Secrets of Spring Success

Let’s start with some basic cleaning – nothing too strenuous.

1.  Clean the top and underneath the microwave.

2.  Clean the shelf that the microwave sits on.

3.  Clean the top of the fridge.

4.  Clean the top of the cabinetry in the kitchen.

5.  De-crumb the toaster! *This should be done weekly

These places are low on the “to do list” of regular household cleaning and over the year accumulate a lot of grease residue and crumbs; both can attract creepy crawlies to your kitchen.

6.  Clean out your pantry, check for opened dry goods and expired items.

7.  Clean the fridge and throw out anything passed its expiration date.

8.  Line the bottom of your meat and vegetable trays with wax paper. When it needs replacing just throw it in the rubbish, or if it’s not stained with juices put it in the compost pile.

9.  Clean the oven. If your oven racks are too big for the sink wash them in the bath or on the lawn.

Out of date or residue of out of date food is not something you need in your kitchen.  Whilst cleaning out the fridge and oven may happen at other times of the year, not just Spring, it is a good time reminder to give it a thorough clean to make sure bacteria doesn’t have a chance to take hold.

10.  Rotate mattresses and / or flip and vacuum.

Rotating mattresses is great for creating even wear – even better if you can take the mattress out into the sun for a day to get some fresh air into the fibre – vacuum to remove dust mites.

11.  Clean dusty lampshades by rolling a lint remover over them.

12.  Wash mini or Venetian blinds by putting the in the bath and rinse off with the shower hose.

Any activity that removes dust from the home, particularly the bedroom will increase the “health” of your house and those who live in it.  Extremely dusty homes can lead to allergies.

13.  Place winter clothes in plastic zip up bags after dry cleaning or hand washing. Prevent moths from attacking them by using vacuum packs or add mothballs.

14.  If your bedroom walls are a neutral tone, try painting the wall behind the bed in a shade to match your mood of the new season.

15.  Declutter bedside tables.

Nothing says Spring like a bit of decluttering and the bedside table is one such place clutter gathers.  Put all the books that you “started” to read back on the shelf, put the medications back in the medicine cabinet and give the surface a good clean.  Dust close to your face whilst you sleep is not a good thing.

16.  Extra blankets and throws can be made up on a spare of guest bed.

This is a perfect solution if you are short on storage for blankets.  If you have guess over the warmer seasons, fold them neatly at the base of the bed.

17.  Tired of sticky or creaky drawer Runners?  While you are giving your bedrooms the once over you should give these a little attention too.

Remove each drawer from the runners and clean and polish the back and sides well. Rub the runners with soap or dressmaker’s chalk. Unless the drawers are warped, the result should be smooth sliding drawers.

18. Change batteries to smoke detectors.

In fact you should change the batteries in your smoke detectors at the start of every season – don’t’ risk your families’ safety to flat batteries.

19.  Every 3 years have electric blankets serviced by the manufacturer, and check the label as sometimes those with detachable controls are now washable.

Like all electrical appliances these will eventually fail, and it is a high risk appliance much like a heater.  Tip:  If you need to get rid of an old electric blanket, rip out the wires and give it to your local stables, perfect for horse blankets!

20.  Clean out makeup drawers.

Unfortunately most make up doesn’t have used by dates, but as a rule, Concealer 12 months, Powders 2 years, Cream and Gel Cleaners 1 Year, Eye Line (if you can sharpen it regularly) will last around 3 years.

21.  Wash Make up Brushes and Sponges

This should be done every few months, not once a year, but it is a timely reminder that brushes should be washed in mild detergent every 2-3 months and sponges should be washed weekly or simply discarded.

22.  Clean out medicine cabinet and safely dispose of expired medicines.

A green way of disposing medications is to put old tablets and liquid medications into a dish of kitty litter or old ground coffee. This will ensure that no one accidentally take the medication. Never throw away medications in their original bottle as it may fall into the wrong hands.

23.  Clean the bathroom extractor fan grill

This has probably had a lot of use over the winter and will be full of dust and fluff.  Cleaning it out will make it run more efficiently and of course remove lots of dust from the bathrooms ventilation system.

24.  Clean the shower heads

Rinse with a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar. Rinse well. Unblock stubborn deposits in the holes with a needle. Will make you feel like you have a new shower and increase the life of the head.

25.  After winter get your boots cleaned, resoled and heeled ready for next winter.

This is a great way to assess if the boots have seen their last season and save you a bit of storage space.  I may also act as a reminder to look at the end of season sales to replace them.

26.  For the boots you are keeping; keep them in shape

Inserting 1L soft drink bottles into each boot. For added padding put a couple of socks on the bottles. This will preserve the leather increase the life of your boots.

27.  Clean out your handbags and rotate them for the season.

You might rotate your handbag daily, but like your shoes you should give them a little love and care.  If they are leather give them a polish with shoe polish (most good boot makers will polish your handbags). Pull all the pockets inside out and clear all the crumbs and dust. Return them to their dust jackets if they have them.

28.  Group your garments. To save time, arrange your trousers, coats, skirts, dresses etc in groups colour coding them as you go.

Seasonally edit your wardrobe. What’s taking up space and what do you need. Sell good designer garments on eBay or give good quality items to charity.

29.  Arrange to have your Air conditioning serviced.

At the change of each season the filters need to be checked to ensure they are fresh and the unit isn’t drawing more power than it needs to efficiently heat or cool your home.

30.  Outdoor furniture, check for wear and tear and repair or replace.

Inhibit mildew grown on outdoor plastic mesh furniture with 2 cups white vinegar and 2 tablespoon of liquid detergent in a bucket of water. Use a soft brush to work it into the grooves of the plastic and for scrubbing seat pads. Rinse with cold water and dry in the sun.

Clean cane garden furniture with 1 part white distilled vinegar and 1 part hot water. Place the chairs out in the hot sun if possible to dry.

31.  Give your garden an instant face lift by covering the soil between plants with bark or mulch.

A great time to start preparing the garden, particularly if you’ve sewn bulbs in the Autumn!

32.  Check the garden hoses and all attachments ready for summer watering.

A wheel rim attached to the wall of your garage or shed provides a perfect storage place for your hose and stops it getting tangled.

Place a piece of soap in the toe of old tights and tie to the hose fitting. You’ll always be able to find the sop for muddy hands after working in the garden.

33.  Create your unique garden statue, buy a new one and make it look old.

Smear it with natural yoghurt and algae will quickly grow over it!

34.  Get ready for summer pests.

Keep ants out, sprinkle powered red chilli pepper, paprika and dried peppermint, or borax where the ants are entering.  

Check the fly screens for wear and tear and organise to have them replaced.  Fly screens are a very inexpensive way of keeping summer bugs at bay!

35.  Don’t just wash the car, vacuum it.

Even better if you can have your car professionally detailed.  If you have kids in your car you know how much food and grit gets buried in the back seat.  Avoid any nasty surprises and get in with the rubber gloves!

36.  Wash the dog’s blanket

Add and add ½ cup white distilled vinegar to the final rinse cycle.

37.  Give your best “furry” friend’s collar a wash.

Wash with a solution of baking soda dissolved in hot water to remove grease and grime. Soak nylon collars in a solution of equal parts baking soda and vinegar in hot water. The collar will soak clean in 15 minutes to half an hour.

38.  Remove fur and lint from clothing from clothing and furniture.

Simply wipe a damp sponge over the item. Run your finger over the sponge and the unwanted fuzz will come off in a ball for easy disposal.

39.  When you don’t think you can clean anymore….slide a sock over a wire hanger and use to dust hard to reach narrow areas such as a bookshelf and a wall or the back of a radiator.

…. and relax – it’s Spring!