Seven Spring Cleaning Hacks You Need to Know About Now
The season for cleaning is upon us once again! While your list of items and places to deep clean may seem endless, it’s an important thing to do (hopefully) every year. We’ve put together a list of seven hacks to make the process a little less painful, get your apartment sparkling clean, and remind you of a few things that you forgot may need cleaning.
1. Set A Timer
Set a timer for 10, 20, or 30 minutes and see if you can beat the clock while still doing a thorough job. Turning cleaning into a game can make it seem more fun, or at least not like the most awful thing in the world. This is a great way to get kids to participate in the cleaning as well.
2. Steam-Clean the Microwave
If you can’t even recall the last time you cleaned your microwave, chances are high that it’s a mess inside. To remove caked on food and stains, steam the inside of the microwave before you start scrubbing. The steam will loosen everything up, requiring less elbow grease from you.
Fill a microwave-safe container with 1 to 2 cups of water, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, and a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Heat the mixture in the microwave for five minutes and you’ll have a clean microwave in no time.
3. Sort Through the Medicine Cabinet
This isn’t a hack necessarily, but it is an area of the home that often gets forgotten about. Go through your medicine cabinet, cosmetics and toiletries and toss out anything that is expired. Everything from Advil to makeup has an expiration date, you just have to know where to look for it. Check out this list to learn when to get rid of things.
4. Clean Your Dishwasher
You can’t clean dishes in a dirty dishwasher! Place a cup of vinegar on the top shelf and run the hottest cycle your dishwasher has. Once the cycle is complete, sprinkle a cupful of baking soda around the bottom and run a short cycle using hot water.
5. Put A Lazy Susan in the Fridge
After you’ve cleaned the shelves and thrown out any expired food in the fridge, add a lazy Susan to one or two shelves before putting everything back inside. A lazy Susan will make condiments and frequently used items more accessible. It will also prevent food from being pushed to the back of the fridge and your mind. Say goodbye to spoiled food!
6. Wax Your Stove top
One of the worst things to clean is the stove top, as it’s a frequent offender of cooked on food. After giving your stove top a good cleaning, apply a thin layer of car wax, and then buff it off with a microfiber cloth. Future spills and cooked on food will be much easier to clean up!
7. Clean Your Shower head
If you have a detachable shower head, put it on the top rack of the dishwasher to give it a deep cleaning. If that’s not an option, fill a sandwich bag with vinegar before securing it around the shower head with a rubber band or hair tie. Let the shower head soak overnight.
Armed with these tips and tricks, you’re sure to have the cleanest apartment in the neighborhood!