The butler knows best

Five spring cleaning tips from grime-tackling guru MacPherson

You can Marie Kondo your closets all you want this spring, but that doesn’t mean your house will be clean. By clean we mean, spick and span — something Charles MacPherson knows a thing or two about after over 30 years in the butler biz.

The founder of Charles MacPherson Associates Inc. (a school for butlers and household managers) and cleanliness extraordinaire for some of the country’s wealthiest families and businesses has plenty of everyday advice for everything from polishing the silver to deciphering those confusing laundry labels — and it’s all packed into his compact new book, The Pocket Butler’s Guide to Good Housekeeping.

Virtually everything you need to know about washing down your home is included in MacPherson’s book — but here he offers up five strategies specific to spring cleaning.

1. Start by creating a plan of attack First, outline what you’re going to do, take an inventory of the tools you have versus those you need, and ensure you’ve got everything in order to accomplish your plan. It’s helpful to make a cleaning checklist and prepare a cleaning caddy with all the proper cleaning equipment and supplies. It’s also a good time to replace cleaning tools that have seen better days.

2. Clean bedroom duvets and pillows

Even though duvets and pillows are covered, they still need to be washed regularly and spring cleaning is a perfect opportunity to do just that. Duvets should be washed twice a year, while pillows at least 3-4 times a year; you should consult the care tag to confirm whether they can be machine washed or dry cleaned. If washing at home, wash on a gentle cycle in warm water with a small amount of laundry soap and add an extra rinse cycle.

Place in dryer on a low heat setting and ensure completely dry before replacing in cover.

3. Don’t overlook the rooms you use less frequently

We tend to overlook the rooms we don’t regularly use and spring can be a good time to review these spaces. Try looking at them from the users’ perspective — sit down in a chair or lie down on the bed — this will help you notice the details that you may have overlooked while cleaning. Maybe the mattress needs to be flipped, or the pillows need to be replaced, or the books and picture frames need dusting.

4. Try to get ahead of the game When cleaning your home, take note of things that aren’t quite right — leaky faucets, improperly flushing toilets, wobbly door handles, etc. Work through the list and co-ordinate maintenance, as required — it’s best to address these issues before they become major issues that are more costly to repair. Spring is a good time to have the air conditioner inspected and serviced in preparation for warmer months ahead and inspecting and cleaning the outdoor barbecue is also a good idea. Getting ahead of these preventive maintenance tasks will save time, money and future headaches.

5. Start working on a cleaning and maintenance calendar

We often think of spring as the perfect time of year to clean, but you may benefit by taking the time now to get organized for the year with a cleaning and maintenance calendar. Using a calendar to organize deep-cleaning tasks throughout the year helps to break up the work; choose a different area of your home to deep-clean every month, instead of waiting to get it all done at once. Spring cleaning can feel overwhelming, so pacing yourself throughout the year can make it far less stressful.