Spring Cleaning for Your Whole Home

Spring Cleaning Your Whole Home

Springtime is almost here, and that means its time to start thinking about cleaning and organizing your home. While you probably have a problem room or two you’re ready to get back into shape, it’s important to spend some time on every room in your home.

The Closet

The best way to approach a closet is with the intent to completely clean and organize it. For us, that means removing everything from the closet and cleaning surfaces, rods, mirrors, etc. completely. This doesn’t need to be a deep clean where you get into crevices with a wire brush; instead focus on eliminating dust and spots that will affect your ability to use your closet. Make sure to clean any stowed accessories like valet rods or vanity mirrors, and take a look inside drawers and less-used cabinets for dust or debris.

When it comes time to return your items, do so deliberately. Look at the items as you return them and assess whether or not it needs to be in the closet or could go somewhere else. You should also take this opportunity to organize your clothes with purpose. We recommend organizing by seasons or by how often you use items.

The Bedroom

You probably know what you’re doing when it comes to cleaning your bedroom. Dust from top to bottom, making sure to move items on shel

ves and on walls to make sure you can get behind and under them. Remove bed linens and clean or replace them.

Even if you don’t think your mattress needs cleaning, it’s simple and effective to clean it using nothing more than water, baking soda, and your vacuum. Fill a spray bottle with water and mist your mattress until it’s moist from edge to edge. Sprinkle a thin layer of baking soda onto the mattress and let it sit for an hour or more. Vacuum the baking soda up using the upholstery attachment on your vacuum hose and behold your fresh-smelling and newly whitened mattress!

The Office

My mom is a lawyer who works from home, so when I say I know how messy an office can be, you know I mean it. Spring cleaning your office might be as simple as dusting surfaces and reorganizing cabinets, documents, books, etc. If your desk is already organized, spend some extra time on drawers and cabinets to improve efficiency.

If your office looks like my mom’s, you’ll need to go a step further. Desks and surfaces covered in loose documents can be organized using paper holders, with each surface having at least one holder for relevant documents. Consider getting a couple of inboxes to organize your documents by incoming and outgoing, to-do and completed, or urgent and “take your time” boxes. File organizers that mount to walls are a good way to expand your storage onto the walls above your desk, allowing for long-term storage and easy access simultaneously.

The Garage

When is the last time you took your car to the car wash? Self-wash places are not too expensive if you’re efficient, and automated car washes are quick and thorough. While the car is drying from the wash, take this time to reduce garage clutter by going through storage spaces and removing anything you haven’t used in the last year. For everything you remove, think carefully about whether you really need the item or not, and create a keep and a donate pile.

Clean attic spaces, workbenches, and tops of cabinets by just pushing dust and debris onto the floor. Thoroughly sweep and mop if appropriate. While garages are often not climate controlled, it’s still important that they remain weatherproof. Examine windows and doors, looking for damaged or compromised weather stripping and making sure everything opens and closes properly.

If your garage is unfinished, make sure that insulation is still in good condition and add it where it’s missing. Garages can encourage moisture due to temperature changes, so insulation and proper sealing will extend the life of your garage and the objects inside it.

The Pantry

Move everything out of the pantry to start. Separate everything into categories; cans can be divided by contents, snacks by sweet and savory, and so on. Dust and wipe down shelves, taking care to get off any sticky spots left over by food.

As you go to put items back into the pantry, do so using the categories you created earlier. Organize shelves by how easy you can access them. Put paper products up at the top, and kids snacks either where they can reach them or far above their heads, depending on your needs.

The Best Way

Of course, the best way to make sure your home stays spring clean all year round is to have a custom storage solution installed. Closet Factory can transform any area in your home into an oasis of organization and style and turn spring cleaning from a yearly chore to a daily pleasure.