Five Tough Spring Cleaning Projects and How to Tackle Them
When the birds return and the grass starts turning green, we want to fling open windows and set to scrubbing the house down from top to bottom to match the fresh new season outside. Spring cleaning can be hard work, but it can be made easy, too!
(Permanently) Foggy Glass Shower Doors
No, it’s not the remnants of your steamy shower. It’s a winter’s worth of soap scum built up on your once crystal clear doors. There are two solutions that can get those doors looking pristine again. The first is to use white vinegar in a spray bottle or to use a soap scum removal product (vinegar fixes a lot of house cleaning problems). Avoid using abrasive products or items to scrub it clean; a plastic scrubby is your best bet to keep the doors from getting scratched. To prevent build up, apply a thin layer of lemon oil furniture polish or car wax to add a clear barrier. Invest in a squeegee to swipe off any residual water to keep hard water deposits from forming.
Greasy Surfaces in the Kitchen
A long winter of heavy meals can wreak havoc on your kitchen. The stove and the overhead vent can become disgusting with a thick film of heavy grease that’s a pain to remove. It’s hard to imagine how it manages to do so, but grease gets everywhere. For prevention, using a spray of distilled white vinegar in a spray bottle can cut through thin layers of grease. But for those more pesky build ups, experts recommend using a microfiber cloth and a solution of Dawn dish soap and water. Don’t forget the inside of the hood, the top of the refrigerator, and the sides of the stove.
Dusty Blinds!
When your family is inside more often than not, dust can become a major annoyance in the winter months and once the windows are thrown open and the sun filters in, you can see very speck of dust everywhere. Venetian blinds are notoriously hard to dust, having to painstakingly wipe down each individual slat. Avoid using cleaning products as they can make the blinds look streaky; instead, use a microfiber cloth that is just barely dampened. Close the blinds and wipe them down from top to bottom, then flip the blinds the other way and repeat on the back side. Repeat on each side wiping side to side.
Clogged/Slow Draining Drains
Clogged drains are the worst. When you get up to wash your face and the water fills the sink before you are halfway done, and there’s junk in the tub because the drain doesn’t pull the water fast enough, you may be ready for a change. Some more serious cases may require a plumber, but a home remedy of baking soda and vinegar can loosen up whatever is slowing up your drain (what did I tell you about vinegar?). First, pour a pot of boiling water down the pipe that’s giving you issues. Then dump in about a half cup of baking soda. While you let that sit, mix 1 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of nearly boiling hot water. Take that mixture and dump it down the drain and cover it up with a plug quickly. Let that sit for ten minutes. Finally rinse again with boiling hot water. The chemical reaction forces the grime to loosen up and travel down into your septic system, thus freeing up your constricted plumbing.
Mold Removal
Need I mention what I’m going to suggest here? I love vinegar over most bleach solutions because the chemical is environmentally friendly and also less dangerous than bleach. To clean up moldy surfaces, spray pure vinegar on the surface, and leave it for over an hour. Wipe the area clean with a rag and water. This should do the trick, but in some cases, the mold will come back. This an indication that your home has a more serious mold problem and you’ll need a professional mold removal service to come and treat the house with special chemicals.
Don’t let winter buildup get you down. It doesn’t take a trip to the store and a cart full of expensive cleaning product to get your house fresh and clean!
