Houston Spring Cleaning Tips
Spring is just around the corner, Houston! If you’ve spent winter huddled inside, now’s a great time to crack those windows and start thinking about spring cleaning. You might have your typical spring cleaning regimen, but all too often homeowners can neglect a few important items.
Here are our tips to get the most out of your spring cleaning from your floors to your shutters, so you can enjoy the prettiest season in Houston.
Spring Clean Your Windows
It’s common to get out of bed in the middle of March and realize that the lousy view out your bedroom window isn’t due to winter weather–it’s due to a gunked window. Spring is an ideal opportunity to deep clean your windows. Get that beautiful view back with the following steps.
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If the window opens, open it fully and remove any dirt and dust in the track. First remove as much as possible with the track dry, then use warm soapy water and a cloth or brush to clean out the rest. This will help your window operate easier, and make sure your window can close completely.
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Spray down the window with a cleaning solution. You can use either a chemical cleaner bought off the shelf, or create your own at home with two parts warm water and one part vinegar.
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Wipe the glass with a microfiber cloth. These cloths are best for cleaning glass and leave fewer streaks.
Don’t Neglect to Clean your Window Treatments
A clean, spotless glass window is no good if the window treatment isn’t similarly clean.
For fabric window treatments such as curtains or draperies, cleaning can be a hassle. For thick fabric window coverings, take them off the wall and shake them outdoors to get rid of any loose debris, then pop them in the washer on a cold cycle and air dry them. For thinner fabrics, you’ll want to be more delicate in how you handle them, so wash them by hand in a sink or tub.
Plantation shutters are probably the easiest window treatment to clean. Get rid of dust by going once-over with a microfiber cloth or duster. For spot cleaning, wipe with a slightly wet cloth to take off the stain, then dry with a cloth.
Now is also a fantastic time to think about switching things up with some new window treatments. Check out the Sunburst Shutters Houston Idea Gallery to get inspired with beautiful window treatment ideas.
Give Some Love to Your Appliances
Your refrigerator, stove and washer and dryer are just as much furniture as appliances. Especially with newer appliances like stainless steel appliances, looks can be equally as important as functionality. Clean all the nooks and crannies of your appliances, and restore them to the condition they were when you first bought them.
Stainless steel appliances can be shined up using a solution made of 1 tsp. dish soap and 1 qt. of warm water, applied with a wet cloth and air-dried.
Get Every Single Surface
You’re likely going to give your floors and walls some much-needed TLC when you do spring clean, but be sure to spread some love around to some of those often neglected surfaces. These are just a few of the spots that are often forgotten when spring cleaning:
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All knobs or handles that are often touched. This could be in the bathroom, on electronics, or any other spot in the house.
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Various shower surfaces, including the door, floor, and soap ledge.
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The tops of ceiling fans.
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Appliance undersides - especially the bigger appliances such as your refrigerator164 and washer/dryer.
