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Welcome back to our Spring Projects series! Mother Nature is laying the pollen on thick this year, so for the sake of our noses and eyes, how about we switch gears to indoor spring cleaning ideas?
As promised, here is the second and final installment for this year’s Spring Projects series! We hope you got a chance to do some of the outdoor projects from our last blog while enjoying the beautiful weather (and hopefully without too much sneezing). If you missed it or would like to revisit last month’s blog, check it out here!
Indoor Home Projects
Don’t Be Afraid To Mix It Up!
What’s relatively easy to do but refreshes the whole feel of a room? Rearranging your furniture! (*Make sure to be cautious when lifting heavy items and grab some extra hands if you need them!*) Changing the flow of a room by simply changing furniture placement is one of the oldest tricks in the book and is perfect for the indecisive resident on a budget or time crunch. It’ll also allow you to clean under and around the areas you usually wouldn’t be able to reach.
If you’re looking for a more significant change, adding new colors for an accent wall or updating the whole scheme of any room in the home is an easy and reasonably inexpensive way to go the extra mile for your interior. If you’re feeling extra funky, try out some easy stick wallpaper or accent decor pieces!
Deep Clean
Deep cleaning should be done as often as possible, along with keeping up daily or weekly cleaning in the main areas of the home. The process of adequately deep cleaning your home is time-consuming. Break it down into multiple steps and days. Don’t feel pressured to knock your whole house out, top to bottom, in 12 hours.
Deep cleans, although inconvenient and time-consuming, have a lot of positives! Regularly deep cleaning your home keeps things looking good and helps preserve the condition of the house. It cuts down on dust, dirt, and bacteria that can irritate any allergies or sensitivities residents or visitors may have.
Want some guidance in how and when you should be deep cleaning the areas of your home? Check out this helpful list we found!
Deep Clean Appliances
Our appliances handle some of the biggest messes in the house, and we rely on them to work consistently. For that to happen, you must properly clean and maintain your machines.
Dishwasher Filter
When you begin to notice your dishwasher not getting your dishes as clean as it has in the past, it’s most likely because the filter is clogged. To clean the filter, pull the lower rack out and remove the filter cover inside the dishwasher. Use a wet/dry shop vacuum to clean off the screen. If you’re having trouble locating or removing the filter, reference your owner’s manual, or ask everyone’s best friend, Google!
Clothes Dryer Filter
You should check and empty the lint filter after each load finishes. Excessive lint build-up in dryers is linked to, and can easily cause, house fires. To clean your filter, run water onto it and see if the filter traps it. If so, your filter desperately needs to be cleaned. Scrub it with hot water and a little laundry detergent. Rub with a firm kitchen brush.
Washing Machine
Despite its responsibility to clean our clothes, washing machines infamously collect mold and mildew if not cleaned intermittently. Here are some easy steps to quickly clean your washing machine:
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- Fill your empty washer with hot water, adding a quart of bleach.
- Let the machine run for about a minute to combine the bleach and water.
- Open the machine and let the warm bleach water soak there for an hour. After the hour is over, shut the lid and allow the washer to run a complete cycle.
- After the cycle ends, fill the washer with hot water again, and add white vinegar to the water and in the bleach channel.
- Allow the machine to run for a minute to combine the water and vinegar. After that minute ends, open the washing machine again and let the hot water sit in for an hour.
- Finish the remaining time on the cycle.
- After finishing those two cycles, spray the gaskets, dispensers, and exterior of the machine with an equal party vinegar and water mixture. Wipe everything down with a clean cloth.
- Tada!
Decluttering & Organizing (everyone’s favorite/dreaded task)
Doing all this work and cleaning won’t matter if you’re still leaving large spaces or problem areas untouched. Start on the right foot, roll those sleeves up, and get your stuff organized! Many people take some time during their spring cleaning chores to switch their winter clothes for spring/summer clothing. Make sure that while you’re making these swaps or cleaning out your closet, you try things on that you haven’t worn in a while or aren’t wearing much! We tend to hold on to things we don’t frequently wear significantly longer than needed, and half the time, it doesn’t even fit anymore! And now all those items that haven’t fit in years are taking up unnecessary space. Go through all your family’s clothing and storage – toss or donate what you don’t wear or use anymore.
Be sure to check the rest of the house too! Areas like your entryway, living areas, attic, and basement. These areas are commonly used as “catch-all” spaces throughout the year, especially after the holidays or yucky weather. Since these areas vary in their usage and size, the mess goes unnoticed or can feel overwhelming.
Don’t forget to declutter and reorganize the other main areas of your home, like the entryway, living areas, in addition to your closet, attic, basement spaces.
You can do many of these tasks quickly, and in an afternoon, others will require more materials, time, and physical effort. Therefore, be realistic with your time, supplies, and physical condition when taking on these projects. Some of these tasks should be spaced out over time and maybe with a few extra hands. Don’t start a project before making sure you have any tools or materials and the time.
While Ricky and his team can’t help you declutter your closet, they can build you the home of your dreams! If your idea of spring cleaning involves a new home, reach out to Ricky Can Build It to get started!