Tips for Making Your Branson Home Spring Clean!

4/2/2021 (Permalink)

One of the great pleasures of this time of year is throwing open the windows after a cold Missouri winter and letting in warm, fresh spring air. More than likely, that first whiff of spring is probably the reason why “spring cleaning” has become part of our consciousness. We want the inside of our home looking and smelling fresh too!

Diving in and doing some deep cleaning can make a significant difference when it comes to the overall look and feel of your home. Besides regular vacuuming, dusting and mopping, let’s discuss several other ways to brighten up your home and improve its air quality.

Concentrate on These Areas

Clean windows and screens. Dirty windows not only let in less light, but they show up dirt easier than most any other area of your home. With newer tilt-in windows, this isn’t the chore it used to be. If you have older second story windows that require ladders to reach them, either have professionals handle it or at least make sure you have a spotter on the ground. While you’re at it, clean dust and debris from your screens by brushing them with a scrap of carpeting.

Get the air ducts cleaned. There are numerous benefits to doing this. Allergies, which usually increase in the spring, can be even worse if there’s also excess dust and dirt particles floating around your home. Considering that the average American spends 90% of their time indoors, improving indoor air quality is vital. SERVPRO of Nixa / Branson can check if yours need cleaning.

Clean blinds and drapes. These can accumulate a ton of dust. For blinds, use a microfiber blind brush that will do the job quickly and efficiently. For curtains, remove them from their rod/hooks and throw them in the dryer with a slightly damp towel. Turn your dryer on for about 20 minutes set on the “air fluff” (no heat) setting. The damp towel will help pull off any dust or fur and the tumbling action will finish the job. As soon as they’re done, hang them back up right away.

Have your carpets professionally cleaned. Between a pandemic that’s kept us all inside to a long, wet, messy southwest Missouri winter, your carpets have taken a beating. Rental carpet cleaners don’t pre-treat pesky spots or rinse your carpets with water afterward. A systematic cleaning with high powered equipment will not only ensure cleaner carpets but will also extend their life.

Clean the washing machine. Although you’d think it would clean itself, over time detergent residue, bacteria, and dirt can build up in a washing machine, leading to musty smells and not-so-clean laundry. To clean it, fill the drum with a ½ cup of baking soda and a quart of vinegar, then run a wash cycle. (Or use tablets made for cleaning washers.) Use the hottest water setting, largest load size, and the longest wash cycle. Meanwhile, between loads, always keep the lid open to allow it to dry out completely inside, reducing the chances of mildew growth.

Clean the kitchen trash can. Sure, you use plastic trash bags, so your trash can should be clean, right? Unfortunately, even after taking out the garbage, foul smells can still linger in your trash bin. Those odors have a way of drifting throughout your home. Baking soda can work wonders at preventing those smells. Sprinkle some in the bottom of a trash can or directly into the trash to help absorb stinky odors. As a bonus, baking soda is great for scrubbing out your trash can to remove odors that may have seeped into it.

Declutter Your Home

A home with less clutter is a cleaner home. Not only does it look neater, but there’s also less surface areas for dust and dirt to collect on. One way to straighten up is by putting items back where they belong. (For instance, clothes don’t belong in the kitchen and dishes don’t belong in the bathroom.)

Sometimes, decluttering means getting rid of stuff. This isn’t always easy to do. We get attached to our possessions. So, chucking them takes self-honesty and will power. If you haven’t used (much less touched) an item in over six months, do you really need it? If not and it has some value, donate it. Doing so is not only tax deductible, but it also helps others and makes you feel good about yourself. And many charitable organizations that had to close down last year are now accepting donations again.

Help is Nearby

Between work, running countless errands and taking care of kids, not all homeowners have time to be cleaning the entire house. And if someone lives alone, it can be too big a job for one person to handle, especially if that person is elderly, infirm or handicapped.

If you’re in any of those situations, you’re not alone. The experts of SERVPRO of Nixa / Branson are always available to help around the house. Whether you need a certain area of your Georgia home cleaned or the entire property deep cleaned, count on our professionals to get the job done quickly and efficiently with our professional residential cleaning services. Then sit back, take a deep breath, and enjoy your spring cleaned home!