Spring cleaning
Glen Peloso’s trusted, top-to-bottom method,
Say “spring cleaning,” and chances are that someone will reply, “I wish there was an app for that.” But, no. No app. So far. There is, though, a process to getting it done and there are a houseful of gadgets and appliances available to help you get that great, just-cleaned feeling.
An Ipsos Reid survey for Rowenta Canada says that only 17 per cent of us look forward to the job but 76 per cent strongly agree feeling joy once it’s done. The process, done right, will take about a week. On the bright side, you get to experience a portion of that joy every day.
Let’s start with your home’s entrance. Start at the top of the room and work your way down. A good dusting of the ceiling fan, then crown mouldings, door frames, window frames, window sills, walls, baseboards and floors. This is where the expression “cleaning top-to-bottom” comes from. When it comes to washing walls, flat paint can be dicey. There are lots of washable flats, but if that’s not what you have, then try to get away with spot cleaning.
Most painters will say that simple, clear ammonia works best — about 1-1/2 cups to a gallon of water. It has a strong odour so use warm water, not hot, and open the windows. Spot wash around the switch plates, door handles and anywhere that gets touched often. (If it’s really marked, you’re probably better off repainting.)
Use vacuum attachments for fans, mouldings, door frames, window frames and baseboards and a soft cloth to dust down the rest of the walls. Follow the same process for the walls and moldings, in every room in the house.
Next, remove everything in the front hall closet and vacuum the floors and shelves. Take the time to go through the coats, hats, scarves, gloves and boots and purge what you won’t wear again. Vacuum the front hall furniture thoroughly; think about cleaning or replacing cushions. Scrub the floors and consider a new front-hall mat.
In the living room and dining rooms, follow the same process of dusting and washing walls around door frames and switches. Take down window coverings and launder them — I strongly recommend getting them drycleaned.
Next up: washing the windows. You will be amazed at just how much brighter your home feels when it’s done. My grandmother always used vinegar and water with newsprint to wash windows; I thought it was a cost-cutting measure but glass installers say it’s the best choice. Next, clean the windows of the china cabinet once you’ve emptied it to dust and wash the interiors. Think about another purge — those cheap florist vases, tiny souvenirs, forgotten wedding gifts — then, if you actually use silver, polish it.
Move onto the living room, and its sofas and chairs — vacuum the cushions and interior thoroughly. Spot-clean the fabrics or look for a qualified upholstery cleaner for bigger jobs. Remove the area rugs and wash the floors in both rooms; don’t forget the heat registers. Dust and vacuum all of the electronics in the room and then organize the cords with zip ties: it’s so much easier to clean around one clump of cords than fight the dust in many.
In the kitchen, it’s time to empty all the cabinets and drawers to clean surfaces, inside and out. Get rid of everything expired in the pantry and spice rack. Do the same for the fridge and freezer so you can thoroughly clean them. Tackle the other appliances as well and be thankful that most of them have a self-cleaning function. Then pull them out and clean behind and beside them. It’s also a good time to de-crumb the toaster and de-scale the coffee maker and kettle.
Of course, here as well, you also have to clean all the walls and floors. Vacuum parallel to the baseboards and kick plates to avoid pushing dirt into them. I have the cordless, lithium-battery vacuum; I gave one to my mother, a.k.a. “the queen of clean,” and it ranked higher than some of the jewelry I have also given her. Not every mother will react the same way, however.
Bedrooms get the same walls-and-draperies cleaning, but you also want to clean all of the bedding. I’ve chatted with some very high-end suppliers of down pillows and duvets who tell me you can simply wash them in a machine — the soap and water get rid of oils and, if you let them air dry before you fluff them in a dryer, you’re good to go again. Avoid fabric softener and bleach so as not to harm the feathers and ensure the dryer is on a low heat.
Clean out the closets and wash the closet floors. Wrap off-season clothes and pack them away. Donate clothes you didn’t wear over the winter: if you didn’t choose an item once for the entire season, it’s likely you never will.
In the bathrooms, pay special attention to plumbing including removing toilet seats to clean around the bolt, faucet knobs and shower fixtures. CLR does a good job of removing water stains; any signs of mould should be cleaned with ammonia.
Re-silicone any areas that need it and clean the grout in the shower. You can probably use the same toothbrush used to clean the grout to clean dust from the ceiling fan.
At the end of the full week — or a month of weekends — you’ll be done and your efforts will be worth it. There are few other things in your life that have the same value as your home and its contents; taking care of it only makes sense. Glen Peloso appears every two weeks in New in Homes & Condos. He is principal designer of Peloso Alexander Interiors, national design editor of Canadian Home Trends magazine and a design expert on the Marilyn Denis Show on CTV. Contact him at pelosoalexander.com, follow on Twitter at @peloso1 or @glenandjamie, and on Facebook.