Major Spring Cleaning Mistakes
Spring cleaning is a vital part of maintaining a healthy living space. It is even more vital for those with allergies, as living with dust and spring pollen can make breathing incredibly difficult at times. So, when it comes to spring cleaning making sure that you are doing it the best way possible is crucial. Here are a few common spring cleaning mistakes that homeowners make.
Cleaning without a Plan
You wake up motivated — today know that you are going to get all your spring cleaning done! But by noon, your house is in disarray, and not one single room is finished. Ugh. That’s why some cleaning experts suggest breaking up the biggest cleaning project of the year into smaller, more manageable tasks.
Consider conquering your hardest job first, like the kitchen, which is often the most time-consuming room. With that first accomplishment under your belt, you’ll have the momentum to take on the remaining tasks. The key is to give yourself plenty of breaks. And there’s nothing wrong with spreading it out over several days.
Not Flipping Your Mattress
Think of how much time you spend in your bed. Yet, you probably clean the top of your fridge more often than your mattress. Your mattress harbors millions of dust mites, which cause various respiratory conditions including sneezing, a runny nose, itchy eyes, and skin rashes.
Consider using a vapor steam cleaner to root out the itchy devils, then wrapping it in an anti-allergen mattress protector.
At the very least, sprinkle your mattress with baking soda and let it sit for awhile. Then simply vacuum it up.
Using Harsh Cleaners
There’s a reason many commercial cleaners have the words ”danger,” “hazard,” or “caution,” on their labels. Something in the ingredients is toxic in one form or another, and most all could aggravate allergies and asthma. When using products like this make sure that you don’t go crazy with cleaners you don’t need. Moldy bathrooms may scream for bleach, but most surfaces do not. Consider using a fifty-fifty ratio of water and vinegar which will keep most surfaces clean and germ-free.
Not Using the Right Tools
Don’t let your carpet hog the vacuum. The multiple attachments that come with vacuums are not used nearly enough. Use it on the space between your wall and refrigerator to get out the accumulated dust that’s otherwise unreachable, and run it around the edge of your baseboards to clean where standard upright vacuums can’t reach.
Only Cleaning at Eye Level and Below
You have worked up a sweat and everything’s starting to sparkle, but then you realize your ceiling fan is coated in dust. Once you start wiping the fan, dust will scatter on what you’ve already cleaned. That’s why you should always look up to see what needs dusting before you start cleaning at eye level. Tackle hard-to-reach places like the tops of bookshelves, crown molding, and window ledges.