In the
spring, everyone is always focused on what cleaning they can do to freshen up
their homes after the long, shut in winter. What we might forget to do is clean
everything BEFORE we close up the house for winter. Oh sure, we’ll put our
summer clothes away in a plastic tub or space bag and get our coats and winter
things out. What about the rest of the house?
Many
experts (and Danny Tanner from Full House) agree that a good cleaning of your
home should begin with cleaning out your cleaning products. If you have a
cleaning products closet, cabinet, or multiple places, empty them all out and
assemble your tools in one spot. Give away any cleaners you don’t use or look
for a safe chemical drop-off in your community. The EPA often have them. If you
can, switch to biodegradable cleansers that are safer for the environment, your
family, and your pets. Many have a much safer vinegar base these days as
opposed to ammonia. If you have a bag of rags or sponges, throw away ones you
don’t use or are getting gross. You may be just spreading germs instead of
cleaning them up!
After
you clear out what you’re not using, it’s time to organize! Put your most used
cleansers (like Pledge, Windex, Ajax, a multi-cleaner, etc.) in an easy to grab
caddy with a couple rags, paper towels, and sponges. Try using your vertical
spaces, like the backs of doors, to store things like your Swiffer,
broom/dustpan, mop, cobweb sweeper, etc. If you do have a broom closet, store
your vacuum there as well or another easily accessible place. If you have extra
hoses or attachments that don’t have a place on your vacuum unit, loop them on
hooks.
Now that
your cleaning products are all set, it’s time to tackle your home! As mentioned
above, most of us only take care of switching out our summer things for our
winter things. We should take this opportunity to take a hard look at our
closets and their contents. We tend to have a lot of things we meant to wear or
forgot we even own taking up space in our packed closets. Now is a good time to
have a friend over to help you objectively look at what you own and what you
can get rid of. You are too attached to your clothes, which is why a third
party can help you make the decision to get rid of your senior year prom dress
where as you will be unable to get rid of it.
Fall is
also a great time to organize your photos and mementos after a long,
(hopefully) memory and fun–filled summer. Whether you scrapbook, have actual
printed out photos, or just folders upon folders of digital photos, it is
important to keep what you want and get rid of unwanted clutter. That means
that unflattering picture of you that you’ll never show anyone has to go! If
you have printed out photos, try organizing them in an album by date, activity,
or person(s) involved. That way you can find them when you want to relive all
those warm memories in the cold of winter.
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