It’s Spring Cleaning Time – Part 2

In our last blog post, we mentioned that “spring cleaning” can mean something different from one person to the next. One person’s list of chores may be three times as long as another person’s. In general, this once-a-year task at least covers the big stuff – floors and baseboards, walls, windows and window treatments, ceiling fans, area rugs and carpets, underneath heavy furniture pieces and appliances, and so on.

We also shared cleaning expert Debbie Sardone’s very clever tip for cleaning ceiling fans without dropping dust on everything, and provided the link to her recent appearance in the “Get a Jump on Spring Cleaning!” segment on Good Morning Texas, seen on local ABC affiliate WFAA Channel 8.

So let’s add a few more spring cleaning tips to help guide you through the deep-cleaning chores, starting from the top down, as is recommended.

Debbie Sardone on Good Morning Texas

• Windows and Window Treatments

Wash or dry clean your removable fabric window treatments, or vacuum stationary treatments. Give rods and blinds a good dusting (both sides of the slats) and then clean the window glass. Removing that hazy film that mysteriously appears on the glass looks much better. A wet microfiber cloth followed by a damp chamois works well, or a cotton cleaning cloth and a cleaner like Blue Juice should sparkle the glass right up.

• Walls

First, swipe away dust webs from walls and ceilings and dust the tops of door frames and trim with a cloth-covered broom or a duster attachment on an extension pole. The brush attachment on an extended vacuum hose works well too.

Then determine just how marked up your walls and trim are – ceilings rarely need attention. Do you need to spot clean, wash the walls, or paint? If washing the entire wall makes more sense, try 1 to 2 cups of clear, non-sudsing ammonia per gallon of cool water and a large sponge. Many times, you can just spot clean.

1. First try a clean white cloth or light-colored sponge dampened with plain water. No luck?
2. Then try a little Red Juice or diluted ammonia on your cloth. Still see the marks?
3. Try a white eraser sponge dampened with water (test on an inconspicuous area first and use a light touch to see how your paint will react). Hmmm. Really? That amazing sponge didn’t do the trick?
4. Paint.

• Floors and Baseboards

It’s time to get down on your hands and knees. In addition to vacuuming and mopping, you want to go the extra mile and wipe down the baseboards and any hard flooring surfaces right at the baseboards to remove any built-up mopping residue. Use a white eraser sponge like the Speed Eraser to remove stubborn scuff marks on painted baseboards.

As we’ve said, each household is different when it comes to spring cleaning. Some require more attention than others. But when you’re all done, you’ll be glad you made the effort. You can find a helpful array of cleaning products as well as more cleaning tips at SpeedCleaning.com. Enjoy your fresh space and the new season!