It seems I’ve got the dirt on spring cleaning tips and hints. My last blog post dealt with digging the spring garden scene, and today’s post deals with spring cleaning scene.
Dirty jobs come with the life lived within our homes territory, and house cleaning is a necessary part of all things house that make a home.
Spring cleaning tips and hints lend a helping hand to the ritualistic spring fling cleaning machine.
It’s those helpful spring cleaning tips and hints help me cut through the muck, gunk, and grime left over from winter and rockin’ tunes to spring clean by help me clean and cut a rug.
Spring Cleaning Tips And Hints
Boost the cleaning advantage of a less expensive dishwasher soap by adding two teaspoons of white vinegar to your dishwasher.
Boost liquid dish soap by adding two tablespoons baking soda to hot dish water.
For those of you who own sterling silver:
Sterling silver pieces go with the Southern dining tablescape experience in true from generation to generation fashion.
Perhaps not as popular or required as it was back in the day, sterling silver flatware and trays continue to find a place at the dinner table.
Sterling silver does not take well to a dishwasher. Ingredients found in dishwasher soaps prove too harsh, and the harsh heat results in whitening the silver.
Hand wash sterling flatware with a non-lemon-scented liquid dish soap. Lemon-scented dish soaps cause pitting, discoloration and darkening.
Rinse well with hot water and hand dry with a soft towel.
Place your sterling silver and stainless steel flatware in separate dish rack compartments in order to avoid an electrolytic reaction.
Wrap silver pieces in acid-free tissue and pop them into a Ziplock slider storage bag to prevent tarnishing.
Spring is messy and delicious… spring clean it up.
While we’re on the subject of dish soaps and how fabulous some brands smell, can you guess which scent is my favorite?
Cozy and comfy, a fireplace is a wonderful asset on cold winter nights however, the proof of use is left behind on tile floors, mantels, ceiling fans, air conditioning grills, and vent floor covers and surrounding walls.
Enlist the help of your vacuum cleaner attachments to remove the film left behind from winter usage.
Discard vacuum bag after use and begin anew.
Keep a lightweight mop from the dollar store on hand strictly for spring cleaning times like these.
Never underestimate the get the job done cleaning power of warm water with a couple of drops of Dawn dishwashing liquid- still the best and most gentle household cleaner, imo.
Use to clean door casings, A/C return air grilles and vents, light fixtures, moldings- all havens of dust and dirt.
Work from the top to bottom of the surfaces to wipe away the dirt.
Rinse mop with clean warm water and repeat steps to rinse.
Freshen up decorative throw pillows and seat cushions using the upholstery brush and crevice tool vacuum attachments to remove seasonal dust.
Treat decorative throw pillows to an air-only cycle run in the dryer for 10 minutes to further freshen.
Spring cleaning presents the perfect opportunity to change out china patterns and update displays.
An open cupboard or one lined with wallpaper is a personal style statement waiting to be admired.
Warmer temps tend to not mix well with the flannel sheets and heavy blankets that kept us warm and cozy all winter long.
Begin by flipping the mattress and giving it a good vacuuming.
Lose the winter blues in favor of crisp cotton linens heavy on seasonal comfort.
The spring fling frame of decorative mind we find ourselves in is ready to lighten things up in pattern, texture and color.
Victoria Magazine
Don’t forget a spritz or two of linen spray with a light and lovely scent.
Linen Spray
1 ½ teaspoon essential oil of your choice
2 Tablespoons witch hazel or vodka
4 cups distilled water
32 oz. spritz bottle
Mix witch hazel or vodka and desired oils in a bottle. Add the distilled water and shake to combine. The witch hazel or vodka aids in dispersing the oil evenly throughout the liquid.
Shake bottle gently before each use.
White clouds, the color blue, a warm breeze and the feel of soft cotton- I wish I could replicate the exact scent of line-dried linens on a spring afternoon in a linen spray.
Aroma therapy perfection!
One of the best ways to experience spring is to open the windows and doors to let the light and fresh air in.
Traditional Home
There’s no substitute for naturally airing out the house with fresh spring air post pollen season.
Washing windows can be a pane (forgive me, I couldn’t resist) to keep clean.
Although not a spring cleaning favorite, once the decision is made to meet and master the task at hand the result is so worth it!
Window Cleaner
32 ounce spray bottle
2 cups distilled white vinegar
8 Tablespoons lemon juice, fresh or concentrate
2 cups water
Mix the vinegar, lemon juice and water together in a spray bottle. Use crumbled newspaper to wipe the windows for the simple reason it keeps streaks to a minimum. If the sun is hot and shining on the window it will promote quick drying resulting in streaks.
Spring cleaning tips and hints lagniappe~ a little something extra:
To keep windows sliding up and down with ease rub a bar of soap across the track. A quick fix for a small hole in a window screen is clear nail polish. Apply a few layers of polish and allow to dry.
Spring cleaning is a dirty job, but one that nets big let the sunshine in rewards.
