| Spring has sprung and it’s time to get around to doing those household chores you only have to do once a year. To make the process less daunting, take rooms or areas one at a time and schedule it out over several weekends. Be sure to enlist the children to help with what they are able to.
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| Kitchen
Refrigerator - Vacuum coils (on the back, possibly under a panel, if a built-in fridge: under a panel above refrigerator). Use foam cleaner if the gunky dust is really stuck on
- Wipe down shelves and bins
- Check expiration dates and toss old condiments
- Wipe down inside folds of the rubber gasket surrounding the door (prepare for this to be really gross)
Oven - Run the self-clean cycle, or clean the inside with a sprinkling of baking soda, spray of vinegar and a scrubber sponge
Stove
- Remove and clean the filter grate on the stove hood (prepare for this to be really gross); use degreaser if needed
- Clean under the burners of the stove top (if you’ve never done this, prepare for it to be really gross)
Sink - Clean faucet aerator
- Remove rubber gasket from disposal and clean the underside (prepare for this to be really gross)
- Cabinets
- Wipe down with vinegar water to degrease from cooking oil deposits
- Vacuum silverware drawer
Trash - Hose down the insides of trash bins, vacuum the inside of the trash drawer if you have one
Small Appliances - Clean out the toaster’s crumb tray by opening the trap door in the bottom
- Wipe down the outside of your tea kettle and boil vinegar water to remove the mineral deposits from the inside
- Sand down and oil wooden cutting boards
Air - Boil water with cinnamon sticks, citrus peels or whatever you have that smells good (try: vanilla, cloves, star anise, rosemary, sage, or lavender)
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Stock up on these natural, multi-purpose cleaners
- White Vinegar (dissolves mineral deposits from hard water)
- Baking Soda (reacts with vinegar to create a foam that lifts dirt)
- Lemon Juice (acid in lemon is a natural cleaner, killing bacterial, mold and mildew, removing rust, and it smells refreshing)
- Coarse Salt (works as a gentle abrasive, also works with lemon or citrus to remove rust)
- Rubbing Alcohol (dries much quicker than water so it’s excellent for cleaning electronics. It also breaks down adhesives and works well on glass.)
- Hydrogen Peroxide (a natural disinfectant that kills germs; reacts with baking soda to deep clean)
- Olive Oil (great for cleaning leather and removing water rings or scratches from wood)
- Rags made from old towels or clothes (Why purchase rags or paper towels if you can recycle something old for free?)
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| Bathrooms
Sink - Clean faucet aerator
- Clean drains with a mixture of vinegar and baking soda
- Shower
- Spray shower grout and go over with scrub brush
- Clean mineral deposits from shower head using vinegar water (fill a bag & secure around shower head with a rubber band, or soak in a bucket of vinegar water)
- Remove shower sprayer hose and soak in vinegar water, then rinse clean
Bathmats - Wash in washing machine and let air dry
Light Fixtures - Remove, dump out dust and bugs, wash, dry, and replace
Medicine Cabinet - Check expiration dates and toss old medications
Air - Change out air freshener or add a bit of scented laundry detergent to the back toilet tank
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| Laundry Room
Dryer - Vacuum lint trap to get out the lint trapped deep inside
- Vacuum around bottom and back of dryer and around the vent
- Wipe down inside folds of the rubber gasket surrounding the door
Washer - Use a commercially available washing machine cleaner and follow instructions to clean out the inside drum (it's surprisingly inexpensive and easy)
- Vacuum around bottom and back of the washer
Shelves - Wipe down the shelves and under the detergent
- Sort through all the miscellaneous pocket treasures (coins, small toys, and random items that have collected)
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| Bedroom
Mattress - Flip mattresses
- Wash mattress pads if they haven’t been done recently
Pillows - Wash pillows in washing machine and run through “fluff” cycle of dryer with clean tennis balls
Closet - Vacuum inside closet
- Replace or sand cedar wood blocks
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| Hallways & Rest of House
Light Fixtures - Remove, dump out dust and bugs, wash, dry, and replace
Ceiling Fans - Dust blades using a pillowcase
Windows & Doors - Vacuum and wipe down tracks of sliding doors / windows
- Vacuum or wipe down blinds
Carpets & Upholstery - Either hire a steam cleaning service or rent a shampooing machine to suck all the dirt from between the fibers and hidden in the cracks.
Area Rugs & Mats - Bring outside and shake, machine wash when possible
Air Vents - Change your air vent or furnace filter(s)
Electronics - Vacuum behind electronics, then spray with canned air or wipe with rubbing alcohol to remove all dust
- Clean grunge off remote controls with rubbing alcohol
Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide Detector - Test batteries and replace if needed
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| Outside Gutters - Scoop out gutters using a gutter scoop
Garbage Bins - Use your garden hose to spray out the inside of your barrels, then leave open in the sun to dry thoroughly
AC Condenser - Either hose down your outside AC condenser (if you know how to do it properly) or schedule routine maintenance with your HVAC company
Exterior of House - Power wash the home’s exterior to remove spider webs and grime (you can use the jet setting on your regular garden hose if you don’t have a power washer). Squeegee the windows dry to remove spots
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