The Best Spring Cleaning Tips, According to the Pros
I’m throwing a lot of spring cleaning content your way today, from checklists that will help you remember every place that needs tidying to product suggestions that can make it all easier , but I’m just one person who, for better or worse, cleans her house a certain way. To make this spring cleaning series more in-depth, I decided to ask some pros for advice and share the expert advice I received.
Speed up drying of clothes
When you read through my spring cleaning checklists today, you’ll notice that the step-by-step guide for each room begins by suggesting you put the linens, fabrics, and clothes associated with that room in the wash. You want them to be washed and dried while you clean the rest of the space, so you’ll have a lot of textiles to wash on your spring cleaning day. However, this doesn’t have to take all day: Michelle Piombino, chief scientific officer at Purex , says you can throw a clean, dry towel in the dryer with your wet laundry; take it out after 15 to 20 minutes, “once it has absorbed most of the water.” Let it air dry while the rest of your clothes are taken to the car. A fresh towel will absorb excess water and moisture from the dryer, saving you time and energy costs.
Remove stains first
Before you start your first load of laundry on your spring cleaning day, go through all your laundry and pull out anything that has stains. I’ve been guilty of just throwing everything in the wash and vaguely hoping the stains will magically come out, which has had mixed success, but on a day when you’re completely focused on cleaning, you really should give those clothes some attention. Separate anything that has a stain and then pre-treat those items while the other fabrics go into the machine. Jennifer Rivera, Henkel’s director of research and development and laundry expert at Persil , suggests looking for detergents that contain stain-removing enzymes and following their directions. (Naturally, she recommends Persil Original Everyday Clean .)
Work on missed spots
Look around your space and see it from an outsider’s perspective to find areas that need attention that you might not normally notice. I have two ways to do this: I either take photos of my space and study it, which helps me break down my familiarity with the room and evaluate it objectively, or I call a friend to help identify problem areas that I haven’t been paying attention to. Spring cleaning is the best time to tackle those areas you usually skip.
For example, for Rosa Pikosa , a CleanTokker user with nearly 900,000 followers and a cleaning expert at Fabuloso, that means tackling the baseboards: “Honestly, they’re easy to overlook, and I don’t think guests in my home inspect my baseboards,” she says. But even so, it must be done eventually. This can be as simple as wiping them down with a mop when you mop the floor (this is one of the last steps on all my room-by-room cleaning checklists). Naturally, she suggests double strength Fabuloso for this, but so do I. Read my review of it here (in which I actually use it to clean baseboards).
Think about prevention when cleaning
Cleaning up existing clutter is what cleaning is all about, but the beauty of spring cleaning is that, in a sense, you’re starting over and preparing for the future. This year, instead of simply dealing with problems that already exist, think about how you can prevent them from occurring in the future. For example, my home’s exterminator , Xavier Maldonado, gave me some great advice the last time he was in my apartment for my monthly maintenance: Mix one part ammonia with 24 parts water and wipe down areas like baseboards, behind shelves and appliances with it, this will easily repel pests. This is something simple you can do during your spring cleaning that will proactively prevent any bug-related problems from occurring as they arise during the summer season. However, remember to never mix chemicals and make sure the ammonia is diluted sufficiently.
I also use this cover set from SpotLESS . The kit includes spray-on coatings for glass and mirrors, toilets, sinks and plumbing fixtures. When you spray them onto appropriate surfaces, they extend the time between cleanings by repelling dust and dirt, and also make them easier to wipe off when surfaces do get dirty.
Don’t forget your car
When you think of “spring cleaning,” you probably think of important household chores, like moving the refrigerator to clean underneath it or replacing all the heavy winter laundry with lighter ones. But you should also think outside the home. Amy Brooks, national sales director for Chase Auto , reminds us that cleaning your car can extend its life and keep it in top condition.
Start by vacuuming in and around the seats, as dirt and debris can scratch and damage the surfaces. To get rid of odors, she suggests sprinkling baking soda on the seats, letting them sit overnight, then vacuuming. Wipe the seat surfaces with leather or fabric cleaner and a microfiber cloth. (I don’t have a car with leather seats, but I do have a lot of leather boots. I use Quick Detailer wipes from Chemical Guys , $8.99, and recommend them for quick and easy repairs.) Wipe down all surfaces, use a steam cleaner to get deep into the seats if necessary, and wipe down the windows with glass cleaner.