Wednesday marks the official (calendar) beginning of spring.
If you’re looking at Buffalo’s weather forecast, you may be skeptical about
that statement. But soon enough, March that came in like a lion should go out
like a lamb. With spring, many people find this an excellent time to clean and
organize their home and yard. This week, we’re tackling the indoors, while next
week, we’ll let you know what to do to make your yard get a good jump on a
beautiful summer lawn.
The
first thing you want to do in spring is throw open your windows and let the
fresh air in. But as you go to open those windows, you’re probably noticing how
dirty they got over the winter! First tip from the pros is to clean your
windows on a cloudy day as the warmth of the sun on window pane will cause the
solution to dry quicker and cause streaks. If you have sliding doors, the same
treatment applies. And as a bonus, clean the window and door tracks! You
probably never thought about that before, but if you look at them, you can see
the difference clean ones make. The pros suggest scrubbing the tracks with an old, dry toothbrush to loosen
debris, then using your vacuum hose to remove it and finishing with a wet
sponge.
Speaking of often forgotten places, baseboards, cupboards,
walls and doors/frames can use a good wipe down. If you have new carpeting, you
may need to get it deep cleaned every 12-18 months to maintain the warranty.
Spring can be a good time for this because the weather is nice enough to get
everyone out of the house for a few hours while the cleaners work and the
carpet dries. If you’re not deep cleaning your carpets, it’s still a good idea
to move your furniture and appliances to clean under and around them. If you
vacuum your refrigerator’s coils, make sure you unplug it first. Be careful
when moving your stove that you don’t damage the gas or electric hook ups.
Taking down curtains and washing them once a year and vacuuming in the mean
time (as they don’t generally get dirty enough to warrant more) is enough to
keep them fresh. Dusting light bulbs and their fixtures is also a good once or
twice a year project. Use a damp with vinegar cloth, making sure everything is
cool to the touch. For ceiling fixtures, use a step ladder or extended brush.
People also use this time to organize. Go through your
closets, medicine cabinets and pantries. Toss out food that is expired or
donate sealed non-perishables to shelters. Any unused appliances, pots and
pans, cutlery or dishes can also be donated to women’s shelters. Set up boxes
or bags marked donate, trash or garage sale as a way to help organize what
you’re getting rid of. When getting rid of expired medicine, do NOT flush them.
This is not allowed. Check your area pharmacies for drop offs or contact Erie
County EPA. Putting things back in their rightful place can also help you get
organized (think of little Jimmy’s toys in your room and not the play area).
When storing winter clothes, utilize space saving bags, or hanging bags for
dresses, suits and coats. Many people will say the general rule of turning your
hangers backwards and then when you were something, turn the hanger the right
way again. Whatever is still backwards at the end of a set period of time (six
months, a year, the season, whatever) goes in the donation or garage sale bin.
Or have a clothing swap with friends! Put away winter hats, gloves and scarves
to give yourself more room for warm weather clothing. General housekeeping like
checking the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, rotating
and flipping your mattress, and checking your fire extinguisher is another set
of tasks good for this time of year.
For more cleaning tips:
