While you’re holding onto the vision of May flowers throughout this April showers season, you may start to feel those walls closing in. Put that cabin fever energy to work by doing some deep spring cleaning in your home. When the weather finally warms up and the sun starts shining, you’ll feel great knowing that your house is just as fresh inside as the spring air outside.
Declutter to Make Space
Even though a lot of people did a hefty round of “Covid-cleaning” last spring, online shopping numbers suggest that everyone still collected a lot of new stuff. If you’re regretting all the new clutter, or you’re trying to figure out how to reconfigure your home to make temporary office spaces permanent, it may be time to downsize your possessions. When deciding what stays and what goes, it helps to run through a checklist:
- When is the last time this item was used, and is it likely to be used regularly?
- Am I keeping this for its sentimental value, and is that a good reason to keep it?
- Could this be used more efficiently or placed in a better spot to maximize space?
Donate, Recycle, or Trash?
With so many thrift shops still not taking donations, deciding what to do with things you no longer need has become one of the most difficult steps in spring cleaning. If you have items that you know someone else could use, try searching upcycle or swap meet groups on social media. Several organizations, such as Purple Heart, are still traveling to collect donations by appointment.
Check with your trash provider to learn more about what’s recyclable and what needs to be thrown away. Many people mistakenly put trash in the recycling container, and this causes work stoppage and true recyclables to be thrown away at the recycling center. Unfortunately, some things really are trash. By throwing it away rather than trying to donate or recycle, you’ll help to save resources at those sites where the trash doesn’t belong.
Invite the Spring Air in for Spring Cleaning
While you’re working hard to dust and scrub every surface within your home, remember to ventilate! Breathing in cleaning chemicals can damage your lungs, make you sick, or even poison you. Keep your windows open whenever you’re working with chemicals, and take breaks to get fresh air often. Also wear gloves to protect your skin, goggles when using spray agents, and clothing that you’re okay with getting ruined.
It’s imperative that you read labels on any cleaning agents you use, as well. Make sure you’re not mixing incompatible chemicals or using products on surfaces where they aren’t formulated to be used. Keep all chemicals closed when not in use and out of reach of children or pets.
Behind, Inside, and Under
This is a great time to check your smoke detectors, have your dryer vents cleaned, change HVAC filters, and clean behind appliances. Dust and dirt build-up in all these places to create fire risks. Make sure you call the right professionals to help you with these tasks to get them done safely and correctly.
While you’re taking care of spring cleaning, it’s also a great time to take a look at your homeowners insurance policy to make sure you have the right coverage for your property. If you have any questions, contact us to review your policy with one of our agents.
