Spring Cleaning - Basics of Deep Cleaning

I tend to be more of a deep cleaner rather than a maintenance cleaner so deep cleaning can happen anytime at my house but for many, spring is the traditional time for deep cleaning.  It's warm enough to open the windows, air the house out and oust the dirt along with the winter coats.

Begin by de-cluttering the room.  Pick up anything that has made it's way into the space that doesn't belong.  Depending on how much there is you may want to sort it into piles for different rooms or regions of the house.  Once you have everything gathered up, pick a pile and redistribute the piles to their proper homes.

Next, depending on the room, you will want to gather up anything that needs to be washed or sent to the dry cleaners. For bedrooms, this can include laundry, dresser scarves, bedding including the bed skirt and throw pillows.  This is especially important for allergy sufferers and anyone with pets.  Fabric catches and holds dust and dander that mites live on.  Washing in hot water gets rid of them and removes particles that kick up allergies and asthma.

While the wash is being done, grab your vacuum and cleaning supplies.  Vacuum the entire room.  My preference is to move ALL the furniture that I can.  If you need a bit of help sliding things around so you do not damage your floors, pick up some furniture sliders at the hardware store.   They come in two varieties, one for hard surfaces and the other for carpet.  Simply place one under each corner of the item then carefully move it out of place.  Be sure to remove any breakables from the furniture first.  As you vacuum, look for cobwebs that you haven't noticed, dust on baseboards and light fixtures.  Be sure to also vacuum upholstered furniture to get dust and animal hair.  A good vacuuming will make it easier to wipe things down with out having to chase wet dust around.  For a recommendation on a great vacuum, check out my previous post.

Once you pick all the loose dust with the vacuum, grab your microfiber cloth and dusting spray or my favorite, hot ammonia water.  Wear gloves to protect your hands.  Wring the cloth almost dry and wipe everything off that you can including baseboards and wood work.  The ammonia water and microfiber cloth is also a good choice for the windows.  Use one wet to loosen the dirt and a dry one to polish it.  Once every thing has dried you can go back over wood with a furniture polish to protect and shine it up.

If you want a fresher look for the season, now is a great time to rearrange the furniture since it is already moved around.  This is also a great time to change out or de-clutter decorations for the season.  Replace all the furniture, fluff the pillows, dust any knick-nacks that may have been missed.  Enjoy your fresh new space.