HOMESCAPES Spring Cleaning Your Home With Tips From an Expert Spring Cleaning Your Home With Tips From an Expert

By Ray Hunter

Photographs Courtesy of Oneida Compeau, Owner of Clutter Busters

The flowers are blooming, the birds are serenading, and the house still feels like it’s stuck with winter blues. Spring cleaning is a tradition that allows us to freshen up our homes and get a head start on the often hectic seasons of spring and summer. It can feel like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be difficult.

Oneida Compeau, owner of Clutter Busters and a deep cleaning and home organization expert, has some spring cleaning tips to get you started.

“One of the biggest parts of spring cleaning is often getting rid of clutter,” Oneida said. “A systematic three-step approach can be helpful for this. Re-evaluate, repurpose, and refresh.”

The first step is to re-evaluate by sorting your belongings into categories— keep, sell, donate, trash, store, or move. Move the clutter out as soon as possible, whether bringing a donation box to a charity or planning a yard sale. Organize the items you’re keeping to help you to create a neat and tidy space.

“Next, you’ll want to see what items you can repurpose,” Oneida said. “You can use spare cardboard boxes as storage containers or drawer dividers to help keep your things organized. This will also make it easier to find what you need when you need it.”

Boost storage in every room of your home by finding new uses for old household items. Plastic containers, jars, office supplies, and more can all be pulled into service to help you tame the clutter. Repurposing saves you money and lets you reuse the items already sitting around your house, taking up space.

“Then you want to refresh. Not only does this include cleaning but also freshening up your space,” Oneida said. “You can swap out your seasonal clothes by storing the others away, moving furniture around, or switching artwork, photos, and knick-knacks around.”

Adding new colorful pillows or art are also great ways to change up your space. Replacing items like bedding, towels, table linens, and even window treatments are other ways to transform your rooms for spring and warm weather ahead.

Approaching your house room by room is the most effective way to deep clean it. Create cleaning checklists for each room to help you get organized and remind you of the areas that need extra attention. Feel free to skip the recently cleaned areas and focus on the parts of your home that were largely neglected over the winter.

“Always work from top to bottom. When you think about spring cleaning your home, starting from the ceiling down is important,” Oneida said. “This will force debris downward and keep you from having to re-dust or re-clean your space.”

If you have a vacuum with an extension hose, use it to get cobwebs and dust from your ceilings and fans first. Then dust your furniture and other items before vacuuming all the dust and debris off your floors. It will save you time.

“People almost always clean their floors but typically forget about walls and windows,” Oneida said. “Not all dust settles on the floor and other surfaces. Just use a damp towel to wipe down walls, doors, door frames, and blinds (starting from the top). Don’t forget to remove and wipe down the window screens outside.”

Don’t fear deep cleaning your kitchen. Wipe down all the cabinets, go through your pantry and refrigerator, wipe down the shelves, and throw away any old items. If you have stainless steel appliances, be sure to use gentle cleaners or a steam cleaner to avoid scratching or other issues.

“Besides the obvious things like cleaning counters and cabinets, consider changing out your shower curtain and mats in your bathrooms,” Oneida said. “It’s also a great time to go through your cosmetics drawer or medicine cabinet and throw away any expired items.”

A thorough spring cleaning that covers the whole house is an excellent opportunity to establish ongoing cleaning habits, making the next spring cleaning even more manageable.

“For instance, don’t try to do all your spring cleaning in one day or even one weekend. Instead, tackle items on your spring cleaning to-do list for just 15 minutes each day,” Oneida said. “That will help to get you in the habit of tidying up for 10 to 15 minutes per day, even after you’re done with your spring cleaning tasks.”

2 The best way to clean an oven for you depends on what ingredients you’d like to use and how dirty your oven is. If your oven is heavily soiled, a commercial cleaner is the most powerful option, as these cleaners are formulated to cut through grease and baked-on food quickly and with minimal scrubbing. If you’re wary of the ingredients used in a commercial cleaner or if your oven isn’t filthy, you maybe be able to use natural ingredients, such as baking soda and vinegar, to clean it. This method may require more scrubbing and may not be able to remove old grease marks or residue, but some may pick baking soda and vinegar over commercial cleaners as the best way to clean an oven.

1 The interior of doors can gather buildup over time with repeated touching and closing. Here’s how to refresh them: Start by removing dust or loose dirt to avoid spreading it around as you clean. For most doors, water and mild dish soap will work perfectly. Use a microfiber cloth to clean them and a separate cloth to dry them afterward. Don’t forget to clean the edges of your door and frame. Do not use glass or acid-based cleaners like vinegar if you have wooden doors. This could damage or remove the paint or stain on your door.

3 Many stovetops open up just like the hood of a car. Underneath you’ll see a sheet of enameled metal that has caught all the drips and spills. Clean this area with hot, soapy water to remove food debris. Rinse with a clean sponge dipped in hot water and towel dry. If the top does not open, you can reach through the openings where the coils have been removed to access the area underneath.

4 About twice a year it’s a good idea to give your dishwasher a deep clean. Over time, dishwasher detergents and food particles can leave behind buildup that prevents your dishwasher from producing spotless dishes. Deep cleaning can help eliminate any buildup and foul odors and help your dishwasher run more efficiently.