It is the middle of April and spring is well underway here in Orlando, Florida. That means it’s spring cleaning time! So we here at Covenant Cleaning Services wanted to give you some spring cleaning tips to help you out.
So just what does spring cleaning mean and what do you do? Well, most people already do basic cleaning chores each week. Such as cleaning the kitchen, taking the trash out, vacuuming the carpets and so on.
Spring cleaning is a deep clean; cleaning places and areas you don’t normally do on a regular basis. Like dusting, window washing, cleaning the blinds and stuff like that.
Plus you can do other things you only do every few months or once a year. Below are our spring cleaning tips to get your home ready for summer, smelling and looking like new again!
Make a cleaning list
Before you dive into your spring cleaning, it helps a lot to make up a cleaning checklist. You can make one in several different ways. You can make a list of each room, and then what you want to clean in each one.
It will also help you see what you are going to need for cleaning supplies and equipment. You can make a basic one on your own, or download a cleaning checklist from many places like Etsy, eBay and more.
Get all your cleaning supplies ready
Take an inventory of your cleaning supplies and see if you need to get more. A basic list of cleaning supplies consist of:
A dozen or more microfiber rags
A good duster
Mop and mop bucket
Floor cleaning liquid or dish soap
Glass cleaning spray
Basic overall cleaning spray
Sponges and scrubbers
Bathroom disinfectant spray
Toilet bowl cleaner liquid
Vacuum with attachments
Garbage bags
Rubber gloves
That is a basic list of cleaning supplies needed. You may have more you want to add or favorite cleaning items you like to use. Once you have everything gathered up, it’s time for your spring cleaning to begin!
Allow more than one day
A deep spring cleaning takes time and hard work! Many think they can do their whole house in a day. But if you do everything you should do it will take more than a day, unless you have a one bedroom apartment.
Use your cleaning checklist to pick several rooms to clean each day. A normal 2 to 3 bedroom home can be spring cleaned in 2-3 days without overdoing it. Covenant Cleaning Services deep cleans homes in a day, but we have a team and that is all we do! 🙂
Clean one room at a time
Chances are while you clean you still have family coming and going. To avoid disrupting the whole house and make it easy to remember what you have done, clean each room fully before going to the next.
That way everyone stays out of your way while you clean each room. If you have pets you can shut the door of the room and keep them out. The exception is cleaning the outside windows or outside of the house.
Declutter and throw out junk
The first step to spring cleaning is throwing out all the junk that has accumulated over the past year. Take a hard look at each room and see what you can throw out you no longer need or use.
Just by decluttering each room it will make your home look cleaner and sharper. It helps keep the dirt and odors away and will make you feel less stress at how your home looks. Get organizers and put away small items you want to keep.
Start from the top down
Always clean the highest places first so you don’t have to clean the floor and low areas twice. Dust down your ceiling fans, your air conditioning vents and light fixtures first. Now is a great time to replace the air conditioning dust filter too.
From there work your way down, dusting the tops of shelves, bookcases, refrigerators and so on. Dust down your window blinds so they are clean before you clean the glass windows. Clean the window glass inside fully, top to bottom.
Another thing you can do each time you do spring cleaning is change the batteries in your smoke detectors! Plus see if your fire extinguishers still have the correct charge. You do have some right?
Continue cleaning and dusting down your curtains and windowsills. See if your curtains are dirty enough to throw in the wash. If so this is the best time. By now you are down to your tables, furniture and countertops.
Furniture, chairs and desk
Once you are down to your furniture, take any cushions off and vacuum under them. If you have throw pillows or cushions with zip off fabric coverings remove them and throw in the wash if they need it.
Use an upholstery attachment on your vacuum and vacuum the couch, chairs and other fabric items to suck up dust, crumbs and hair. Dust the tops of computers and screens and wipe off fingerprints and drink stains on tables, counters and desk.
Clean and polish door knobs, mirrors, light switches and drawer handles. Launder your bedding and pillowcases and clean the mattresses and between them. Take out all trash and wash your trash cans if need be. Deodorizer spray can be used.
Spring cleaning the kitchen
Once you get to the kitchen, do all of the above first. Then wipe down splash guards and walls as they often get grease and food on them. Wipe down the counters with a good disinfectant, including the tops of appliances.
Continue with the inside of the microwave, stovetop, inside the refrigerator and inside the oven. Move and wipe down and under all small appliances. Wipe down the front of kitchen cabinets and handles. Finally clean the kitchen faucets and sink.
Spring cleaning the bathroom
For the bathroom do all the basics discussed above. Then wipe down the bathroom counters, ledges, mirrors and sinks. Clean the inside of the toilet with bowl cleaner, using a toilet brush to get all over and under the rim.
Wipe down the top back of the toilet, top and bottom of the seats and lids. Wipe down the sides and base of the toilet, front and back also. Clean the bathtub and shower with good bathtub cleaner, letting it set for awhile. A scrub brush and sponge work great.
Cleaning the floors
Finally we get to the floors! For carpets spread some carpet cleaner and/or deodorizer on it if you desire. Then fully vacuum the carpeted areas, moving slowly and thoroughly. Move furniture to get all areas. Consider a steam clean if they need it.
For wood, linoleum, tile, laminate and other hard floor surfaces, sweep or dustmop well, scraping off any glue, stickers or other messy goo. Then mop thoroughly with your preferred floor cleaner. You can wax them also if they take wax.
Outside windows and outside areas
Now that you have everything cleaned inside, normally for a full spring cleaning you also wash the outside of the windows. It’s a good idea to wash them once a year to remove dirt, spots and mineral deposits before they are too hard to remove.
Of course you can also clean the outside of your house and the garage. But for now the inside of your home is now super clean from your hard cleaning work! It will smell clean too! We hope these spring cleaning tips are helpful.
As you can see, a good spring cleaning is hard work and time consuming. If you would rather have someone else do all that, Covenant Cleaning Services can do a deep spring cleaning of your home for you!
Simply call Covenant Cleaning Services at (407) 282-2250 or visit our contact page to get a free, no hassle cleaning quote for your home. Spring cleaning is super easy when you have us do it for you! 🙂
