Spring Cleaning Tips for Your Home: 2021 Edition

It’s April: the sun is up, the flowers, abloom. It feels like there is no better time to open up to the world to get something done after those long dreary winter nights. This seems to be why springtime is the perfect time for most of us to do house-wide decluttering, cleaning, and reorganizing.

With more time at home compelling us to pay attention to the dirty nooks and crannies we haven’t noticed before, there’s no reason not to get right down to it. Feeling the urge to pick up a broom or the vacuum cleaner yet? Start your spring cleaning at home right with these ideas and make this seemingly tedious work seem more palatable.

Make a Checklist

As with any laborious home task, the key to efficient spring cleaning is preparation. You need to know what needs to be done. A week or two before the actual cleaning, prepare a spring cleaning checklist.

• General
  • Dust and clean windows and surfaces
  • Sweep and mop the floors
  • Vacuum rugs and/or carpets
  • Water your plants
  • Take out items for recycling
  • Dispose of junk mail, free samples, and other items no longer of use
  • Declutter
• Kitchen and dining area
  • Clean heavy-duty appliances like the stove, microwave, refrigerator (including the freezer), and
  • utensil organizers
  • Organize the pantry by sorting out pots, pans, drawers, cabinets, etc.
  • Choose items that you can give away
  • Descale the coffee machine
  • Check if knives and scissors are still functional
• Living room
  • Dust and disinfect (or wash) the coffee table
  • Clean the entertainment system (using products safe for electronics)
  • Fluff or wash throw pillows and/or pillowcases
  • Check the sofa if it needs upholstering (leather), or deep cleaning (other material)
  • Organize CDs, DVDs, video games, and other entertainment system items
  • Declutter the bookshelves, and organize remaining books and other reading materials
• Bathroom and laundry area
  • Deep clean the showerhead, toilet, sink, and bathtub using strong cleaning product
  • Check for damages on the bathroom floor, bathtub, sink, and other areas
  • Get rid of empty bottles and containers, and expired/unused beauty products
  • Organize the medicine cabinet
  • Replace short-term items like toothbrushes, shaving razors, and shower caps
  • Check if your shower liner or curtain needs replacement
  • Take out used clothing or towels left by other family members
• Bedrooms and Closets
  • Declutter dressers, wardrobes, closets
  • Throw out clothes that have been worn down, and are unusable
  • Organize clothes by colour, by fabric, or any way you are comfortable with
  • Check for insects living in corners, and dust and clean away
  • Wash the beddings
  • Replace dirty sheets, pillowcases
• Garage and Car
  • Declutter, and set aside items you can sell, give away, or throw away
  • Reorganize the space inside so you can move around better
  • Rearrange tools and equipment
  • Check if your overhead doors are rusty, and grease if they are
  • Check if the car interior smells, or has dirty spots
  • Throw out any garbage inside
  • Check for damages in the windows, wipers, tires, and other peripherals
  • Wash the car, deep clean the windows, windshield, and wipers
  • Vacuum the seats and the floor
  • Replace car floor mats, if necessary
  • If you can’t wash the car yourself, take it to your local car wash
  • Schedule an oil change, safety inspection, or tire replacement
• The Outside
  • Check your lawn and your roof to see what needs cleaning, repairs, or replacement
  • Cut the grass, or prune the trees, if you have any
  • Rake the leaves, and throw away broken branches
  • Pick up any trash
  • Clean the gutters

An additional tip: Decluttering can be difficult, especially if certain objects have sentimental value. However, you don’t have to get rid of them for good. Renting a self-storage unit will allow you to hold on to these items while clearing up space in your home. Entrust these precious objects to a reliable self-storage company to keep them well-preserved.

Checkpoint: Cleaning Supplies and Equipment

What even is cleaning without the cleaning materials? Along with your task schedule, don’t forget to sort out all that you need for cleaning and organizing your house. Household Management 101 suggests this ultimate home cleaning checklist:

• Equipment – Check if these are available, or if you need to purchase a new one:
  • Dust mop and wet mop
  • Dust cloths and dusters
  • Rags, towels and soft cloths
  • Indoor and outdoor brooms, and a dustpan
  • Vacuum
  • Toilet brush and brush caddy
  • Plunger
  • Spray and squirt bottles
  • Squeegee and sponges
  • Scraper, scrub brush, and toothbrush (for harder to reach surfaces)
  • Buckets
  • Cleaning apron, rubber gloves, and other protective equipment
  • Cleaning caddy
• Cleaning Products – Check if you need a refill, or if your stocks have expired:
  • Cleaners (all-purpose, disinfectant, glass, abrasive)
  • Mild detergent
  • Household ammonia
  • White vinegar
  • Baking soda
  • Chlorine bleach
  • Metal and furniture polishes
  • Spot carpet cleaner

What It Means to SANITIZE in this Pandemic

The new coronavirus can stay on a surface from 24 hours to a full week, depending on what the surface is made of. Your house has a number of high-touch areas (like the kitchen) and objects (like tables, countertops, doorknobs, light switches, handles, handrails, and your personal electronic devices). Pay more attention to the level of cleaning you do on these surfaces, so you can protect yourself and your family from possibly getting infected.

• Before buying your disinfectants, check whether your go-to brands can help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Health Canada assigns an 8-digit Drug Identification Number to products that are approved safe for use in the country.
• Before using any product, read and follow the usage instructions carefully. The efficacy of some products relies on contact time. When spraying and bleaching, make sure the area is well-ventilated. Cover up with a mask and gloves.
• Use a damp rag or mop when deep cleaning. Sweep or dust gently to prevent the distribution of virus droplets in the air.
• Place all used items (like wet mop heads, cloths, and disposable gloves) in a separate trash bag before putting it in the regular waste bin. Wash all reusable cleaning items with laundry soap and hot water. Keep the washed items out of reach after drying. Do not reuse gloves.
• Wash your hands thoroughly after cleaning. Use soap and water.
• Clean and disinfect more than usual. Provide disinfecting wipes to family members, or visitors (service providers, and neighbours), and have them observe proper disinfecting on the aforementioned high touch areas in the household.

Never Forget These Safety Procedures

• Avoid wet floors, and mop up as often as needed. Don’t let the kids near wet surfaces.
• If you’re using a step stool, make sure you plant it on a level surface to avoid accidents. Set the stool as close as possible to your target area so you won’t need to move around too much, or stretch too far.
• Be careful when lifting heavy objects, or moving furniture. Ask for assistance if you know you can’t do it by yourself. Prevent injuries by bending with your knees (not your back), and using your leg muscles.
• Replace your mask and gloves after one task is over.

Have Fun!

One more important spring cleaning tip: make it a fun and exciting activity! Make it a family thing, or invite a friend over to help you with your tasks. You can put on some music, and hum along. Reward yourselves with a nice meal and drink afterwards. Find a way to make your spring cleaning worthwhile.

Got Extra Stuff in Storage Limbo?

We know you have lots of things you don’t want to throw away just yet. If you’ve done your spring cleaning, and brought out a considerable amount of “Can I keep this” clutter, we might have storage space for you! Call Centron Self Storage at (416) 739-0000, and get your first four weeks for free!