snow still lingers, spring arrived this week. That makes it a great time to start planning for milder weather with a good house cleaning.

“Warmer temperatures are coming in, and now is the time to prepare homes for the spring and summer seasons, said Bruce Roby, president of the Fayette Board of REALTORS®. “While it is easy to remember to do the basics, like dusting and vacuuming, now is a great time to do a deep cleaning.”

Start with a plan.

“Tackling a project this big may seem overwhelming,” Roby said. “I suggest breaking it up by room, and making sure you have all the necessary cleaning supplies before you begin. It doesn’t all have to be done in a day. Being thorough will be better in the long run.”

The American Cleaning Institute, which serves the cleaning products industry, advises on its website (www.cleaninginstitute.org) that if you are breaking up the tasks by room, “Generally, it’s best to do the rooms that need the most work or get the most traffic first.”

Roby noted this is a good time to declutter, suggesting donating or trashing things you haven’t used in the past year.

The cleaning institute recommends gathering up newspapers and magazines to recycle and to sell items in excellent condition that you no longer need in a garage or yard sale or at a consignment shop.

If you don’t need it, now is the time to get rid of it.

Once a room is decluttered, it’s time to clean, but you want to make sure you have everything you need before you start.

The cleaning institute offers this guide to inventory your supplies:

“The basics should include an all-purpose spray cleaner for small, washable areas, an all-purpose powder or liquid cleaner for large washable surfaces like floors and walls, an abrasive cleaner to remove heavy amounts of soil in small areas, a nonabrasive cleanser for gentle cleaning on easily scratched surfaces, including porcelain sinks and ceramic tile, chlorine bleach, which is an effective disinfectant, particularly where mold and mildew are present; glass cleaner, furniture-dusting product, such as a spray and a clean cloth, or a microfiber cloth, mitt or duster, and toilet bowl cleaner.”

You may also need to add cleaners to specific surfaces, such as metal polishes and granite cleaners, the cleaning institute added, as well as check your supply of vacuum cleaner bags and trash bags.

The cleaning institute also recommends: “Consider the big stuff. Do the curtains need to be laundered? What about comforters, blankets, bed skirts, slipcovers and shower curtains? Are your area rugs and draperies due for professional cleaning?”

Remember that you don’t have to do everything yourself.

“Enlist family members. Establish a Spring Cleaning Day,” the cleaning institute noted. “Start early. Assign tasks according to age and ability. Have lunch pre-planned — maybe even delivered — so your helpers don’t lose momentum. And make it fun. Hide some favorite treats in places that need to be cleaned. Play lively music that keeps everyone’s energy up.”

If you live alone or have family members who can’t help, pair up with a friend, the cleaning institute suggests. Clean your house in the morning and his/hers in the afternoon. If needed, schedule these cleanings on different days.

Call in the professionals if your budget allows. They can help you with chores like washing windows, shampooing carpets or cleaning upholstery.

When’s a good time to use a professional?

A representative for Big Orange Carpet Cleaning in Brownsville said, “When your carpet gets dirty, you don’t want to wait too long. If you do, it gets ground into the carpet and the fabric of the upholstery and it won’t come out. You don’t want to let it get too bad. Walking back and forth will grind it into the carpet.”

Meanwhile, there are things you can do on your own:

For spot cleaning, you can mix water with dish detergent and take the bubbles off the top and go over the spot. Then apply a damp cloth to the spot and then a dry cloth. The spot will transfer from one fabric to another.

For wax spots, lay a cloth over the spot and iron on low temperature. It will melt the wax and it will come out of the carpet.

For windows, you might want to vacuum dirt and dust before you start washing. Cotton swabs or toothbrushes can help you get into corners.

And as you work, let your home embrace spring!

If it’s warm enough, open those windows and let that fresh air into your home. Don’t forget to brighten your house with flowers and plants. Move your outdoor furniture back into place so you can enjoy the outdoors whether it’s sitting, reading or dining.

In the midst of this cleaning, think about the future.

Roby said take time to organize and arrange things you do use, and make a plan to keep your home clutter-free. It will make next year’s spring cleaning that much easier.

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