10 Spring Cleaning Tips To Help You Get The Job Done

By Vivian El-Salawy on March 20, 2017

Today is the first day of spring! The March equinox was today (Monday, March 20th) at approximately 6:29 AM Eastern Standard Time. You know what this means: spring cleaning.  Here are 10 spring cleaning tips to help you get the job done:

1. Brush off your welcome mat. 

Image via YouTube

The first thing a guest sees when they come to visit is your welcome mat (and of course your door). Keep your place tidy on the inside and the outside, whether its to give your guests a good impression or to make your home more welcoming to yourself when you come home everyday.

2. Wipe the floors and deep clean the carpet. 

Image via Yelp

Hardwood floors aren’t terribly difficult to clean, so be sure to give them a good vacuum and mop. However, if you have carpet – that is where the nightmare comes in. If you are looking to do some deep cleaning this spring cleaning season, consider renting a carpet cleaner from Home Depot, Lowe’s, or any other local store. It is a much cheaper alternative to hiring somebody else to clean your own carpet, it’s easy to do, and you can rent it for various increments of time. A disgusting amount of dust collects in most carpet floors and vacuuming does not always do the deed, so do what you need to do to get rid of the dust and stains that have been haunting you all winter.

3.  Clean your ceiling fans and light fixtures.

Image via Gossamer Wind

Speaking of dust, you don’t even want to know how much dust collects on the top of your ceiling fan ever month or so. That white ceiling fan that you keep on at night is most likely pitch black on the top. To clean the blades of a ceiling fan, cover them with a coat of furniture polish and wipe off the excess. If your ceiling fan is above your bed (it is for most), consider laying out some kind of sheet to prevent dust from falling onto your bed. Tearing apart a garbage bag so that is lays flat works, that way you can dispose of it after. Light fixtures also collect a good amount of dust – the same can be done with them, just be sure to have the lights turned off and be careful handling anything that runs electrically when spring cleaning.

4. Air out your sheets.

Image via Lorian Association

Moving on to sheets – comforters, blankets, and pillows do need to be washed relatively frequently because when you sleep at night, dead skin collects in your bed (similarly to when you use towels, so be sure to wash those often as well). However, if they do not need to be cleaned, consider airing them out: take them outside and hang them on a clothesline.

5. Donate some of your clothing.

Image via Real Simple

Laundry is a given, but have you considered donating some of the clothes that no longer fits you or that you rarely wear? If not, then think again. While you’re doing your laundry this spring, set aside any clothes that you don’t see yourself wearing anymore or that hasn’t left your closet in over a year. If it’s something you would really like to keep wearing, leave it in until next spring and if you don’t wear it until then, consider donating it. Take it to your local Goodwill or any other donation based organization. However, if you are looking to get a buck or two for it, there plenty of options such as Plato’s Closet.

6. Reorganize your living space.

Image via Cheap Moving Tips

If things are seeming to get old, you don’t need to buy or sell to give your place a new look. Think about rearranging your room – whether it’s reorganizing the books on your desk or moving around some furniture. If you move your bed (which is often the largest piece of furniture in a bedroom), you’d be amazed at how much potential space you could gain and how different your room will look. If you don’t like the change, you can simply move it back to how it was before.

7. Don’t forget about your car.

Image via Smosh

I imagine many of your living spaces might be spotless already, but how about your car? Don’t neglect the interior of your car, as most college students do. Give it a wash from the outside, vacuum the inside, and throw away all of those old fast food receipts. Whether you have a 1995 Toyota Camry or a 2017 Honda Civic, you can make any car look new if you give it the time and effort.

8. Clean out the fridge.

Image via Dull Men’s Club

Different households organize their refrigerators in different ways: either by food group or through assigning a shelf to every roommate. Other households simply do not organize their refrigerators. If the shelves in your fridge are sticky, you most likely don’t know why (or what, for that matter). A good refrigerator cleaner is a combination of salt and soda water. While you’re at it, consider tossing any leftovers from before spring break and expired produce (pro-tip: if you can’t tell what it is, it’s probably expired).

9.  Wipe down kitchen appliances.

Image via Twitter

Doing the dishes is one of the least popular chores for most households. Washing dishes isn’t terrible, but when it comes to fully cleaning detailed kitchen appliances (blenders and so on) – that’s where the laziness kicks in. When you’re cleaning out your fridge, be sure to spend some time cleaning out all of your kitchen appliances, wipe down your counters, and clean out your microwave and oven for goodness sake.

10. Start or continue recycling.

Image via Pinterest

If you already recycling – good for you. When you’re spring cleaning, you end up tossing out many paper, plastic, or cardboard products. While you’re cleaning, make sure you’re continuing to recycle. If you haven’t recycled, start recycling! There’s no excuse. Many college student apartment complexes actually do not offer a place to recycle your things. Buy a large plastic bin or use a cardboard box, store your recycled items in there for the time being, and then drop it off at your friend’s complex or other areas within the city. It takes some extra time but it’s definitely worthwhile.

Hopefully these tips will give you the motivation and inspiration you need on how to go about your spring cleaning this season.

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