Spring Cleaning Tips: Part 2

From: The Pioneer Woman:

Clean Your Dishwasher the Natural Way

“Did you know that you need to clean your dishwasher? You do!” says Becky Rapinchuk, the blogger behind Clean Mama and author of the new book Clean Mama’s Guide to a Peaceful Home. “Luckily, white vinegar is all you need.”

Becky recommends pouring one cup of vinegar and running your dishwasher on a quick wash, hot, sanitize cycle. That’s it!

Trade in Conventional Cleaners for All-Natural Products

Conventional cleaning products and products with chemicals that emit harmful VOCs (volatile organic compounds) are not good for you or your home. Making the switch to all-natural, plant-based cleaning products like Humble Suds will bring joy to cleaning and simplify your life with their multipurpose uses.

Three Ways to Dust Your Blinds

“Dusty, dirty blinds? Cleaning them isn’t as difficult as you think,” says Becky. “You can use a special tool, a vacuum cleaner, and/or a little elbow grease and a microfiber cleaning cloth.”

Freshen Up Your Mattress with Baking Soda

Need to freshen up your carpet or mattresses while you’re spring cleaning? Becky has a simple DIY with baking soda that you can make today. Not only does it work but it looks cute too, thanks to some lavender buds mixed in.

Clean Your Shower with a Dish Wand

Are you not exactly a neat freak until spring cleaning time rolls around? Dana K. White gets it. The blogger behind A Slob Comes Clean and author of the books How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind and Decluttering at the Speed of Life has the hacks for you. She recommends keeping a dish-soap filled, non-scratch dish wand in the bathtub and using it whenever you take a shower. Genius!

Clean Bathroom Exhaust Fan Vents with a Broom

When it comes to spring cleaning, leave no corner uncleaned. If it never occurred to you to clean the exhaust fan vents in your bathrooms, we can’t say we blame you. But Warren says it’s now or never, so remove the vents, shake them out, spray them, and wipe them down.

“If they’re not removable, use a whisk broom to clean them off,” he adds. “They get pretty dirty over the winter.”

Wash Your Kitchen Kitsch in the Dishwasher

Kitschy decor can brighten up even the most basic kitchens. Unfortunately those tchotchkes get the worst kind of dust: greasy dust. Instead of trying to clean them by hand, Dana recommends running them through the dishwasher. Talk about a time-saver!

Clean Grout Without Any Elbow Grease

Get the sparkling clean bathroom tiles of your dreams by cleaning grout without any scrubbing whatsoever. Dana discovered the most brilliant trick on Pinterest: Simply soak cotton balls in bleach and place them on grout overnight. You won’t believe your eyes when you remove them the next morning!

Declutter by Starting with the Trash

We get it: Decluttering can be overwhelming. Dana recommends breaking the ice with this simple step: Grab a trash bag and start removing trash from all around your home (think: food wrappers, empty packaging, or broken toys). You’ll be amazed what a difference it makes, and the results will motivate you to continue decluttering!

Clean Walls Quickly Using a Sock

Who needs microfiber cloths when you have old white socks? Katrina Springer of The Organized Housewife recommends wiping your walls clean with a multi-purpose wall cleaner and a sock on the hand. “This quickly and easily picks up all dirt on the walls and I find it easier to glide the hand flat over the wall,” she says.

Clean Your Showerhead with a Baggie of White Vinegar

As you may have surmised, a little vinegar can go a long way when it comes to cleaning. “It’s especially great for lazy cleaning,” says Kimberly Button, a certified green living expert and founder of GetGreenBeWell.com. “Just soak something in or with vinegar and let it dissolve the dirt and scum for a few minutes before you come back and quickly wipe it away.”

For instance, soak a showerhead or faucet nozzle in a baggie of white vinegar (using a rubber band to secure the bag) for 15 to 30 minutes. Then, easily wipe away the grime and mineral deposits that have accumulated over time.

Descale Your Coffee Maker

You may be cleaning your coffee maker semi-regularly, but when spring rolls around, it’s a good time to try descaling. This process tackles limescale buildup caused by hard water, which can affect the taste of your coffee. To keep your cups of joe tasting fresh and delicious, brew a pot with a mixture of water and white vinegar or use a professional descaler.

Clean Cast Iron Pans

There are a few household items you should never clean with vinegar. One of them is cast iron. Instead, scrub your cast iron pans with a paste of coarse kosher salt and water to remove any food bits, and then rinse or wipe them clean with a paper towel or clean cloth.

Clean Your Curtains with a Steam Cleaner

“A steam cleaner is one of the easiest ways to effectively clean with no chemicals,” says Kimberly. “High temperatures will kill germs and sanitize.”

Kimberly recommends using a hand held steamer for plush toys, curtains, and pillows. Just remember to do a test patch to make sure the fabric or item can withstand high heat!

Dust Off Your Houseplants

House plants need spring cleaning love too! In addition to doing your usual watering and pruning, you can actually dust off your house plants using a microfiber cloth. This will help your plants breathe better, which in turn will help you breathe better.

Buff Leather Furniture with Coconut Oil

Give your leather furniture a glow up with a little coconut oil and a clean, soft rag.

“You’ll need to apply a very thin layer, and be sure to gently buff it in over the entire piece,” says Kimberly. “You’ll notice dirt and oils on the cloth after cleaning. Let the oil absorb into the leather for at least an hour (if not longer) before using.”

Clean Your Cell Phone

Cell phones are notoriously germ infested, but most of us probably don’t clean them as often as we should. To keep your phone squeaky clean, wipe it down with a microfiber cloth, which is designed to pick up even the most microscopic particles, including bacteria and viruses. Don’t forget to power down first!

Trade in Your Broom for a Microfiber Mop

Kiss your broom goodbye! (Okay, don’t actually do that because, gross.) Jokes aside, you really should ditch your broom. “It actually moves harmful dust into the air and elsewhere,” says Jennifer Parnell, the co-founder of Humble Suds, a line of non-toxic mineral- and plant-based cleaning products. “Instead, choose a microfiber mop to collect dust and get your floor squeaky clean. I really like this version this version where you can collect dust on one side and mop with the other.”

Clean Your Baseboards with Used Dryer Sheets

Used dryer sheets can be repurposed to do a variety of household tasks, including wiping your baseboards clean and buffing water spots from any glass and mirrors around your home.

Cut Costs by Using 10% Vinegar

Holli Schaub, co-founder of Humble Suds, says her favorite vinegar hack is buying 10% vinegar and diluting it per the directions. “It’s much more cost-effective,” she explains. “Vinegar is an awesome all-natural cleaner but can get expensive when you use it for a rinse-aid in your dishwasher, fabric softener in your washing machine and so on.”

SOURCE: THE PIONEER WOMAN