Spring Cleaning Tips That You’ve Never Heard Of
Spring brings flowers, light rain showers, irresistibly delicious chocolate eggs…and the bittersweet task of spring cleaning. Deep cleaning your space can be a dreaded task, but did you know it can also be kind of fun? With these nine unique and satisfying spring- cleaning hacks, we’ll help you tackle even the toughest tasks around every nook and cranny of your home so you can get back to the important stuff—like updating your décor or relaxing during a mental health day in your newly deep-cleaned digs!
1. For the White Tee Wearers – Brighter Laundry Hack
This laundry hack will make your whites white again rather than the off-white or light grey color they all seem to resort to with time. Try this trick on towels, white T-shirts, shoes, or unmentionables to get them gleaming and renew their pristine color (or lack of color, should we say).
Pour one cup of baking soda into a mixing bowl. Next, mix in one cup of Borax and 1/2 cup of Oxy bleach. Slowly begin pouring in water as needed until the mixture resembles damp or wet sand. To make the mixture’s everyday usage easier, roll it into balls or pack it into a silicone mold and allow the shapes to dry. Store your whitening mixture in a dry place, and add one directly into your next batch of laundry for the brightest whites.
2. For the Organized Techies – A Spot for Cords and Cables
Those cords and cables poking out of your desk, TV stand, or other furniture got you feeling like your workspace or entertainment center could use a little aesthetic overhaul? Try this trick to make your wires seemingly vanish into thin air so you can reclaim the aesthetic appeal of a cord-free area. You’ll need a wire basket, or a basket that will allow the cords to have somewhere to come out of on the side. You can find something like this at the dollar store to keep this project cost -effective. You’ll also want to have four adhesive Velcro straps handy.
Start your wire tidy-up by detaching any cords from the wall. Then, arrange the cords neatly in the basket with the wires coming out where they need to connect to your devices. Next, attach one side of the Velcro straps to the underside of your desk using adhesive strips. The other side of the four Velcro straps at the ready, position the wire basket in the right spot underneath the already attached straps under the desk. Wrap the remaining straps under the corners of the wire basket and attach them firmly to the adhered Velcro straps so the wire basket is securely suspended under the desk. And there you have it, a tangle-free, organized office area, nightstand duo, or TV console!
3. For the Handy Hand Washers – A Rusty Faucet Fix
If you can’t seem to get rid of those tap stains around your faucet that make your kitchen or bathroom appear grimier than they actually are, try this tip!
Add about a cup of distilled white vinegar to a bowl. Submerge an old cloth in the bowl and let it sit for about a minute. Then, wrap it around the stained part of the faucet for thirty minutes. Once you remove the cloth, the tap stain should be easy to remove with a sponge or the same cloth, and bada-bing, bada-boom, your faucet is shining like the day you first moved in, or even more!
4. For the Sweet Dreamers – Dust-Free Duvet and Shams
Do you revel in a comfy, clean respite that you can relax in at the end of the day? Then this spring-cleaning tip is for you! While you may wash your sheets and pillowcases on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, your duvet and shams are most likely just sitting there collecting dust. This can worsen allergies and invite the nearly impossible-to-see dust mites to settle into dusty, stagnant fabrics.
To keep your linens free from a build-up of dust, simply use a small handheld vacuum to closely graze over your duvet, shams, and even your mattress! A hand-held vacuum is the perfect tool to reach the nooks and crannies of your mattress, and to draw dormant dust particles from the fibers of your bedding. To ensure that too much dust doesn’t settle into your duvet and pillows, try making this a weekly habit.
5. For the Avid Dishwashers – A Sparkling Sink
If you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, you know that a scummy sink can bring down the feel of the whole space. Keep your sink sparkling with this spring -cleaning hack.
For this tip, you’ll only need a lemon and coarse salt. Cut a lemon in half, or save half a lemon the next time you’re cooking something that calls for the fruit, and squeeze any excess juice out before pouring the salt. Pour the salt onto the lemon and begin scrubbing the sink using circular motions with your makeshift cleanser. Once you’ve scrubbed the entire sink, rinse the residue down the drain with water, and admire your shiny new dishwashing station.
6. For the Neat and Tidy Chefs – Good as New Pots and Pans
For a satisfying cleaning ritual and pots and pans that shine like a new penny, follow these simple steps anytime your cookware could use a little extra TLC. With a mixture of vinegar, dish soap, and table salt, the baked-on grease stains will be gone in no time.
First, turn your pots and pans upside down so the bottom is facing up. Pour a bit of vinegar onto the pan until the bottom is fully coated. Next, sprinkle a generous amount of salt, ensuring that it sticks to the vinegar. Drizzle a bit of dish soap over the mixture, allowing it to spread over the bottom of the pan. Finally, cover the mix with a hot, wet paper towel or cloth and leave it on for anywhere between thirty minutes to an hour. Once it’s soaked, remove the paper towel and scrub with a sponge, and the grease stains will virtually slide right off! For tougher stains that stuck around, sprinkle more salt and vinegar over the top, and scrub until you’ve gotten all the burn marks and stains off.
7. For the Deep Cleaner – Strip your Linens
Did you know that the detergent you’re using to clean your laundry can actually build up over time and cause your clothing, bedding, and towels to have a product residue? This can cause skin irritation, allergies, and dingy-looking linens. While grime builds up for a lot of reasons—hard water stains, body oils, and dead skin—the main culprit is a constant barrage of detergents and softeners. Stripping your laundry is a disgustingly satisfying routine to add to your monthly cleaning checklist (or maybe just annually, don’t worry, we won’t tell).
You’ll want to have Borax, washing soda, and laundry detergent. First, fill your bath tub with hot water (you can always use a plastic tub if your apartment or house doesn’t have a bath tub). Mix 1/4 cup of Borax, 1/4 cup of washing soda, and 1/2 cup of detergent to the hot water and stir. Totally submerge your clothing and linens within the water and let them sit anywhere between four and six hours. Lastly, don’t freak out over the gunky, greyish-black water that accumulates over the soaking time—that’s completely normal! Once your tub is drained, transfer the textiles over to your washing machine and set it to a rinse-only cycle with no soaps or softeners. When you dry the items, don’t use softener sheets. Once dry, bask in your bed, bath towels, and favorite T-shirt knowing they’re as clean as they’ll ever be!
8. For the Dust-Free Dwellers – A Dust-Repellant Surface Cleaner
We know vacuuming our duvets can discourage dust from settling on our bedspreads, but what about the annoying dust that accumulates on our nightstands, dressers, dining tables, and everything in -between? With a simple concoction of household items, you can make a cleanser that helps repel dust longer than if you just wiped the surface with a rag or duster.
Mix 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil, one tablespoon of distilled white vinegar, 1/2 cup of water, two drops of dish soap, and an optional ten drops of your favorite essential oil to make the mixture smell as great as it performs. Once you’ve totally combined the mixture, you can keep it in a spray bottle for easy application onto your cleaning rag. Use a microfiber cloth to spread a light layer of the liquid over any surface you’d like to de-dust, and keep it stored in a dry spot for future uses.
9. For the Aromatherapy Aficionado – A Natural Scent Booster
Let’s be honest, after a day of tidying up, your home doesn’t truly feel clean until it smells clean. For a natural scent booster that will last all day, grab a lemon, some rosemary sprigs, and vanilla to try this aroma therapeutic hack.
First, bring a pan or pot of five cups of water to a simmer on your stovetop. Add in three sliced lemons, two bundles of rosemary, and one tablespoon of vanilla to the water. Leave this aromatic concoction on your stove’s lowest setting for several hours to allow the earthy, yet fresh scent to waft throughout your whole house as the perfect finishing touch to all of your spring cleaning.
Which of these spring-cleaning tips are you most excited to try? Tag us @walkeredisonco on social media to show off before and after photos of your squeaky-clean space!
