I’m working with Tilex® on a paid basis, but my opinions are my own.
When winter’s here, I want to hibernate. I spend evenings cuddled up on the couch with a cup of coffee and a book (or a great movie on T.V.) Toss ingredients into the crock pot and eat soups and stews for dinner. Wear comfy, fuzzy PJs and even warmer and fuzzier slippers.But once the holidays are over, sometimes it feels like a long, dull wait before spring arrives – especially this year. Deep cleaning my house doesn’t even cross my mind.
Then as the weather starts to warm up, I emerge from my cave (so to speak) and realize that the basic cleaning routine I go through every week is mostly just scratching the surface. Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal; why not make that go for your house as well? Spring cleaning is a time-honored ritual for a reason — the fresh air and greenery outdoors make us want to be clean and fresh indoor spaces, too. It just makes us feel better. But if the mere thought seems overwhelming, here are a few tips to get you started.
Taking Care of Stainless Steel
To keep your stainless steel bright and clean, use a light mist of wax-based aerosol spray once or twice a week. Don’t put on too much — you don’t want to soak the surface and make it greasy. Wipe the mist with a clean, lint-free cloth, and never use oils to keep away fingerprints — lint will stick to the oil. Also, don’t use cleaners with bleach after you’ve put on the waxy layer, or it will dry out and lose some of the luster. And finally, don’t use anything abrasive. You don’t want to scratch or ruin the surface.
Organizing Closets
Organizing your closet is the first step to organizing the rest of your home. Get rid of unused clothes and accessories, and organize the rest by how you get dressed in the morning and by color. Your closet will look appealing, and your everyday routine will be easier. (Save your old items for a yard sale and make some extra money – that post will be coming soon!)
Removing Stains and Odors
To remove stains and odors blot up as much of the smelly mess as you can right away. While you’re blotting the upholstery, put a plastic liner or a garbage bag between the cushion and the fabric so you don’t push the contaminant into the cushion. Then flush with cold water as best you can. Blot and flush again. Cold water doesn’t set stains as much as hot water. You can also use a portable spot cleaner or wet/dry vac. If there’s still a residual odor, use a half-vinegar, half-water solution and rinse again. If that doesn’t work, call in the professionals.
Cleaning Painted Walls
To clean your painted walls start with a simple bucket of water with a clean cloth or sponge. If that doesn’t work, dip the rag or sponge into water mixed with a little dish washing liquid, the milder the better. If the stain persists, apply a few drops of soap directly onto the wet sponge or cloth you’re using. For more stubborn cases, you could apply a little soap right onto the stain. If you need to resort to a stronger product, realize they have strong solvents in them and can soften the paint surface. Make sure that whatever you do to get rid of the stain, you rinse the wall afterward with plain water.
Creating a Different Mood
For easy makeovers, change up bedding, towels, table linens, and decor. It will help create a different mood. Switch things out seasonally, or for a special event, or whenever you want to play with a certain color or pattern.
Cleaning Your Carpet
To keep carpets looking nice, TAKE OFF your shoes when you get home — but leave your socks on because walking around in bare feet leaves natural oils that attract dirt. Try to vacuum every day and use a top-load vacuum, so the dirt falls inward, and HEPA filters. Change the filters often, so you don’t blow pollutants back into the air. For less-trafficked areas, you can get away with cleaning the carpets once or twice a year, and every 18 months for a bedroom. For higher-traffic areas, the most often you’d need to bring in professionals would be three or four times a year, although once you see that your carpet’s dirty, you probably should have it cleaned for health reasons.
Reorganize Bookshelves
Sort books by size and subject. Remove and discard any ripped dust jackets (unless you think they might have value). Line books, some vertically, some horizontally, in a rhythmic pattern. This will relieve the monotony of rows.
Caring for Wood Floors
The keys to keeping your wood floors looking new are to avoid over sanding, use trivets or saucers under plants to avoid water damage, use furniture protectors to avoid scratches, and damp-mop once a week with a mild soap like Murphy Oil Soap.
Polishing Silver
Using a simple toothbrush and Hagerty Silver Foam on your silver because it’s not too abrasive and it’s water-soluble. For really bad black tarnish, Simichrome Polish is great. Never put your silver in the dishwasher and store it in anti-tarnish cloth bags when you’re not using it.
Scrub the Mold & Mildew Away
It’s almost impossible to avoid mildew in your bathroom—with so much heat and moisture, the grout between your tiles and the sealant around your tub is the perfect breeding ground. Fortunately, unless you have an allergy, mildew is more of a pain-in-the-neck reminder to clean than a real health concern. However, if you don’t take care of mildew, it can get behind your walls or spread into other areas of your home, which can turn into a major headache. That’s when Tilex® Mold and Mildew Remover comes into play!
When you encounter mold or mildew on bathroom surfaces, which you’ll recognize as patches of black, green, pink or red stains – it’s time to get out
Tilex® Mold and Mildew Remover.
Remember:
- Tilex® Mold and Mildew Remover contains Clorox® Bleach, and disinfects as it kills 99.9% of household mold and mildew on hard, nonporous surfaces. There is no scrubbing required – just spray it, let it sit for 5 minutes and rinse.
- Use Tilex® Mold and Mildew Remover on many bathroom surfaces including: glazed ceramic tile, grout, tubs, fiberglass, glass shower doors, vinyl curtains, sinks and no-wax floors. Spray and allow mildew stains to disappear, then rinse well.
- Tilex® Mildew Root™ Penetrator and Remover penetrates deep to kill mildew at its roots and removes ugly stains without scrubbing, using powerful foaming action.
- Tilex® Mildew Root™ Penetrator and Remover can be used on tile (glazed and unglazed ceramic), tubs, sinks, counters, shower doors, vinyl curtains, glass, plastic, no-wax floors and windowsills.
- You can spot mold in your home as black stains in your grout or red stains on your shower curtain. Mold appears as discolored patches and any time you spot mold it’s time to disinfect.
- Soap and detergents are not enough to kill mold, even though they may remove mold stains. Mold left behind can regrow – quickly!
- Mold can grow in as little as 48 hours in the right conditions. All it needs is a moist, room temperature environment and an organic food source for it to feed on. That’s why mold can be especially prevalent in places like bathrooms and basements.
What are your top Spring cleaning tips??
I’m working with Tilex® on a paid basis, but my opinions are my own.
We always use Tilex at our house! It’s perfect for every situation.
We often use Tilex in our bathrooms. Such a great product. And this weekend, I spent hours cleaning out two of our closets. I can’t believe I let them get so bad!
Thanks for the information! Tilex is a great brand – I want to try that Tile & Grout Pen.
Great tips. The only place I really worry about mildew is in my bathroom and I usually use Tilex because I know it works.
Good call with the stainless steel. And I have more than a few painted walls that need a scrub!
I can use the bathroom cleaning tips, but that is all! The tip I need is where to find a good cleaning lady! Headed out for the Tilex now, that much I can do!
thanks,
Mitch
Great Spring cleaning tips. I haven’t found a Tilex I didn’t like!
You know what, I didn’t do one lick of spring cleaning this year. I should get started, huh?
Good information. I need to get on the spring cleaning.
I don’t have any spring cleaning tips. There are many years where I don’t spring clean and this is one of them.
My tip is to just tackle things one item at a time and get it done so you can enjoy the rest of the day!
I haven’t used Tilex before but it sounds like it does a great job of cleaning. I love easy to use products
Man, I don’t even want to get too close to the first few feet of our walls. I’m afraid children and their nastiness have had their way with them!
We did our garage closets this weekend! There was so much junk in them! Walls? Yeah, maybe after the kids stop putting their hands all over them!
You just reminded me that I need to give my stainless steel fridge a good scrub. Thanks! 😉
Great tips! I am currently selling my house and I am cleaning non stop. I will use the tips that you provided. Thanks.
I am in the process of changing things around at my house. Redoing the spare bedroom this week!
I love the stainless steal tips. I have so much of it in my home and look forward to using the products.
I need a deep cleaning in my house, these tips have gotten me more motivated to tackle my kitchen. My stainless steel has always eluded me. Not anymore!
I love that they have so many options to clean. I didn’t realize that – I thought they only cleaned tiles.
Thank for the tips! I never knew about the foot oils- I will still not keep on my socks though. I am a barefoot girl!
Tilex is the only one I’ve ever found to really get rid of the mildew. It works like a charm.
Great tips! I love a nice clean home!
I really appreciate your post about spring cleaning! I’m so happy to stumble upon this post as I don’t have enough idea on how I should go through my spring cleaning. 🙂
my bathrooms need a good top to bottom cleaning. i have to stock up on cleaning supplies
I am working on purging clothes that my kids have outgrown for my spring cleaning. Next I am going to clean the ceiling fans.
Thanks for the tips. I was looking for a new one for my MILs silver that she gave to me and this might just do the trick.
Goodness, spring is almost over and I have so much left to do! I definitely love getting rid of old junk
I have been on a mission to get my house clean from top to bottom before the kids get out of school. I have just the basement left, hurray! I do love using Tilex. They have such great products!
I love that they have a cleaner for wood floors. My floors seem to be a pain to clean. I think it’s the dog and two kids… I dunno. LOL!
I use Tilex Mold & Mildew and love it. The mildew just fades away. Plus, I like to use products I trust to be safe and harmful only to the mildew, not my kids and me.
These are some good tips for Spring cleaning. I need to get rid of the mold in the shower before it gets out of control.
These are all great tips I really appreciate you taking the time to do this and share with us. I love those products as well.
Thank you for this! It is so hard to get rid of mold and mildew! My favorite thing for the rest of the house is good ol’ 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water. My Grandmother swore by it and it works like a charm.
I love the tips. We finished our spring cleaning a couple of weeks ago…but with three kids I feel like I need to start again. Sigh.
These cleaning tips are good for cleaning all year long.
I actually thought I was done with my Spring cleaning. Then I saw you tip about Cleaning Painted Walls. Guess it’s back to cleaning for me. LOL
I use vinegar in the steamer for stain removing!
It is so hard to get rid of mold and mildew! My favorite thing for the rest of the house is good ol’ 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water. My Grandmother swore by it and it works like a charm.