Loving Our Home | Home Tips, Advice, and Easy Recipes

Simple Home Tips and Solutions

spring cleaning

Spring Cleaning Ideas and Motivation

By Leave a Comment

When the somber days of winter finally vanish and spring has sprung, it’s the perfect time to start taking on simple projects that won’t break your bank and improve your home. Here are some ideas to get you motivated to do some spring cleaning.

Open Up the Windows

Let the fresh air in.  Nothing will get you more in the mood to clean than smelling the fresh air from outside coming into your home. Play a little of your favorite motivational music or an audiobook to get your energy flowing.

Dust First

Plenty of dust has likely accumulated in your house throughout the cold winter season. Grab a dust buster or Swiffer and dust off your shelves, lamps and knick knacks to start.

The Floors

Your floors are your foundation, so that’s the next detail to take care of. Vacuum and mop all of the floors in your home. This is also a great time of year to rent a rug shampooer from your local supermarket and shampoo all carpets throughout your house.

Linens

Changing the curtains and bed linens in all rooms will rejuvenate the appearance in your home.  Remove the dark winter colors and replace them with the cheerful colors of spring, such as vibrant yellows, oranges and shades of pink.  You may find it easier to purchase a duvet that incorporates all of the colors of spring to cheer up your bedroom. You may also want to add bright and colorful throw pillows on the bed and the sofa in your living room to add springtime pops of color.

Flower Time

Adorn your home with planted flowers or flowers in vases to bring in the spring season.  Remember that some flowers need full daylight, near a window while others can be placed wherever you like.  Try a potted sunflower in the kitchen so that every time you go in for breakfast you’re met with its beauty and fresh scent.  Place flowers on the coffee table and end tables in your living room.  Make sure to choose flowers that blend well with your color scheme.

Your Front Door or Porch

Remember to do some spring cleaning on the outdoors as well. Sweep your stoop or porch thoroughly. Wash your front and back windows. The front porch is a great place to hang ferns to beautify your entrance. They will make your entrance more welcoming to you and your guests. If you are an apartment dweller, you can make a lovely floral wreath to hang on your front door.

When you hear the birds chirping and begin to smell the fresh scents of spring, you’ll probably get all the motivation you need for spring cleaning. Start with these simple ideas and add additional projects to your list as you go along.

Posted by Eve

 

Image courtesy Flickr (pattynwalter)

Spring Cleaning Tips

By Leave a Comment

Spring cleaning your home allows you to give your home a fresh, clean, rejuvenated appearance. Here are a few tips to accomplish this goal.

Wash All Of Your Curtains
Curtains hold household dust, sometimes not seen by the naked eye. Curtains, also can absorb the every day cooking and pet odors, especially during the winter months because you tend not to air our your house as much, due to the cold temperatures.

To assist in adding a fresh scent to your home, purchase your favorite fabric softener to add to your rinse. When curtains are then rehung in the home, your home will be filled with your most pleasurable scent. Keep in mind the manufactures instructions on how to properly wash your individual curtains. Personally, in my home, I add a touch more fabric softener to the rinse, put my curtains through the spin cycle twice ( to eliminate excess moisture) and rehang my curtains damp on a bright and sunny day with all possibles windows open to aid in the air drying process.

Clean Your Carpets And Flooring
Trust me when I say, floors and carpets are full of germs and odors. They really take a beating, especially in the winter because of all of the contaminates brought into the home from outside to manage snow, ice and sleet. More prominent are when pets and children track those contaminates indoors.

I suggest that you purchase or rent a carpet cleaner from your local supermarket. I strongly recommend cleaning your carpets more than once with the proper cleaning solution added. Clean your carpets at least twice or until the water returns to the cleaner with a clear appearance. On the last pass over the carpet, in my home I add a bold scented fabric softener to the water container. I do this to add more fragrance to the clean carpet.

As for your hard surface flooring, I recommend that you first sweep and/ or use a vacuum to remove dirt and sand from the crevices in the floor. Then use a mop and bucket filled with the proper floor cleaning solution and warm water to remove the dirt/grime from the floor. Then allow your floor to fully dry. A tip is to open the main windows in the house to create a breeze to aide in the drying process. After floor is fully dry, wax your floor with the proper waxing solution. This will give your floors a nice, clean shine to the floor’s appearance.

Walls & Baseboards
A lot of dust, pet dander/hair, attaches itself to your walls and baseboards during the winter months. What I am going to suggest may sound like a cruel punishment, but it will really make a difference!!

First, I highly recommend that you dust the baseboards and walls with a microfiber cloth. This is a very important step, because if you do not dust, the dust/ hair will noticeably clump up on the wall or baseboard. The next step is to get a bucket of warm water and add a drop of an all purpose household cleaner to the water. Use a terry cloth to wipe walls and baseboards. However, keep in mind, the type of wall paint finish ( flat, satin, glossy etc… ) that you have, will let you know if an additive can be added.

Happy cleaning!

Posted by: Eve