Spring is in the air, and that means it’s time to give your home a thorough top-to-bottom cleaning. Dust and dirt tend to build up at an accelerated pace over the winter, as your windows stay closed during the cold-weather months. Breathe easy with the return of the milder weather, and use these tips to give particulate matter and seasonal clutter the boot:

Do your dusting first

A lot of people think of dusting as a minor task that can be taken care of last. It’s actually counterproductive to do it this way since most techniques actually send small amounts of dust into the air. From there, it settles on your floor and in your carpets, effectively erasing whatever progress you’ve already made if you did things backwards.

Instead, do your dusting first, and take a top-down approach. Start with ceiling fans and other high spots, then work your way to lower levels. Finish by washing your floors, shampooing your carpets and rugs, and vacuuming.

Focus on furniture, carpets, and appliances

It can be hard to know where to start with spring cleaning. Fortunately, there’s a simple answer: begin with the big picture. That means cleaning your furniture, carpets, and appliances.

With furniture, you’re going to want to focus on dusting and restoring its appearance. As mentioned, this should be done first, before you deep-clean your carpets. Next, clean your appliances, outside and inside. Here are a few hacks to help make your appliances extra-easy to cleanse:

• Mix water and vinegar in a 1:1 ratio in a measuring cup, and warm it on low heat in your microwave for about 10 minutes. Once it starts to steam up, take it out and use a clean, dry cloth to wipe the microwave clean. You’ll find that caked-on food and grease just lifts right off.
• Use a long-handled brush and your vacuum cleaner to remove lint and dust from your refrigerator’s condenser coil. If it’s been a while since you cleaned the coil, you might your fridge comes through with an energy-saving performance improvement.
• Bicarbonate of soda makes cleaning your oven much easier. Take an empty spray bottle, mix some bicarb with water, and squirt the solution onto your oven’s interior surfaces. Leave it to do its thing overnight, then wipe it clean in the morning. No harsh chemicals!

Get rid of the clutter

Clutter is like a magnet for dust, dirt, and grime. Be systematic and go through your home room by room, drawer by drawer, and closet by closet. Gather everything you don’t use and arrange it in two categories: things to put in storage, and things to get rid of. Then, donate or sell the stuff you don’t need.

Finish with the fine details

Once you’ve handled all the big-picture tasks, you can finish up by taking care of the finer details. Wipe down your walls, wash your floors, vacuum those hard-to-reach nooks and crannies, and get organized.

Spring cleaning gives your indoor air quality a big boost, and it’s an important task that shouldn’t be overlooked. If you don’t have time to do a thorough job, it’s well worth hiring a professional to take care of it for you. If you are looking for one, request a call and we will assist you further.

About Jethro Seymour

Jethro Seymour, one of the Top Davisville Village Real Estate Brokers at Royal LePage RES Ltd., Johnston & Daniel Division.  Jethro Seymour is a midtown Toronto residential specialist with over 20   years of sales experience in real estate, marketing, construction and publishing. He has helped many families find homes in Toronto’s great neighbourhoods, and has extensive knowledge of local markets, new home construction,   resale home sales, and the condo market. Living in midtown Toronto,   Jethro previews many of the homes that come to market for his clients and inventory knowledge. Jethro specializes in Midtown, Davisville   Village and Leaside neighbourhoods. For more information, call Jethro Seymour, Broker.