Spring is a great time to deep clean your home. Everyone can benefit from a fresh, breathable living space. Spring cleaning also provides an opportunity to take a new home inventory of your belongings, which can prove immensely useful for future personal property insurance claims.
The task of cleaning your entire home can be daunting, and it can be difficult to know where to begin. Here are our top 6 spring cleaning tips for 2020 to get you started.
- De-clutter: Decluttering is proven to decrease stress levels and keep you organized. Studies show stress levels are higher in people who have a cluttered home and clutter is closely linked to procrastination and life dissatisfaction. Declutter to avoid these negative effects.
Now is the time to declutter and organize:
- Closets
- Cupboards
- Pantry
- Cabinets
- Home office
- Garage
- Shed
- Basement
2. Tackle the kitchen and bathroom: Don’t fear cleaning the kitchen and bathroom, fear the alternative. Your bathroom can become a new home for dangerous molds, and uncleaned oils in your kitchen could become a fire hazard if you don’t clean. Here are a few areas to focus on when cleaning these spaces.
Bathrooms
- Replace your shower curtain
- Dust and sweep the floors, vents, light fixtures and corners
- Clean the toilet, shower, vanity area and bathtub
- Mop the floor
Kitchen
- Clean all food prep gadgets like meat thermometers, measuring cups and spoons, blenders, can openers and cookie sheets
- Spray and clean countertops and the stovetop
- Empty and clean the refrigerator
- Wipe down cabinets and clean the microwave
- Deep clean your oven and dishwasher
3. Clean the windows: It can be easy to forget to clean the windows but doing so can reap many benefits. You can avoid glass degradation and improve energy efficiency, all while increasing the overall value of your home. Sound good? When cleaning windows:
- Choose a dry, cloudy day to clean. Cleaner can dry on hot windows before you get to wipe it off on a warm, sunny day.
- Remove dirt and dust first from the frames, screen, shades, and blinds before adding a cleaner. This will prevent a muddy disaster.
- Pick the right cleaner and spray vigorously to dissolve the dirt on your windows.
4. Clean your carpets and floors: Your floors and carpet may look harmless enough, but the truth is they are a harboring place for bacteria. Cleaning them is a must if you want to keep your home as polished and healthy as possible. Here are some general tips for cleaning both surfaces:
Floors
- Traditional damp mopping is the best way to clean many types of flooring. However, hold off on using water for any type of floor where the manufacturer discourages contact with water such as wood, cork, bamboo, and laminate.
- Sweep or vacuum the floor first before mopping. This will prevent your floor from becoming muddy and sticky.
- After mopping the floors, let your floor completely dry before letting anyone walk on it.
Carpets
- Clear the room before starting any cleaning. This means removing furniture, toys and any items from the carpet.
- Vacuum the whole carpet twice to remove crumbs, dust particles, hair, and any loose dirt.
- Remove spot stains before steaming.
- Prepare and run a steam cleaner on your carpet and give it 4 to 12 hours to dry.
5. Update air filtration systems: Don’t overlook replacing your HVAC filters during spring cleaning. Consider installing a filter with a high MERV rating to keep you healthy during spring. This kind of filter will catch small, irritating particles and unwanted dust built up in air conditioner ducts during the winter. You’ll also avoid a serious fire hazard by updating your filter, as dirty air filters can lead to a ventilation fire.
6. Don’t forget your yard and gutters: Now is the time to cleanse your yard and gutters of dead vegetation accumulated during the fall and winter. Especially in states such as Florida where winters are dry and windy, it’s important to remove dry and dead vegetation to avoid brushfires.
Some final tips. When you complete your spring cleaning, make sure you do a complete walk-around in your home and focus on cleaning any areas you feel you missed. Now is also an opportunity to do a thorough inspection of your home as it is one of the few times you’ll be thoroughly examining it.
Spring isn’t just for cleaning. It can also be an excellent time to reassess your home insurance. At Florida Peninsula Insurance Company, our number one priority is you and your family’s safety. As such, we provide our customers with a coverage rich policy, partnering with insurance professionals throughout the state who can ensure you have the coverage you need. To learn more about Florida Peninsula, please contact us at (877) 229-2244 or Get a Quote.
