Spring cleaning has begun and as usual my To Do List is running off the page but bit by bit, I’ll get it done!
It’s cold and rainy today so I tackled a deep clean of the kitchen. Over time a sticky residue builds up around the handles and drawers of my white kitchen cabinets. A simple wet wipe isn’t going to cut it so with a drop of Dawn on a wet microfiber cloth I rub it into the area and like magic the grime melts off. Then that is followed by a fresh rinse wipe with hot water & white vinegar and we’re back to shiny clean cabinets! Everything gets pulled out of cupboards and drawers, vacuumed, and wiped down while a few things are blessed forward that we’re not using.
So as I tick off my spring cleaning list, it seems fitting to share a few more tried & true cleaning tips to save you time this season;
- Firstly my toolkit; white vinegar, Dawn, baking soda, bottled lemon juice, Hertel and countless microfiber cloths. I can clean & polish virtually anything with these items. Hertel is a multipurpose biodegradable cleaner that smells great ~ I’ve used it for years which is readily available at Home Hardware and Canadian Tire. Hertel is highly concentrated, a capful in a bucket of hot water or a spray bottle can clean a whole lot!
- Microwave Ovens – my late Mumsy shared this tip with me for cleaning this appliance and you’re gonna love it! Pour a 1/4 cup of lemon juice in a small glass or ceramic (microwave friendly) bowl, add about 1/2 cup of water with the juice and set it on the glass plate. Heat on high for one minute and 30 seconds. The lemon juice and water will come to a boil. After the time is up, don’t open the appliance door ~ let the lemony hot water “sweat” and condense onto the inside of your oven walls for about 10 minutes to loosen any sticky debris. Remove the bowl of juice & glass plate so you can wipe the oven clean. Clean & return the glass plate, wipe down the outside of the appliance. You’re done!
- Bathtubs & Showers – instead of bending over and straining my back to clean the bathtub, I use a plastic broom to scrub the tub and surrounding tile. I’ll start with spraying everything down, filling the tub a bit with some hot water & cleaning solution then I’ll sweep scrub away. Rinse with handheld shower head – done! Works great in a shower stall too! PS ~ I keep a plastic broom just for bathroom cleaning :)Shower Curtains – ever looked at the bottom of a shower curtain? Yuck! For a quick clean, place the bottom of the shower curtain into a bucket of hot water, splash of white vinegar and a capful of Hertel without removing from the rod! Leave for an hour, wipe away and rinse clean. Done!
- Floors – It always amazes me how much dirt, dust, and dander seems to make its way into the house. We have a Golden Doodle so we know he’s tracking in his share of debris and shedding a bit too. A weekly vacuum includes outdoor mats and on a regular basis, I’ve been sweeping or blowing out the garage to reduce debris getting tracked into the house. That effort is making a difference.Lately, when I wash my floors I’m throwing in a drop or two of essential oils in my spray bottle…now that’s next level!
- Wood Furniture – I clean and polish all of our wood furniture with Touch of Oranges wood cleaner & conditioner which I discovered at a home show years ago. This stuff cleans and polishes wood furniture like new again and I love the fresh citrus scent. I was thrilled to source it at Amazon because it’s hard to find elsewhere. A little bit goes a long way and my cuticles get conditioned in the process!
I hope some of these suggestions will help you Tick off your spring cleaning List!
PS ~ Tick off the List is a home help service so if you need some help getting your To Do List to the finish line, email me, and let’s make a fresh start this spring!
~ Niki | niki@tickoffthelist.ca