During this time of year you probably have Spring Cleaning on your mind and a list as long as your arm that you wish you could get done for a happier home. But, if you’re looking for a quality clean in a shorter amount of time, this springtime cleaning guide is for you. Our cleaning hacks aren’t about cutting corners, they’re about working smarter because you’d probably rather be soaking up that sweet sunshine instead of scrubbing every room of your home from top to bottom.
Carpet Cleaning
Cleaning your carpets is a quick way to brighten the whole house and remove any dust, dirt, or allergens that have settled into carpet fibers through the winter months. Our suggestion? Rent a BISSELL® Big Green® carpet cleaner to get those carpets extra clean. We also have a few carpet cleaning hacks if you don’t have time to get a full-on carpet clean.
Carpet Cleaning Hacks
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Spot clean the stains you can see. Not sure what cleaner will work the best? We can help! Use our enzyme-based formula, like our Pet Urine Stain & Odor, to break down organic stains in your carpet, like pet accidents or food. Try an oxygen-based formula, like our Oxy Deep Pro, to remove a colored stain, like red wine, or our Heavy Traffic formula for greasy, oily or ground-in dirty stains.
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When you spot clean, be careful to not scrub them deeper into the carpet. Blot any excess liquid up with a color-safe cloth, then let the cleaner do the work. Spray the cleaner onto the stain and the surrounding area and let it sit for five minutes. Then gently blot any excess cleaner and let the area air dry for 24-hours.
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One last carpet cleaning tip: Be sure to spray onto a larger area than the stain appears to cover. Once liquid hits the carpet backing, it spreads out. The stain that you see is just the tip of the iceberg; clean at least a six-inch radius around the stain to get the whole thing.
Cleaning Furniture & Upholstery
It’s easy to miss things during springtime cleaning, but don’t forget your furniture! Upholstery that is cleaned and maintained will last many years. Here are some tips to clean your fabric furniture this spring.
Fabric Couches and Chairs
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Rotate your cushions regularly so they don’t show signs of wear as fast, especially if you tend to sit or put your feet in the same spot regularly. Flip your base cushions, rotate back pillows, move throw pillows from one end of the couch to the other – all of these will help guard against indents.
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Vacuum off hair and crumbs regularly, but for spring cleaning take off the cushions and get into the cracks of your couch and chairs to get everything. You may even find some lost toys!
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Use the BISSELL Big Green’s Upholstery & Stair Cleaning Tool to clean arms, headrests, cushions, and anywhere else you see stains or dirt. It’s easy to use and you can rent the attachment tool along with a Big Green for only $5 more, no matter how long your rental. Make sure you check the manufacturer’s care tag before use, though, and pre-test in an inconspicuous area.
Wood Furniture
Dust your wood furniture often to avoid build up and surface scratches. Avoid cleaning wood with water. Oil polish or cleaner protects the wood by making it slippery, but it won’t provide a hard protective layer. To do that, you’ll need to wax your furniture.
Leather Furniture
For springtime cleaning, dust your leather furniture with a soft cloth. It’s good to regularly do this too. Don’t forget to also make conditioning your leather sofa apart of your spring cleaning routine to keep it smooth and supple.
Cleaning Windows
Let the light shine in through your windows! With just need a little cleaning to get rid of the winter build-up on your windows and window treatments, the sunshine will pour in. These window cleaning hacks will help you get started!
Windows
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Clean your windows on a cloudy day. If you try to clean windows in the sun, the cleaner will dry too quickly and likely leave a streaky mess. Avoid that by working on a cloudy day, or at least on the shady side of the house.
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Vacuum dirt from around the window frame first to avoid that muddy mess at the bottom after you spray window cleaner. If you have a screen, take it out and spray it off with a hose (not on full blast, though!).
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Spray your window with a good amount of cleaner, then wipe it with newspaper or a microfiber cloth. Beware of paper towels that leave lint behind and squeegees that may make more of a mess than you are planning on.
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Clean both the inside and outside of your windows BUT wipe one side horizontally and vertically on the other. If you see any streaks, then you’ll know where to get them.
Window Blinds
If your blinds are dusty, use an old sock to dust them. Turn the sock inside out, put your hand inside and wipe down each slat to clean off all the dust. Doing a more in-depth blind cleaning depends on the type of window blinds you have.
Metal, Plastic, or Faux Wood Blinds
If your blinds are metal, plastic or faux wood, use a mixture of gentle soap and water with a soft cloth (or another sock). Don’t use water or harsh chemicals on wood blinds, as it could cause the wood to warp or discolor. Instead just use a soft cloth.
Fabric Blinds
Use the soft dusting brush attachment on your vacuum to remove the dust. Also consider using a hair dryer on the cool setting to blow out dust that has settled inside the shades. To spot clean fabric blinds, use a damp rag to dab, not rub, at the spots.
Fabric Curtains
For a quick pick-me-up, put your curtains in the dryer on a no-heat cycle for 10-15 minutes. For a better clean, check the manufacturer’s tag, but usually running curtains on a gentle cycle with cold water and a mild soap will do the trick. Air dry, if possible, or run on a no-heat setting.
Cleaning Kitchen Appliances
Spring is a great time to get a sparkling clean kitchen. Get rid of all those crumbs and bits of old food that are hanging out in your kitchen. It’s more fun to tackle a new recipe when you are cooking on freshly cleaned appliances, using these kitchen cleaning hacks!
Stove and Oven
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To easily clean the stove and oven, grab your portable steam cleaner. It will steam away any caked-on grime without the use of harsh chemicals.
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Use car wax on your vents and stove top. On vents, the wax will help keep things like pet hair and dust from building up. On the stove, it’ll make cleaning future stains easier because it essentially puts a slippery layer of protection between the stove and messes, so wiping them is a cinch.
Fridge
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Take out all the removable shelves and drawers of your fridge and hand wash them like you would do your dishes. Then rinse and dry before putting back into place.
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Cleaning a refrigerator can be a pain anytime. Make it easier after this springtime cleaning season by adding shelf liners or saran wrap to the shelves. The next time something spills, or you notice that crumbs are everywhere, it will be easy to grab the shelf liner to wipe off vs. cleaning into the deep corners of the fridge.
Dishwasher
Use baking soda for cleaning your dishwasher by sprinkling a cup of baking soda across the bottom of your dishwasher and then running a short, hot-water cycle. Your dishwasher will be stain-free and fresh-smelling!
Microwave
Part of getting a sparkling clean kitchen is tackling the microwave. One cleaning hack to cut through the grime in your microwave is to cut a lemon in half and put it in a bowl with a half cup of water. Microwave that for about three minutes and then let it stand for another five minutes without opening the door. Then carefully remove the bowl with the lemons and wipe out the microwave, including the door.
Cleaning Bathroom Essentials
Get your bathroom sparkling clean this season with these quick and easy bathroom cleaning hacks. One note here, be careful as you clean to not mix harmful types of cleaners, like bleach and ammonia.
Shower and Tub
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To clean your shower head, fill a plastic bag with white vinegar and wrap it around the shower head. Leave it there for a few hours and then turn on the water to rinse. The grime will vanish!
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Don’t forget to clean your shower curtain liner! Simply running it through the washing machine will get it clean.
Toilet
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Clean your toilet bowl while you are doing other things. Did you know you can use a can of dark cola to clean the bowl, especially if you have rust stains? Pour a can into the toilet and let the acids in the soda break down the stain for about an hour, then scrub the bowl and flush it all away. Denture cleaner also works wonders for cleaning the toilet. Drop two or three tablets into your toilet bowl, let them sit for about 10 minutes, then scrub and flush!
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If the odor in your bathroom just won’t go away, consider taking the seat and lid off the toilet to really get at all the gunk.
Sink
Put your dryer sheets to work while you are spring cleaning. Believe it or not, these work cleaning wonders in addition to making your clothes smell fresh. Use them to polish the chrome faucets in your bathroom or kitchen and to clean and repel pet hair and dirt from your baseboards.
Mirror
No one wants a streaky mirror. To avoid steaks, use a microfiber cloth and some glass cleaner. Spray just enough cleaner on to get a mist, you don’t need drips to chase, and then wipe the rag from the top left of the mirror all the way to the top right and back again. Do the whole mirror with an s-shaped pattern, flipping to a new side of the cloth when the other is too wet. Then look at the mirror from an angle to see if you have any parts that you need to re-do. If you do, spray the rag, not the mirror and do that small part again, wiping with the wet part of the cloth and then with a dry part.
Tiled Floor and Grout
Is your grout looking gross and dirty? Clean it with a bleach pen or make your own bleach-cleaning paste by cleaning with baking soda. Simply mix baking soda and water until you get the consistency of toothpaste and spread it on the grout. Then spray on a half and half solution of vinegar and warm water. When it stops foaming, scrub with a brush and rinse with plain water. Your grout should look good as new!
There are so many house cleaning tips and tricks out there, but these are some of our favorites. We hope these spring cleaning hacks helped you find ways to get a clean, happy home this year and that you find that BISSELL Rental to be a good resource for home cleaning advice.