Memorial Day is the unofficial start of the summer, and if you're waiting until the last minute to do your spring cleaning, this weekend's your last chance! If you're planning on having people over to celebrate on Monday, this list will make sure you've got everything spic and span.
I've spent countless hours cleaning rental properties for my mom (she's a real estate agent). And I wish I didn't have to. But in most cases, the people who were renting the townhomes either did a poor job because they didn't care about getting their security deposit back, or they frankly just didn't think of cleaning certain things.
If only they read blogs more.
Apartment Therapy has a nice list of places almost everyone forgets to clean, and I can attest, in most cases, I found these places to be filthy! (And to be honest, AptTherpy thinks of some places I even overlooked.):
Space Underneath Appliances or Keyboards: most of us just wipe down the counter or the desktop without actually moving this stuff and then you do and you discover that underneath that appliance are a ton of crumbs. While you're at it you might want to take a sponge to the bottom of your appliances too before the dust turns sticky.
Dishwasher: it gets clean when you run it, right? Uh, not so much. Small bits of food may get stuck in crevices and around the door's rubber gasket. A toothbrush can help you dislodge them; running the dishwasher on hot, empty except for a cup of vinegar or tang can help remove greasy grime, sanitize and remove any musty odours.
Walls: we spend a lot of time cleaning our floors but most of us never clean our walls, except maybe the tile in the bathroom. But they get dirty especially if, like us, you have a window or two that faces out to the street. Going at 'em with the occasional feather duster should do the trick for most of the walls in your home but if you use spray products in the bathroom, you might want to wipe down the walls around your mirror where the excess lands.
Ceiling: see above. dust accumulates here as well as walls or floors. a swipe with a feather duster should do the trick if you take care of it regularly. Drop a feather duster into your vacuum's long extension tube so you can reach your ceiling.
Curtains: Go over them with the brush attachment on your vacuum and, once a year, it's a good idea to take them down and have them cleaned.
Washing Machine and Dryer: like your dishwasher, this needs to be cleaned every so often. Wipe it down with a spray cleaner, fill it with hot water to which you've added a cup of lemon juice (for rust), white vinegar (for odors) or bleach (for stains) and run it through a full cycle.
Vacuum Cleaner: a little tlc after you use it will make it work even better. Clean the attachments in warm soapy water, comb out the brushes (we have to cut off the hair that gets entangled in ours), wipe down the exterior and the cord with a soft cloth. And, if you can, take it in for maintenance every once in a while.
Box Spring: we change the sheets but neglect the box spring. vacuum it regularly.
Garbage Can: wash it down with soapy water and, when it's dry, sprinkle a little baking soda in the bottom to absorb odours.
Flush Handle on the Toilet Bowl: wipe this down with a little spray cleaner
Knife Block: we almost never clean this but the other day we noticed that it was a little sticky from being in the kitchen. a little warm soapy water should do it. same with that big jar that catches all your kitchen tools.
Anything Hung Up in Frames: dust these or clean them with a little spray.
Areas Under the Bathroom or Kitchen Sink: along with being a mess of sponges, cleaners and rags, this almost never gets cleaned out. Spend a few minutes cleaning and organizing it.
Exterior Light: a little bird recently made her nest in ours. while we don't want to disturb her, when she leaves we'll give this a good dusting. Yeah, this is probably the maintenance man's work but he definitely misses it.
Since it's Friday, and always keeping relevant, here's how to mop your floor using your dog:
