• Tags: "First National News", "Gold Coast Property", "How To", "News", "Property Trends", "Real Estate", "Top Read"

6 Tips - How to Spring Clean Like a Pro!

The flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and our house still feels like it's stuck with winter blues. Spring cleaning is a tradition that allows us to freshen up our homes and get a head start on the peak seasons of spring and summer.

With spring here it's time to get spring cleaning, so here are our top tips:

1) Set a schedule or a checklist

Clean room-by-room!

Approaching your house room-by-room is the most effective way to deep-clean your home at any time of the year, but especially in spring. Use room checklists as a springboard for deep-cleaning the areas of your home that really need extra attention. Feel free to skip items that have recently been cleaned and focus on the parts of your home that have been neglected all winter long.

2) Reorganise your clutter

One of the biggest parts of spring cleaning is getting rid of clutter that you don't need. Now is a good time to advantage of the natural spring urge to get rid of items that are weighing you down and begin fresh with a more streamlined lifestyle. A systematic four-step approach to identifying problems, analyzing reasons, determining solutions, and implementing remedies can be extremely productive at this time of year. Sorting your belongings into four categories — trash, give-away, store, or put-way — can also be effective as you begin the spring-cleaning process.

Now is a great time to plan a garage sale or to donate items to good causes. Cleaning will be a lot easier when the clutter is gone.

3) Keep Cleaning Products to a Minimum

The cleaning aisles of our stores are stocked full of commercial products to help you clean, but the variety can be overwhelming. And dozens of cleaning products means dozens of cleaning products to clutter up your cabinets and closets.

Resist the temptation to buy all these cleaning supplies; the real champions of spring cleaning are more basic supplies, such as a good all-purpose cleaner and microfiber cloths. There are even homemade cleaners you can make that will save you money while protecting the environment.

4) Use 'green' cleaning products

• Use natural cleansers (or baking soda and white vinegar) to tackle cleaning projects like mopping, wiping counters and caring for furniture.
• Cut up old T-shirts to make rags and use them in place of paper towels.
• Replace disposables with reusable items, like glass water bottles, stainless steel straws, cloth shopping bags and cloth napkins.
• ​To clean the air, bringing in an air purifier is a good idea — but don’t neglect simpler methods as well, like opening windows to let in fresh air and keeping plenty of healthy houseplants.

5) Give your plants some TLC

The benefits of having plants around are undeniable: they improve air quality, reduce stress, make you feel happier, and are just generally great for your health. 
 
As a general rule of thumb, cleaning your plants throughout every season is the best way of keeping them happy and healthy.

When you bring a plant home you are essentially taking on the job of Mother Nature. Congratulations, you’ve been promoted. And as your plants wake up from their winter hibernation they need a good clean, prune, and feeding to get them primped and primed for the most important time of the year: the grow season.

Here is your spring plant cleaning mantra: shower – dust – prune – feed.

6) Clear out the expired stuff in the kitchen and pantry

If you love to cook, it can be well worth the effort it takes to give the kitchen and pantry a thorough cleaning. Start by clearing out old food and spices, and wash the interior of your fridge and food cupboards. Clean all of those forgotten nooks and crannies, including inside the oven, microwave and toaster oven, plus the dish drainer. Finish by wiping down the walls and windows.

If you have a bit more time, give your breakfast nook or dining area a once-over. Chairs and table legs can use an occasional cleaning. Put pads on the feet of chairs to protect your floors, clean dust from the corners of the room and set something pretty in the center of the table.

by Celine Battendier