Pre-Spring Cleaning

The weather is still cold here in Canada and despite our best hopes, we know that seasonal spring weather won’t be arriving at our doorsteps for another few weeks.

However, we’re not letting that get us down and we’re ready to embark on our favourite pre-spring activity. Yes, it’s true. We said “favourite.”

Pre-spring cleaning is our favourite way to get all the mundane, time-consuming deep cleaning done before the warm weather arrives and all we want to do is head outdoors for bicycle rides, picnics, and evening strolls.

Rather than save cleaning for spring, we’re getting it over with before it’s the last thing we want to do – and while the weather has us stuck indoors anyways.

We know that not everyone will share our passion for getting ahead of the curve and picking up the dust pan, but we wanted to encourage you to take moments here and there in these last few weeks of winter to save yourself the headache of a house full of chores right as the weather begins to turn.

Here are our favourite ways to deep clean and embrace the indoors this time of year.

Start by decluttering.

Before you grab the mop, take some time to throw away old receipts, put things away that have been laying around for months without a place to go, or tackle the junk drawer that’s gotten out of hand. Once you’ve cleared clutter out of the corners, it’ll make the rest of your cleaning a lot easier.

Next, get those hard to reach places.

Dust light fixtures, door frames, window frames, and mouldings that don’t see a duster regularly. Grab a stool and clear the cobwebs.

Clean the windows.

It’s probably not on you regular cleaning to-do list but a good clean can have big payoff. Our tip for sparkly windows? Spray with cleaner and allow it to sit for a minute or two before you wipe them down.

Now that you’ve finished the window, tackle the floors.

Mopping is always a chore, but if it’s been awhile, your home will definitely need it. To start, move larger furniture and vacuum or sweep away any dust accumulation. If your vacuum has a creive attachment, make sure to suck up dirt and debris along baseboards and in corners. Next mop any hard surfaces and vacuum all carpets – especially in spots where furniture may have covered certain areas.

On to the bathroom.

We recommend a little bleach or vinegar and a good scrub of the shower and floors with a hard bristle brush.

Give your mattress some love.

While your sheets get frequent laundering, how often do you clean your mattress? A great trick is to sprinkle the top with baking soda and leave for an hour or two. Then vacuum up the residue.

Wipe down kitchen cabinets.

No house deep clean would be complete without a good wipe of cabinets and behind appliances. Pull things out, scrub behind the refrigerator and make sure to dust the very tops of your kitchen cupboards.

Now for the nitty gritty.

Get behind media consoles and dust cords and outlets. Dust picture frames. Throw cushion covers and window curtains in the laundry.

Don’t forget doorknobs.

Doorknobs, light switches, even TV remotes, and other electronics should be cleaned regularly.

We can guarantee that a lot of these chores don’t make the regular household task list and we hope this helps in motivating you to get a jump on spring cleaning.

After all, what better way to celebrate spring than to have finished all the cleaning in these last winter months?