Spring has arrived and a deep spring clean-up is a must after a long winter when our homes have been completely closed up. Beyond the obvious regular cleaning tasks, here are a few hacks to use for a deep cleaning.
Use lemon to remove wet stains; rub one half of a lemon stains. The citric acid helps remove hard water marks. Remove water stains with lemon for a natural faucet fix
Use the other half of the lemon to clean your microwave; Squeeze it into a into ½ cup of water and add the rinds to it. Microwave the solution for three minutes and then let it stand for 5 minutes without opening the door. The steam will loosen the grime and you can just wipe the microwave clean.
If your shower head has buildup, use some white vinegar that will dissolve the mineral deposits. Fill a plastic bag with white vinegar, secure it over the showerhead with a rubber band and leave it overnight to get rid any deposits. Then sprinkle baking soda, and scrub with a sponge. For more heavy-duty scrubbing power, add salt to the baking soda. NOTE: Run the shower before you hop in, or you risk smelling like vinegar all day.
Tackle dirty windows and mirrors with a homemade solution and newspaper. Mix ¼ cup of white vinegar, 2 cups of water and 2 teaspoons of liquid soap into a spray bottle. Spray the mixture onto the glass and scrub with newspaper and you’ll have streak free window and mirrors.
Don’t throw away that Lazy Susan that’s been on your table for years, use it to organize your refrigerator or cabinets.
Use a wet dryer sheet on your ceramic stovetop to remove burnt-on residue. Dryer sheets are non-abrasive, just lay them on your stove top, wait 15 minutes and just rub away all that burnt on messes.
Use an onion to clean your grill. Heat it up and spray some white vinegar onto the grates to help loosen the residue. Scrub the area firmly using half an onion. The acid from the onion will rid your grill of any leftover remnants.
Coffee filters can be used to remove fingerprints and dust from you TV and computer monitor. Use care not to press too hard.
Organize your dresser drawers by stacking clothes vertically instead of flat for easy access. They will look neater and you’ll find it’s easier to see what you have in the drawer.
Toasters and tea kettles are two items that tend to be missed with everyday cleaning. Combine 1 tsp of cream of tartar with just enough water to create a milky paste. Rub the solution onto your stainless appliances and wipe away to reveal their original shine.
Read the labels on your rugs and furniture, they all could call for a different solvent to clean them. Not all manufacturer labels state what type of solvent to use so familiarize yourself with the cleaning codes below.
Upholstery Cleaning Labels:
W: Use water-based cleaning solutions.
S: Use dry-cleaning solvents. Do not saturate. Do not use water.
S-W: Use water-based cleaners or dry-cleaning solvents.
X: Use a vacuum or brush only.
The rubber edge of a window squeegee works wonders for removing pet hair from furniture, carpets or rugs. Use a firm grip and clean up the hair as you go. Finish by vacuuming.
If your Spring clean includes rearranging furniture slide clean paper towels under the items you are moving to avoid scratching floors.
Drawer organizers can sometimes tend to slide around, use velcro strips to keep them in place.
Cotton swabs do just the trick if your keyboard keys are sticking or just need a facelift. Chances are dirt and crumbs are the culprits. Sweep cotton swabs between your keys to dislodge dust and grime. And for a real deep clean, use compressed air to blast away any leftover dust, and follow it up with one more sweep through your keys, this time using a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to kill germs.
Hard to get to air vents can be cleaned using a butter knife wrapped in a rag to slide between the slats.
For those hard to reach surfaces that need to be cleaned, wrap a towel over a broom, secure with a rubber band and you have an instant extended dust mop.
Fasten a towel wrapped around the bristle end of a broom to remove cobwebs and dust that can collect in room corners and on ceiling fans.
Old socks make fantastic dust rags, the cotton is a great fabric for trapping dust particles.
After you’ve tried some of these hacks you can use them in your regular routine cleaning instead of waiting for the seasons to change.