Today we are going to take a look at 15 spring cleaning ideas to help you tidy up your home. For over two generations, we have been building high quality, fully customizable portable buildings and we would love to customize one for you too. We’ve compiled these great spring cleaning tips just in time for spring! Let’s get cleaning!
Here’s some great tips to help you with your spring cleaning
15 Spring Cleaning Ideas
1. De-clutter – Donate, Gift, Sell, Move, or Throw It Out
The first and best thing you can do to start your spring cleaning is to de-clutter. After all, you don’t want to have to clean around extra things that you don’t need and having fewer things in your home will make it immediately look tidier.
De-cluttering is actually more of a mental exercise than a physical one. You have to take a look at each item that you have and decide why you are keeping it and if it is worth the space that it is currently taking up in your home. Answer yourself honestly, and if the item does not need to be in your home, donate it, give it away, move it to a place that makes sense, sell it in a garage sale, or throw it out.
2. Move What You Want or Need to Keep to a Storage Shed
Move everything you don’t need to store in your home to a storage shed
So now what should you do with things that you don’t want to keep in your home, but you do need to keep? The best solution to this common dilemma is to provide an alternate location for the things that you really don’t need stored in your home. But instead of hauling all of your excess items to a public storage unit, why not invest in your own beautiful storage shed? And don’t worry if you don’t have enough money to purchase it outright. You can own a high-quality Classic Buildings portable building with no down payment and low monthly payments through our affordable rent-to-own program. Your payments will be comparable to a monthly storage facility rental payment, and soon you’ll own your building. We also offer two great financing options if you prefer.
You can rent-to-own a customized storage shed from Classic
3. Wrap a Towel Around Your Broom to Help Clean Ceilings and Corners
We all have those hard to reach areas in our homes that seem impossible to clean. Wrap an old towel around the end of your broom and secure it with a rubber band to help you clean the cobwebs on your ceiling and in those hard to reach corners.
4. Let the Sunshine In With Clean Windows
To get you motivated to continue your spring cleaning, start with your windows. If you can clean them on an overcast day you are less likely to get streaks as direct sun can actually cause streaks. Dust or vacuum your window treatments. Take down your curtains and wash them if necessary. Once your window treatments are cleaned, clean your windows both inside and outside with window cleaner or vinegar.
Clean your windows and window treatments
5. Use Those Single Socks for Dusting
There’s a good chance you have a vast collection of socks missing a match that the dryer has eaten. Put them to good use! Instead of investing in expensive dusters, slip one on your hand and use it for dusting. This actually works better than most dusters as you can push your fingers into those tiny corners and spots that a larger duster just can’t reach.
6. Clean Out Your Fridge
Don’t forget about your refrigerator when you are doing your spring cleaning. Even though you may regularly wipe off the surfaces in your fridge, it is a good idea to give it a thorough cleaning from time to time. Pull out all of the shelves and drawers and wash them in warm soapy water. This will get rid of any food-borne bacteria that has built up over time from spilled food.
7. Make Your Microwave Magnificent
You microwave can be one of the hardest things to get clean. If your family isn’t the best at making sure everything is covered when using it, you’re probably left with splatters everywhere that are caked on and almost impossible to remove. Here’s a great little trick that will cut your microwave cleaning time in half.
Place a microwave-safe bowl with one cup of water, a few tablespoons of vinegar, and one whole citrus fruit such as a lemon, lime, or orange chopped up inside your microwave and let it cook on high for several minutes until it boils and you see steam on the door of your microwave. Let the solution cool down for about 15 minutes without opening the door, then remove the bowl and wipe the inside with a sponge. Your stuck on messes will easily come of now and your microwave will smell springtime fresh.
Easily clean your microwave with water, lemon, and vinegar
8. Remove Stains From Your Cutting Boards With a Lemon
After a while your cutting boards can become really stained and grungy. You can remove those awful stains and smells by cutting a lemon in half and rubbing it over the surface. For an extra punch of stain removal, sprinkle your board with some salt or baking soda before using your lemon. Natural cleaners such as lemons, salt and baking soda can often be your best friend and you can feel safe about using them on the things in your kitchen that come in contact with your food – such as your cutting boards!
*See note under #11 for things that you shouldn’t clean using baking soda.
9. Brighten up Your Copper Pots with Ketchup
Here’s a spring cleaning tip that you probably haven’t heard of before. Ketchup can help dissolve the tarnish on copper pots and utensils. Simply cover your copper surface with ketchup and let it sit for 10 to 20 minutes. Wipe it clean and rinse it off with warm water. It’s easy and you don’t have to scrub!
10. Clean Off the Burned-On Reside On the Rest of Your Pots
If your pots are not copper, you can clean easily get the burned-on residue that has built up over time off by using this great spring cleaning trick. Add some water and dish liquid to your pots covering the stained area. Let them simmer on the stove for a few minutes. Remove them from the heat and let them cool down. Using a S.O.S or other steel wool pad, remove any of the remaining burned on spots.
*Note: This tip is appropriate for stainless pots and pans, but wouldn’t be for a lot of non-stick cookware because of the steel wool step. Also, remember that seasoned cast iron pots and pans shouldn’t be cleaned with soap.
Simmer your pots with soap and water to remove burned on stains
11. Use Baking Soda to Remove Grease
Baking soda is a great natural cleaner and can become your best friend during spring cleaning time. Sprinkle some on a damp sponge and use it to cut through greasy build-up on your range hood, cabinets, counters, and sinks.
There are a few things that you shouldn’t clean with baking soda as it could damage these surfaces. They include:
- Glass
- Aluminum
- Ceramic stove tops
- Marble
- Wood Furniture
- Antique Silver
- Things with deep grooves or cracks like a keyboard
- Your hair and skin
12. Tackle Your Junk Drawer
Everyone has one; that junk drawer where everything ends up that you don’t know where else to put. Do a junk drawer spring cleaning. Empty everything out and vacuum inside. Be ruthless and toss any item that you really don’t need. Then line your junk drawer with a nonslip liner and place small plates or bowls inside to us as organizers to hold like items. This will help you keep your junk drawer a little less junky and make it easier to find something you need.
13. Wash Your Shower Curtain
Your shower curtain can get dirty over time. Did you know that you can actually wash it in your washing machine on the gentle cycle? Just add some detergent and a couple of bath towels to get it cleaner. Once it is done, hang it up to dry.
You can wash your shower curtain in your washing machine – Image source: Amazon
14. Clean Your Grout
For any white grout you have around your home, you can easily clean it by spraying it with CLR Bath and Kitchen cleaner. Let it sit on the grout for a few minutes and then you can scrub it clean with a stiff brush. Once your grout is sparkling white again, rinse it off with some water.
15. Follow the One Thing in One Thing Out Rule
Once you have finished your spring cleaning, here’s a handy rule to follow to help you keep it that tidy. Follow the rule “one thing in, one thing out.” When you bring an additional article into your home, then you must remove one that is already there. Put it in your donation box, give it away, or move it to your storage shed. That way, you won’t accumulate the extra clutter you worked hard to clean up!
Classic Buildings: Spring Cleaning Starts Here
Effective spring cleaning begins with a well-built storage shed with plenty of space for what you need to store. Classic has the best built, most beautiful buildings and we can design and build the perfect storage shed for you. Purchasing a high-quality, custom crafted wooden shed doesn’t have to cost you a fortune, and you don’t need to wait until you have enough money saved to buy one. Classic offers financing and a rent-to-own program on many of our models. Learn more here!
Contact Classic Buildings today or visit the location nearest to you and find out how easy it is to rent-to-own your own beautiful portable building! We also provide financing and most people can even qualify for $0 money down. Remember, before buying a shed you should be aware of the shed permit requirements of your municipality. Sometimes permit requirements depend on the size of your shed. Classic Buildings has locations throughout the Midwest, including various Missouri cities (St. Louis, Arnold, Columbia, St. Charles, Rolla, Linn, Springfield, Jefferson City, Kansas City, and Washington Missouri). We are located in Swansea, Illinois and Kansas and deliver throughout the Midwest, and, in some cases, nationwide! If you would like to take a look at Classic Buildings’ storage sheds, check out our brochure, or visit one of our locations to see our sheds firsthand!