Hopefully, you are getting your house prepared for your spring cleaning bonanza. If you’ve followed our recent articles, you may have started the de-clutter process that should be done before heavy cleaning in your home. Your countertops are cleared, your winter clothes are packed away out of sight, and already your home is feeling more open and ready for spring.
flickr credit: dccraftaholic128
Now comes the house cleaning job that will set the stage for the rest of the season, and help you to feel more confident when friends or family come to visit. Many people take this opportunity to hire a maid service or house cleaning service in Boston to make an extra good effort at getting the house spotlessly clean. It makes it so much easier to keep up with once the major, hard work is done. You would find it such a pleasure to simply follow along the lines that your hired cleaning service set in motion for you.
Some people find that they need to clean one room at a time, while others enjoy the total effort of stripping out all the rooms at one time, and proceeding to make an entire weekend of the cleaning process. Either way, you need a plan. If you have the option to clean the entire house at once, the extra hands to assist in moving furniture, wash windows, run the laundry, and the time to get it all done, by all means, go for it.
For those of us who know this process is going to require several days to complete, we’ll start with one room at a time. The first thing to do would be to remove all the window treatments (check for their cleaning recommendations – some can be machine washed, others may need to go to the dry cleaners). Machine washables can go into the washing machine while you start the rest of the project.
Furniture covers, tablecloths, and any other washable items need to be removed, put into the washer or taken to the dry cleaners. Remove all knickknacks, cleaning them one by one, and place them either in another room or in a storage place while you continue cleaning. By now, the exposed surfaces should be void of any dust catchers.
flickr credit: frederickmdrocks
Now would be a good time to dust flat surfaces, and dust or wipe down walls, ceilings, and baseboards with a wet cleaning cloth. This will move the dust and cobwebs down toward the floor. It’s important to get the majority of your dust and dirt down to floor level. Next, wash your windows (inside and out – this is where those extra hands come in “handy”). Spring house cleaning is truly a huge job and one that most of us would not choose as our favorite thing to do.
The dirt and dust from the ceiling downward is now at floor level. Time to bring out your vacuum cleaner, which certainly has a HEPA filter for your safety. Vacuum up the rugs/carpets and floors thoroughly. Vacuum your furniture, move the cushions and vacuum under them, as well.
There should not be a spot left unturned as you methodically move through the room you have chosen to clean. Remember, moving the dust and dirt downwards toward the flooring is your first job. Once you’ve done that, then it’s time to wash surfaces, windows, walls, baseboards, and floors. You may also wish to use a carpet cleaner once the rest of the work has been done. Having fresh, clean carpets, a spotlessly clean and bright room, and the scent of spring in the air will leave you feeling so pleased with your efforts.
flickr credit: antaean
