As a part of hunkering down for Fall we like to give our home a deep clean. This way we feel comfortable and at ease settling into the colder months. This normally means the sweeping, mopping, (maybe) washing the windows, and a fair amount of decluttering. But yesterday we realized there are a couple of places that we don't normally think about, but when they're clean, the place just feels better:
Window Ledges: For so much of the year the windows can be open (and we let the cats go in and out of certain ones) so we don't really notice the build up of major dirt. Yesterday this is what we found and we went to town on it. First we dusted, then we sprayed some Mrs. Meyers and wiped it down with a sponge. It didn't take too long and now that it's clean it feels so much better.
Look Up! We've got high ceilings and tend not to notice the subtle (and not so subtle) build up of wispy cobwebs way up in the corners. We got out the broom and knocked down what we could. If you're not sure how clean your broom is, drape a dust rag over it or a dishtowel and wipe down the high corners too.
Shower Curtain: Again, because it's something we look at every day, we stop seeing it. The slow buildup of mineral deposits can turn parts of the plastic liner curtain white (thank goodness we never let it get moldy). To get rid of the deposits you don't have to buy a new curtain, just take it down and throw it in the washing machine with some old towels or rags. Don't use detergent, instead throw in a cup of white vinegar and run the cycle. When it's done, take the curtain out immediately and hang it where it can dry. All the white stuff will be gone! This is also a good time to wash a fabric curtain (if you have one). Careful if you decide to put it in the dryer, ours shrunk, so next time, we're air drying it.
Ceiling Fans: If you've got some, no doubt they've been spinning like crazy what with all the heat. And with all the junk that floats in the air, the top side of these is probably pretty gross. Some people like to take the blades down and soak them, but we just dust and either use soapy water and a sponge or the Method surface cleaner in Lavender.
Porch: When was the last time you thought about the outside of your front door and the surrounding area? If you're us, then it's been a while. But whether you're in a complex where your front door is actually inside a hall or if your front door is on the street, dirt can build up almost imperceptibly. Our front door opens onto a little front yard and gets dirty! We took a broom and wiped down the door and the walls around it and gave it a good sweeping. (This can sometimes lead to obsessively washing baseboards as well, don't know why but it's something we notice after we wash a door down and look down at the floor.)
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Oh yeah.. my boyfriend and I just moved in together and we've spent the past few days cleaning his old apartment. It's much dirtier than you think when you really get down on your hands and knees. The lip of the inside of the cabinets and drawers was where I found lots of dirt that I hadn't thought about. Also, the walls themselves near furniture tend to collect dust and street soot (if you live near a busy street like he did).
My mom ALWAYS notices the ceiling fan blades - so before she vists I clean them....even if they don't look that dusty/dirty.
also to go on the list: under bed, sofa, fridge, and stove....love that swiffer sweeper for those tricky spots.
Living in an old home it never ends..molding and base boards are my fixations. My cleaning person does the basics but I spend an hour a week detailing.
*sigh* I saw the dirt yesterday and pretended I didn't. I hate being called out on my housekeeping.
I'm a huge advocate of cleaning the window ledge! It's always a part of my routine.
i spent the entire 3 day weekend scrubbing down our apartment. i am still not done, but cleaning cabinets out, window ledges and the porches are all part of my pre-winter clean.
if i am going to have to stay inside all winter, it better be clean!
i did the fanblades about a week ago, i looked up and could see the giant gray furry edge of it, so i got up there and took care of it. My wife is really good about keeping things clean, but she is also short, and we have tall ceilings, on the step ladder i was just tall enough so she would have never made it.
i've done the wash the shower curtain thing and mine shrank as well. none the less i only buy the mold free kind anymore, so don't have to worry about that, and the one we have is white, so i guess even if it does have stuff on it it's not as noticeable.
good tips though. my parents are coming this weekend, and the inlaws next weekend, so lots of cleaning is going on.
clean under the bed and behind furniture (dust builds up behind couches/tvs/dressers, etc). take a damp rag along doorways/corners/cabinets to clean them. under the toilet, the corners of closets, under the fridge, and inside the fridge are places i forget about sometimes.
My grandmother was a cleaning fanatic and would always find something to "comment" on when visiting, even when the house was spotless. Drove my mom insane. My dad, who is quite tall, would try to make my mom feel better by keeping a tally on how the top my grandmother's fridge was always dirty. (Though he never told my grandmother this - then she would have started cleaning it!)
Our tip for cleaning the front steps/porch is that every time after we wash the floors, the water in the bucket gets poured out outside, thus gets reused and washed the steps.
Doorknobs! They're hugely germy, and I make a point to always clean them. I also clean the door around the knob and lock -- fingerprints build up there. (Once you start the dirt smudges you never noticed before become much more apparent. :p)
total spring overhaul of our house is underway. Loving that our house is easy to clean. we used to live in an extremely cheap, extremely large, extremely run down house... so cleaning never got you anywhere and in the end when we left it wasn't spotless (far from it) but the land lord was very happy to see it was a million times cleaner than when we got the place. ergh. now my new house is always clean. i am a neat freak!
Base of the toilet! Base of the toilet!
This is making me crazy--I was already thinking last night how I should wipe out all my cabinets...having a mouse in my kitchen has made me even analer than I was!
The entire toilet base, including the outside of the bowl, and that space of floor behind the toilet.
The inside edges of cabinet doors and drawers, and the face of the cabinet where the doors meet.
The same problem with the stove.....the top of the oven/broiler doors. And the KNOBS and the panel behind them. Knobs can be pulled off and soaked in hot dishwater, then scrubbed. Also the sides of the stove, and under the entire cooktop (it lifts up like a car hood...please clean there, ick)
Dont forget the range hood and filter.
And the kitchen sink......behind the faucet, and UNDER THE TAP.
This all reminds me that I need to clean my house, LOL
Doorknobs and light switches - especially in the bathroom. Ick.
behind the refrigerator -- no matter how often I pull it out and clean, there's always a nasty surprise waiting
i put the sofa covers through the washer every month or so..especially during the summer!