With Spring finally here we are ready to shake off our winter coats and enjoy longer days and better weather (soon). But take a rainy day this April (like today!) and make your home clean and tidy with these easy and fun spring cleaning tips.
Dust and clean horizontal surfaces
This often gets overlooked but now is the perfect time to take care of it. Here is a quick trick too: use a reusable microfiber cloth or rag on a Swiffer handle to wash and reuse without wasting a lot of single use cloths - it also keeps you from having to bend over for shoe-molding! We also like using a dilute vinegar mixture (50:50 water vinegar) after the quick dusting to truly clean and refresh all of those surfaces. Even consider putting in a few drops of your favorite essential oil to add a pleasant fragrance.
Wash and put away winter goodies
Spend a little time going through coat racks, car trunks and chair backs to collect heavy coats, scarves, sweaters etc.... Wash what you can and put it away. If your house is small, consider packing these items away in plastic tubs in the attic or basement with a dryer sheet to keep them fresh until the fall. This is also a great opportunity to go through those winter items that never got used and consider donating them. There are a lot of Red Cross donation drop boxes around Cape Cod that accept clothing donations. Also Goodwill and municipal transfer stations are collection points for these goods as well.
Clean your refrigerator and freezer
Nobody likes doing it but now is your chance. The best thing to do here is to completely empty the contents. It doesn't take too long and allows you to take a look at the expiration dates on jars and condiments (mustard from 2015! Shame on you). Wipe the shelves and drawers and, once you put everything back, you are left with a better organized, emptier and cleaner fridge! Here is a fun tip for smaller families that will save you energy as well: if you find that you don't use up all of your fridge's space, put gallons of water inside to fill up the empty area. These will help retain the coldness when you open the door and your fridge won't have to work as hard getting things back to temperature once it is closed, saving electricity.
Make a plan and chip away at it
Don't mark off one whole day to do all of this at once. Write down a checklist of what you want done and choose 15-30 minute projects to tackle over the next few weeks. Remember the result is a nice clean home that you will love spending time in!