Tag Archives: Spring Cleaning
Give Your Bedroom a Good Spring Cleaning
Post by Tracy Kaler.
Daylight is lingering, flowers are blooming, and robins are chirping. In case you didn’t know– we’re well into spring. If you haven’t given spring cleaning any thought, shame on you! Now is the time to refresh your bedroom before temperatures heat up. We still have a good two months left of the season, so get busy and start your spring cleaning with this list.
Edit first.
Find a place for any item that doesn’t have one yet (in a closet, in a drawer, stored under the bed), and donate all those items that you don’t need or wear any longer. A good edit will give you a great sense of accomplishment and prep the space to be cleaned.
Dust the walls.
I bet you’ve never cleaned your walls, have you? Take a dust mop and run it up and down the walls, including up at the ceiling line. Get on that ladder of you must.
Vacuum everywhere.
Sweep all those tough-to-reach places like corners and around door casings, lamp shades, and upholstery. After vacuuming, any upholstered furniture that still appears worn or dirty should be professionally cleaned, or perhaps recovered (see the next point).
Clean and spruce up fabrics.
Wash all bedding (that means the bedcovering, shams, and mattress pad too), and what you can’t launder, send it out to get professionally cleaned. If you have any other upholstered furniture, window treatments as well as area rugs or carpeting in the bedroom, now’s the time to call in a professional and get those cleaned too. Notice some tattered fabrics? Spring is an ideal season to recover those older pieces.
Wash down woodwork, floors, and all furnishings including lamps and accessories.
Opt for a mild cleaner like Murphy’s Oil Soap. Be sure to give your wood floors a deep cleaning and use a touch-up pen or Old English to cover scratches. If you have stone in the room, use a stone cleaner. An all-purpose cleaner from Method works wonders on many materials.
Don’t forget the mirrors, art, and windows.
Windex mirrors and art, as well as windows (inside and out) so the exterior looks brighter, which will, in turn, make the interior of your bedroom shine too.
Add a scent.
Light a candle, spray your favorite fragrance, or purchase potpourri. Lavender and sage work especially well in a bedroom.
Happy spring!
How to Keep Your Bedroom Clutter-Free
Post by Tracy Kaler.
Now that spring is here, we should all look at how we can edit our homes, and eliminate those items we don’t need. In the bedroom, it’s easy to accumulate various things, especially since guests tend to stay in our living space and not enter our personal space. Are you feeling overwhelmed by clutter? Try any, or all of these suggestions to keep your bedroom clutter-free.
Clean out the drawers.
Drawers barely closing? For every new pair of socks or t-shirts you buy, throw away an old pair or shirt. That sock drawer did close at one point, and it should close again.
Rotate clothing seasonally.
If your closet is out of space, it’s time to purge. Pull out warm coats and thick winter clothing in spring and place in storage or an extra closet. In fall, remove summer clothing and store until the following year. Keeping your closets organized will help you keep piles off the floor, bed, and other furniture.
Clean out old magazines.
Magazines are tempting to keep (I’m guilty), but with most publications now on the web, there’s no reason to keep back issues unless they’re collector’s items.
Purchase bedside tables with drawers.
Declutter your bedside tables (or floor next to the bed) when you invest in a nightstand with drawers. Keep your miscellaneous tchotchkes tucked away.
Order storage drawers.
Adding drawers under your bed is a practical way to stay organized, especially if you have limited drawer space or no dresser. Our universal under-bed storage boxes fit under any bed with a minimum of 7 ¼” clearance from the floor.
Make your bed every day.
An unmade bed might not have anything to do with clutter, but I promise – making the bed will give the illusion that your bedroom is clean and organized, and that’s a great start.
Tips & Tricks: Tips to Ready Your Bedroom for Spring
Post by Tracy Kaler.
Spring officially begins this Sunday, March 20, so it’s time to emerge from your cocoon and ready your home for warmer weather. For me, once temperatures reach the 60s, I’m almost automatically in a better mood and have more energy to tackle those tasks that aren’t my favorites –– such as organizing and cleaning.
Here are a few tips to get your bedroom in tip-top shape this spring.
Change the bedding.
If you’re like most people, you probably use heavier blankets and maybe even flannel sheets during the colder months. Well, it’s time to bid farewell to your winter wares, at least until the next freeze. Bring out the lighter linens and cottons for a more spring-like feel and comfy sleeping.
Hit the shelves
If you have bookshelves, you know they tend to get messy. Go through your books and donate any you don’t intend to read, or have read and won’t read again (except the classics or DIY, which no one wants to part with). Organize your magazines into attractive holders rather than stacking. Any mag that’s more than two years old, you might want to toss it.
Move on to the closet
Of course, your closet needs to get organized, but you’ll also want to move your winter clothing, shoes, and accessories to storage, or at least to an out-of-reach area so your spring/summer wardrobe is front and center. Use cedar or fresh herbs such as rosemary and lavender to keep garments fresh and bugs at bay. And, don’t be sloppy when storing. You’ll regret it next season.
Buy something new.
Every room gets tired after a while, so if you’re bored with your bedroom, you’re not alone. Now that you’re organized, allow yourself to splurge on one new item –– be it an area rug, mirror, piece of art, or throw pillow –– and you’ll be back in love with your bedroom in no time.
Sorry to be the bearer of this news, but now that you’re organized, it’s time to clean. Spring-cleaning is a must every year, so get to it!
Things We Like: Spring Cleaning The Bedroom
Post by Kyle St. Romain.
While it may not feel like it yet, spring is right around the corner. Technically, the first day of spring is marked by the vernal equinox, which falls on March 20 this year. One of my favorite things about spring, besides the fact that the cold weather and occasional ice storms will finally subside, is the opportunity to do some deep cleaning. As one of my friends back in college told me, “It’s not clean until it smells like chemicals.” While I don’t necessarily like the smell of ammonia and bleach, it is the best way to get rid of the musty smells that have accumulated over the winter. To me, the smell of cleaning products is the scent of accomplishment — something that can’t be achieved by lighting a candle.
To get you prepared for spring cleaning this year, I’ve compiled a cleaning list to help make your bedroom sparkle anew. Remember, for efficiency sake, you want to work your way from the top down. Dust will tend to settle as you clean, and you want to get as much of it out as possible.
1. Vacuum the window treatments, and dust the blinds. Some people like to take the window treatments down and wash them, but this can be tricky depending on the fabric they’re made out of.
2. Clean your ceiling fans, light fixtures, and any pictures hanging on the walls. This almost goes without saying, but the tops of your ceiling fans get really gross. You don’t want to be breathing all that dust when it’s time to turn the fans back on.
3. Clean the air vents and as far inside the ducts as you can reach. You can soak your vent covers in hot water while you clean other things in your bedroom. After they dry, apply a thin layer of car wax and reinstall. Waxing your vent covers with car wax to keep dust off. This tip works for gas stovetops, and other places in the house where dust and grime tend to accumulate.
4. Clean all the windows inside and out. Don’t forget the windowsills. You’ll be surprised how much cleaner and brighter your room looks with both sides of the windows clean. If you have screens over your windows, you can wash these outside with a hose. Just be sure to let them dry completely before putting them back up.
5. Take everything off the furniture tops in your bedroom and dust all the objects and surfaces. You may also want to take more drastic measures and remove all the furniture from your bedroom so you can clean behind and underneath. This may also be a good opportunity to rearrange your bedroom for a new look.
6. Wash all your bedding, including the bed skirt. For comforters, check the washing instructions. If it’s starting to get warm where you live, wrap up the comforter and store for the fall.
7. Vacuum the top of your mattress, and between the mattress and the box springs or bed frame. You can then freshen up your mattress with baking soda and lavender. Also, don’t forget to flip or turn the mattress, depending on the type you have.
8. Give the floors a good cleaning. If you have a rug in your bedroom, vacuum it first, then roll it up and vacuum the floor underneath. Dust finds its way everywhere in your home, including under the rug. If you leave the bed in place, don’t forget to vacuum under it. While you probably won’t find any monsters under there, you will find a lot of dust bunnies, which can be just as scary.
9. Put everything back in its place.
10. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done. This is also the perfect opportunity to take a nap. You deserve it!
