After Colorado’s long, snowing winter, it’s time for a change. Spring is getting closer, which usually gets us thinking about refreshing and airing out the house. Spring cleaning might be on the agenda, and maybe you’re thinking about getting organized. It’s difficult to decide where to start. We’d gathered some tips for you to make it easier!
Let’s Start With Cleaning.
Even if you keep your home clean all year, some rooms may need more intense cleaning after the winter. Let’s go room by room – perhaps you can tackle one a week to make the job more approachable.
Start with the LIVING ROOM – after all, it’s probably the one used by everyone almost every day.
- Artwork – dust all the artwork on the walls using a clean wet cloth.
- Books – take books off shelves and dust.
- Deep Cleaning – take your drapes down and consider sending them to the cleaners or have them steam cleaned.
- Vacuum upholstery – taking cushions off and cleaning underneath.
- Lamps and light fixtures – dust lampshades and light fixtures, as well as ceiling fans.
- Carpets and rugs – these are most likely due for deep cleaning. Let a professional handle this if they are very soiled, otherwise you can rent a machine, including an attachment for furniture or vacuum and spot clean them yourself.
The KITCHEN is next. Whenever it’s organized and clean, the job of preparing meals seems more pleasant.
- The ceilings and walls have most likely accumulated greasy dust and dirt, so start with them and work your way down to cabinets, counter tops, stove, oven and refrigerator.
- Save the floor for last.
- Appliances – don’t forget about the refrigerator coils. If possible, move the unit to sweep and mop underneath. Set your oven to start cleaning. If you don’t have a self-cleaning oven, spray oven cleaner inside the oven and let sit while you tackle the inside of your fridge. You’ll need to empty the refrigerator to really get it clean. Scrub the shelves, drawers and rubber seal around the inside of the door. Your dishwasher should be run without any dishes from time to time to keep it fresh smelling as well. Add white vinegar, baking soda or a commercial product made just for cleaning your dishwasher. Then run it on the normal cycle.
Let’s not forget the GARAGE and OUTDOORS.
- Clean the corners of walls from spider webs and leaves that may have collected. Notice if any areas are particularly damp – it may need special attention if mold has formed. If you enter your home from the garage, you may need to pay particular attention to door mats.
- Clean the patio furniture and grill so you’ll be ready for first use, hopefully soon.
- Inspect your windows, they probably need a good cleaning after the winter too. Use a solution of half rubbing alcohol half water and small amount of white vinegar to clean the windows inside and outside. Or think about calling a professional.
As you clean, you might double down on the idea of decluttering. We’ve broken this chore up between the home and office. And we’ve tried to get everyone involved to make the job easier.
Decluttering your HOME.
- Start Simple. Give away one item a day. Fill one trash bag a week. I have a friend that put the giveaway item is his car each day. At the end of the week, he made a trip to Goodwill. Filling up a trash bag is easy. . .check out the cabinet in your bathroom, throw away old bottles, cans and ointments.
- Be Forceful. Go through your closet and give away any clothes you’re not wearing anymore!
- Tackle a dresser. Go through the drawers of your dresser. Organize the clothes and throw out old, torn or stretched-out items.
- Tackle the linen closet. Throw away any sheets that don’t fit your bed sizes. How many sheets sets do you need per bed? Decide, and then throw or give away the most worn sets.
- Give everyone at home a box. Within 2 weeks, they have to fill the box with things to give away. Even kids can get into this action. Donate the toys to a pre-school, or books to the library. Make it fun and feel good about it!
Decluttering the OFFICE
- Set one day aside for everyone to clean up. No meetings are allowed on this day. Make sure you have plenty of trash and recycling cans ready. You’ll improve the look of your office and employees will find things they thought they lost!
- Set procedures for keeping files. If you have many employees and you often work in teams, establish this procedure: Only the head of the team keeps all of the documents. Everyone else can pitch the document if it’s of no use to them.
- Clear off all flat surfaces. Counters, desk tops, work stations – they are all clutter magnets. If you need to keep a few things out, that’s OK, but make it a goal to free most of the surface.
- Appoint an archivist. One person should be keeping and storing a sample of all company literature. It’s historical data that might come in handy later. But not everyone has to store brochures from long ago!
- Store old files off sight. If you can’t pitch files, then store them off site. After a year, you might be able to throw away the oldest files that are being stored.
Once you have everything cleaned and decluttered, considering taking pictures. Not only will they be a reminder of all the work you’ve done, but they may come in handy next time when you talk with your insurance company.