Spring cleaning is considered an annual ritual for many. The
ability to open your windows and doors and let in the fresh air after a long
winter inspires many people to get rid of clutter and tidy up their homes.
Spring cleaning often involves deep cleaning and getting into the spaces that
have been neglected since last year.
This is the perfect time to get your home in shape for the
rest of the year. But it can also be very overwhelming to look at cleaning your
entire home. That’s why you should focus on one space at a time. Set aside a
week or 10 days to do your spring cleaning and enlist the help of everyone in
the family. You should also have a clear plan as to how you’ll tackle
everything. You’ll work much faster if you have a plan in place.
Step by Step Spring Cleaning
As you go from room to room, you’ll likely follow a similar
routine, which can be adjusted according to the space.
Get Prepared
Before you begin your spring cleaning, you should take the
time to ensure you have everything you need. You’ll want to have the following
on hand:
●Disinfectants or
liquid soap
●Paper towels
●Rags for
dusting/wiping
●Squeegee or another
device for windows
●Broom
●Mop
●Buckets
●Bin bags
●Boxes
Set up three boxes. One should be labelled “Put Away” and
the other should be “Donate” and “Storage.” You may need more than just three
boxes, but start with those. As you remove items that don’t belong, put them in
one of the three boxes.
Eliminate Clutter
Things tend to pile up and look messy over time. If you’ve
accumulated clutter in the room you’re working in, it’s time to get rid of it.
This is the perfect time to sort through everything you have and get rid of
anything you no longer need. You’ll also find that some items can be stored or
put away in other parts of the house and this will give you a cleaner looking
space.
Don’t forget to empty out drawers and cupboards. Go through
everything and be ruthless in dumping anything that is no longer right for your
space.
Empty the Room
Once you’ve cleared out the clutter, you’ll want to remove
everything possible from the room. Obviously, what you can move will depend on
the room. A bathroom is pretty much fixed, but a living room can be emptied out
completely.
When you’ve removed as much as possible from a space, you
basically have a blank slate to work with. This lets you clean everything and
then gradually create a new space that you love.
Clean from Top to
Bottom
Start your cleaning at the ceiling. Anything you knock down
from up there will land on the floor, so it’s pretty pointless to clean the
floor first. Work your way down, dusting and washing walls, shelves and
windowsills as you go. Don’t forget the skirting boards and wainscoting.
Finally, the floor will be the last part of the space to be
cleaned, apart from the windows. You should do a good job of it so that it
looks like new. For hard floors, this means scrubbing and waxing or refinishing
the space. For carpets, you’ll want to bring in a steam cleaner and clean the
floor. If you’re renting a carpet cleaner, wait until you’ve cleaned all the
rooms that have carpets and then do all the floors in one day.
Wash the Windows
Your windows let the world outside into the spaces you live
in, but if they’re dirty, you’ll need to wash them inside and out. A squeegee
works very well for this, along with hot soapy water. Of course, your windows
will need cleaning more than just once a year, but doing this during spring
cleaning will give you a home that is clean and bright.
You should also wash any curtains or clean your blinds at
this point, too. There is no point in cleaning one and leaving the other
filthy.
Clean the Furniture
Now is a great time to clean your furniture, too. Use wood
polish on wooden furniture to give it a shine, and that steam cleaner will help
you clean upholstered items. Once everything is nice and shiny, you can move it
back into the now clean room.
You may find that there are pieces of furniture you no
longer want. Maybe you’ve rearranged things and there’s no space, or perhaps
you’ve replaced the piece. If this is the case, the pieces of unwanted
furniture can be sold, donated, or stored for later use. In many cases, where
an heirloom piece is no longer wanted in the home, it makes more sense to store
it in a secure facility for the next generation to use.
Don’t Forget These
Tricky Things
There are a few things throughout the house that you should
consider looking after each year when spring cleaning is in effect. For
example:
●Replace your HVAC and
boiler filters
●Do annual inspections
of pipes and vents
●Eliminate clothing
that no longer fits
●Polish silver
●Clean sliding door
tracks
●Clean light fixtures
●Flip your mattress
●Clean wall art
●Clean the chimney and
fireplace
These are just a few of the things that you might otherwise
forget to do, but can make a huge difference.
What’s Next?
By now, you should have a very clean home. This is the ideal
time to change things up if you want a new style or would like to add some
colour to your rooms.
Anything you want to put into storage should be packed up
nicely and securely. You can then arrange for someone to take them to a storage unit
for you, or take the items yourself.
Storage Units and Storage Companies
Sometimes, there just isn’t
enough space in our homes for everything we love. You may have things you want
to keep and don’t plan to sell, but they just don’t belong in your home
anymore. If that’s the case, you might want to consider using a storage company
to keep your belongings secure and kept out of the house.
There are a few options when it comes to storage spaces. You
can either rent a container to have at your home for temporary storage, while
you wait to move things to a new location, or you can put them into a storage
unit. A unit is usually a rented space on the company’s property, so you’ll
have the added benefit of security for the space.
Choosing the right storage company requires finding one that
offers security for your items. You will probably want to select a storage unit
that is relatively close to you and that has a good reputation. You can check
online reviews and talk to other people who use the units in order to get a
better idea as to whether or not it is the sort of place you want to use.
When storing your items, you should prepare them for
storage. Remember that dust is pervasive and can get into just about any space.
You’ll want to put keepsakes into boxes, well wrapped in bubble wrap if they
are fragile. Pack them neatly and label the box so you can find what you need
to easily.
Furniture should also be prepared. It can be covered in packing
plastic or in drop cloth. Either way, you want to protect it from getting dusty
and dirty. It’s also a good idea to avoid piling heavy boxes on top of any
upholstered items, since this can result in some serious problems with the
upholstery later on.
It’s a good idea to use a storage unit if you want to get
rid of some items without permanently eliminating them.
Are you looking for a storage solution for the items you’ve
gotten out during your spring cleaning? Contact Rose Removals
today for more information.
