Clean up and out

By Elizabeth Morse Read

So when you start your spring cleaning this year, keep that iconic image in mind, and strive to create a lean and clean environment. Pretend that you’re moving out and downsizing instead of just cleaning the top layers. You don’t have to go all Marie Kondo, but you do want to clean strategically – don’t just clean the surfaces; get down deep and clean out the clutter and disorganized mess that collects dust and grime in the first place!

If you can afford it, hire professionals to steam clean your carpets, wash the windows inside and out, and spruce up the floors and furniture. Why not get friends and family involved? Throw a spring-cleaning “barnacle party” and assign everyone a particular room or chore throughout the house, then reward them with a big dinner.

Be realistic – and relentless – when deciding to keep an item or get rid of it. When was the last time you used that fish-poaching pan, curling iron, ski boots or pair of hand weights? If you haven’t used it or worn it in the past year, why not give it away so someone else can enjoy it? And after you’ve purged your living space of unwanted dust-collecting items, you can treat yourself to some new towels, bed linens, or underwear – get out those gift cards from Christmas and birthdays! A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING Head for the discount stores and stock up on shallow plastic tubs for under-thesink items, plastic milk crates for bottles and canned goods, and wire space-saving shelving and attachments for the laundry room and kitchen cabinets. Stock up on trash bags and cardboard boxes for I can still remember my grandmother muttering, “Fibber McGee’s Closet!” whenever she glanced into my typical teenager bedroom years ago. That mid-century comedy had long since disappeared from the radio waves, but it still conjures up scenes of a cluttered, messy living space.

must-go items.

Head for the bathroom/storage/office supplies section of your nearest discount or hardware store to find practical but pretty baskets, trays, and holders for near-at-hand items like vitamins and prescription drugs; beauty creams, lotions, and cotton balls; or pens, pencils, and scissors.

Invest in stackable covered plastic containers for lighting supplies (extension cords, lightbulbs), tax records, pet toys and supplies, cleaning products, flour/baking supplies, or beauty products. Maximize closet and cabinet space with hooks inside the doors for flat items like ironing boards, full-length mirrors, cleaning brushes, tennis racquets, and umbrellas. Attach small LED lights to the inside of cabinet doors to make finding something easier. Save on precious cabinet space by storing all your nested Tupperware containers and lids, plastic picnic bowls/plates in a small laundry basket that can be hidden in a back hall or enclosed porch.

Put out strategically-placed plastic boot trays for pet bowls, skates, garden clogs, flip flops, soggy mittens, or sports footwear. Use stackable plastic covered bins for storing bulk products like dried pet food, bird seed, or potting soil. If space allows, put up wire shelving along basement stairways, closed-in porches or hallways to store bulk purchases of paper goods and lightweight items like boxes of cereal and pasta. Free up closet and drawer space by using plastic under-the-bed storage bins for off-season clothing, extra bed linens and blankets, or footwear. Get your life organized – set up a portable office in a plastic covered bin with paper clips, post-it pads, and calculator. Use hanging files and manila folders to hold bills, bank statements, and receipts. Create the all-important emergency portable box of mortgage/deed/title papers, birth certificates and Social Security info, insurance and credit card papers, medical records and contact names, bank and investment papers.

TIME TO REFRESH

Throw out those year-old jars of herbs and spices in your kitchen cabinets and those mummified condiments in your

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WHITE VINEGAR CLEANING HACKS D istilled white vinegar is an inexpensive and environmentally-friendly solution to many everyday cleaning problems. Keep a spray bottle of it in your bathroom to get rid of mildew in your shower stall or in your laundry room to remove wine or pet urine stains, scorch marks, underarm deodorant stains on clothing, or just to refresh your washing load!

You can use white vinegar to: leave your windows, framed pictures, mirrors, window blinds and shower doors sparkling; decalcify your coffee maker, dishwasher, steam irons, showerheads, and CPAP machines; kill unwanted grass and weeds; remove tarnish from pewter, copper, and brass; deodorize kitchen drains, or neutralize cooking, pet, and smoke odors.

refrigerator door. Check the “best-usedby” dates on all prescription medicines and OTC products in your medicine cabinets and all non-perishable canned goods in your pantry. Change the batteries in your smoke alarms and flashlights.

Grab a laundry basket and go through your underwear drawers – socks, briefs, bras, t-shirts, cotton panties. If they’re tired-looking, donate them and replace them.

Vacuum your mattresses, then flip and rotate them to encourage longer life and comfort. Refresh pillows on low heat in the clothes dryer with a scented sheet.

DEFY GRAVITY

Dust settles from the highest point in the room on down – but not just onto furniture! Wipe clean all horizontal surfaces, no matter how narrow – woodwork trim, window sills, picture frames, lampshades, mirrors, baseboard radiators, and the never-seen top of your refrigerator.

Anything that hangs from the ceiling or sticks out from a wall is fair game for a wipedown – overhead light fixtures, ceiling fans, sconces, wall clocks, curtain rods – even your hanging houseplants! Banish grimy fingerprints from wall switches, doorknobs, railings and appliance handles. If your wood-trim is painted with a high-gloss paint, you can clean away grime with foam bathroom cleaner. When you’ve finished cleaning, leave out a shallow bowls of white vinegar overnight to neutralize all lingering odors! [see sidebar]

MAXIMIZE USEABLE SPACE Put your refrigerator to use! Hang a desk-size calendar from magnetic clips, and use the space on top for small appliances. Clear your counter space for only the much-used toaster and coffee maker. You can hang lightweight items on magnetic hooks from the sides of your refrigerator, like sack-socks for collecting plastic bags, dish towels, and splatter screens.

Attach a wire cooling rack from cup hooks on an empty wall space in your kitchen and use s-hooks to hang small cooking utensils like whisks, ladles, and sieves. For larger utensils like spatulas, spaghetti forks, wooden spoons, etc.,

find a tall container (like a tin pasta box or terra-cotta wine cooler) to hold them in a corner of your kitchen counter. To save cabinet space, invest in a ceiling hanging rack for saucepans and small frying pans. Does your living room feel claustrophobic and cluttered? Maybe you need to rearrange the furniture to create more breathing room. Put that grandfather clock or TV cabinet kitty-corner instead of flat against a wall for easier viewing. De-clutter your shelves and furniture of stand-up framed photos and use an empty wall to create a photo gallery! Put a rarely-used dining table up against a wall instead of jutting out into the room or smack-dab in the middle – you can always move it back for the holidays.

A NEW HOME FOR UNNEEDED ITEMS

Think of your spring cleaning as a slow-motion garage sale – decide which items can be offered up online for free pickup at your home on freecycle.org, the Salvation Army (satruck.org) or My Brothers Keeper (mybrotherskeeper.org). If you don’t want to make money selling your high-end clothing or accessories at consignment shops or on poshmark. com, think about donating them to a good cause! Donate your prom and quinceañera gowns to beccascloset.org or your wedding gown to brideacrossamerica.com to help military brides and first responders. Help someone make a good impression at a job interview by donating your business suits to suitingwarriors.org or dressforsuccess.org. To find a cause you can help, or to evaluate the worthiness of a charitable organization, go to charitynavigator.org. [see sidebar] Think local – is there a community garden that could use your garden tools or old lawn mower? Is there a homeless/ family shelter that could use your old linens and towels? Is there a food bank that could use your non-perishable foods? Is there a vocational center that could use tools or small appliances? Google “where to donate” any still-useable items – sports equipment, hobby items, bikes, shoes – someone somewhere would be glad to give them a second life.

So, start planning your spring cleaning barnacle party – and save all your donation receipts for tax deductions!

ALL SIGNS ARE POINTING TO AN EARLY SPRING!

WHERE TO DONATE E-WASTE O ne of the most annoying cleaning-up/recycling issues is what to do with broken keyboards, outdated computers, old TVs, and air conditioners. It can cost a pretty penny to take them to the town dump, but don’t despair!

Human-I-T will take all your e-waste, no matter what condition – and pick it up for free! Learn more at Human-I-T.org. Your old cell phones can be used to purchase international calling cards for members of the military (CellPhonesForSoldiers.com) or provide 911-only devices for domestic violence victims (SecureTheCall.org).

Vietnam Veterans of America will pick up your old game consoles, TVs, computers etc. (PickUpPlease.org), and Zealous Good will help you find a local organization that will pick up your donations (ZealousGood.org).

Put your old computer, peripherals, laptops, and servers to good use by having them refurbished and distributed to foster homes, veterans, hospitals, and schools (ComputersWithCauses. org). Goodwill (Goodwill.org), the National Cristina Foundation (Cristina. org), and the World Computer Exchange (WorldComputerExchange.org) will also help you donate your electronics.

Before you donate your old computer or cell phone, make sure to wipe your personal data! Include all cables, chargers, attachments, and add-ons when you donate a device. And always contact the organization beforehand about tax-donation receipts.

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