Ah, spring! The time of year for bountiful blossoms, rapidly greening landscapes and deep cleaning. For many, spring cleaning is a way to shake away the winter blues and refresh the home.
When the time for spring cleaning rolls around, we put extra elbow grease into our cleaning routine. We at CIP believe a clean and organized home is a happy home. But, with all that cleaning, some areas tend to get overlooked.
Here are some of our favorite spring cleaning tips for getting those often-forgotten about places squeaky clean.
1. Air vents/grills
Air vents and grills can quickly build up with dust particles, cobwebs and hair. Easily remove the buildup by taking a damp washcloth with soap and wipe down the air vent. For air grills on the ceiling, use a vacuum with an attachment for easy access. You may want to consider wearing a face mask to prevent breathing in falling dust.
2. Floor pet hair
Do you have a furry family member in your apartment home? A rubber broom will be indispensable when removing pet hair easily from your carpet. Simply push the rubber broom over your carpet or floor and watch the fur accumulate.
3. Under the stove
You may be thinking, under the oven, how can that possibly get dirty? Carefully remove the bottom oven drawer and prepared to be in shock. Thankfully, it’s not as bad as it usually looks. Sweep up any food or dust that has been hiding, and take a damp washcloth with soap to the floor to remove any grease that may have accrued.
4. Garbage can
Have you ever taken out the trash only to discover it wasn’t the trash that was making the odor, but the trash can? No matter how careful someone is by using a liner, mystery liquids and food crumbs manage to make their way to the bottom. Get your wastebasket in tip-top shape by first dumping any loose items into a bag. Next, use a stiff brush and warm water with soap to disinfect the inside and outside of the receptacle.
5. TV remotes
We touch TV remotes daily, but for some reason we rarely clean them. First, remove the batteries from the device. Then, take a cloth dipped in alcohol and gently rub the controller. After that, take a cotton swab dipped in alcohol and clean between the buttons.
6. Refrigerator gaskets
You likely have cleaned the inside of the refrigerator, but be honest, how many times did that include the gasket? All that you will need is a rag and non-abrasive soap and then gently wipe down the gasket. Avoid abrasive soaps and bleach, as they will dry out the gasket and cause it to break down.
7. Garbage disposals
We’ve all been in the situation where we’re surprised that we have a phantom odor to only discover it’s the garbage disposal. Pour a cup of vinegar and a half cup of baking soda into your garbage disposal. While that’s working on the inside of the disposal, go ahead and make a vinegar-baking soda paste. Take baking soda and slowly start adding in drops of vinegar until a spreadable paste is formed. Use that paste with an old toothbrush and scrub down the rubber parts on the outside entrance of the disposal. For added freshness, you can run citrus peels through the disposal after you have cleaned it.
8. Reusable shopping bags
Reusable shopping bags can be unsuspecting collectors of dirt and bacteria. If you are using a canvas bag made from cotton, simply turn your bag inside out and throw it into a washing machine on the gentle cycle. If your bag is made from plastic or nylon, wash it by hand in a warm soapy water.
9. Toothbrush holder
If you have been using your current toothbrush holder longer than a few months, you likely now have an accumulation of toothpaste on the sides or bottom. Soak the toothbrush holder in hot, soapy water until the caked-on toothpaste becomes dislodged. Then use soap and a pipe cleaner to clean the toothbrush holes and the bottom.
10. Coffee maker
It’s scary to think about how little the coffee maker gets cleaned, but it’s one item that shouldn’t be neglected. Fill your water chamber with equal parts vinegar and water. Next, brew the half water-vinegar solution. Halfway through the brewing process, turn off your coffee maker and let it sit for an hour. After an hour, turn your coffee maker on to brew the rest of the solution. Discard your brew of water-vinegar and fill your reservoir with only water. Finally, run a brew cycle with plain water. You should continue to brew water until you can no longer smell vinegar.