9:05 pm 03/03/2010
Spring is the perfect time to freshen up and organize your home. Here are some great room-by-room spring-cleaning tips and a useful guide to help you clean up fast and start anew.
Windows
Start on the outside. One of the most gratifying spring-cleaning accomplishments is getting the windows so clean that the sunshine pours in as the weather warms up. But you can’t get perfectly clean windows just by doing the inside glass alone. The next nice spring day, enjoy some fresh air outdoors and clean the outsides of your windows with the new Windex™ Outdoor All in One Glass Cleaning Tool.
Savor the sweet smell of success. Once the outsides of the windows are clean, focus on getting the insides as clear as possible. Use a glass cleaner such as Windex® Original Glass Cleaner.
Bathroom
Vacuum first. The bathroom has lots of corners and crevices that attract dust bunnies and dirt. Vacuuming before cleaning will make the cleaning process easier and faster. Use your vacuum’s crevice attachment to get into tight spaces and reach under cabinets.
Try a fresh scent for spring. After a long winter, citrus and floral scents evoke the coming of lighter, warmer weather. Try a fresh-smelling bathroom cleaner, such as Scrubbing Bubbles® Bathroom Cleaner in Citrus Action®. And keep the gentle, light scent going with Glade PlugIns® Gel in Lavender and Vanilla.
Kitchen
Focus on hard-to-reach spaces. Make a checklist and clean the areas you rarely touch: under the fridge, the top of the oven hood, inside the dishwasher, baseboard and window moldings, light fixtures and underneath your countertop appliances. And for those “scary” places full of things you haven’t looked at in years, clean them out and organize items into labeled Ziploc® brand Snap ‘n Seal Containers.
Streamline your routine. With so many different surfaces, cleaning the kitchen can seem overwhelming and time-consuming. Simplify your spring cleaning by using one good multi-surface cleaner, such as Windex® Multi-Surface Cleaner Antibacterial Disinfectant, to save time and money.
Pare down the pantry. Spring is the perfect time to get rid of perishables and expired foods that have been in the pantry for too long. Check the less obvious stuff, such as spices that have been around a while or the cereal you haven’t eaten since 2009. Even canned goods don’t last forever. If your pantry is messy and chaotic, sort foods into Ziploc® brand Snap ‘n Seal Containers to make things more orderly and easy to find.
Living and dining rooms
Clear the clutter. There’s nothing wrong with keeping some reading material near the remote, but you don’t need dozens of magazines sitting on your coffee table. Get rid of any magazines older than three months. If there are articles you’d still like to read, cut them out and put them in one bound scrapbook or folder. If you have lots of loose items cluttering up shelves or tables, sort them into piles on the floor. Then put them into Ziploc® brand Snap ‘n Seal Containers or Ziploc® brand Big Bags, label them and put them away in closets or your storage room.
Don’t forget to disinfect. You’re probably used to disinfecting and deodorizing in the kitchen and bathroom, but other high-traffic rooms and surfaces invite just as many germs. Help reduce odour-causing bacteria on often-touched surfaces such as work or craft countertops, telephones and doorknobs with Fantastik® Original.
Dust the dishes. If you‘ve got a china cabinet in or near the dining room, chances are you don’t use those dishes every day. But even when the cabinet is closed, dust can still settle on surfaces. Spring cleaning is a good time to try the Pledge® Multi-Surface Duster and its 360-degree cleaning angle for dusting under plates and inside cups.
Bedroom
Clear the drawers. Take everything out of your dresser drawers, armoire and nightstand. If you haven’t used the item in a year, donate it. If you do wear or use it regularly, but it needs mending, start a “mend” pile. And if anything’s stained, use Shout® Triple Action Gel to pre-treat the stain before laundering. Then, refill each drawer with just one type of clothing (e.g., socks or T-shirts) so things are easy to find when you’re in a hurry. To make space for summer wardrobes, put winter clothes in Ziploc® brand Big Bags.
Mind the headboard. Chances are if you have an older headboard, that both time and dust along with your heating and air conditioning have sucked the moisture out of it. Banish the dust hiding in the crevices with the Pledge® Multi-Surface Duster. Then put moisture back into the wood and add shine with Pledge® Extra Moisturizing Aerosol. After all that, take a well-deserved nap or springtime stroll.
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