Lifestyle
Your Spring Cleaning Guide
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It’s the start of the year yet again, and for the Chinese, the coming Chinese New Year celebrations are coming a little too fast and early (at least that’s how we feel!). While it remains to be part of the customary traditions for the Chinese to do their annual spring cleaning, this article is certainly not limited to whomever who wants to do some deep cleansing with their homes to start off the new year as well!
As we welcome the happy comings that the new year will be bound to bring, this will be the way to kick start your way into a better 2021!
Spring cleaning is a chore and hassle when we think about. Imagine clearing out your wardrobes, kitchen cabinets, toilets and even doing a thorough cleanse of your home sounds like many, many man hours, and you already fail to see the need to begin.
I, for example, took 2.5hours just to clear 2 of my wardrobes and am already procrastinating to finish the rest, so kudos to the mothers out there. But spring cleaning need not be a true hassle, if you were to follow these tips:
Clean by Room
Choosing to do your spring cleaning by room actually brings about more joy and less hassle than you’ll expect. While looking at it as a whole may feel rather overwhelming, going room-by-room may allow you to plan for more potential storage space and allow you to feel inspired from cleaning!
Also, once you have started on one room, you’ll definitely feel determined to finish all. By the time you realise the reality, you would have managed to clean all your rooms but be sure to mentally prepare yourself for the trouble and hassle that will soon ensue.
However, here’s a good tip for you! Clean in the direction of your toilet and start from the room furthest away from the main door. This means that for every household, you should conduct your spring cleaning in view of your main toilet and front door, so that your dusty supplies and items that ought to be cleaned will not dirty the already cleaned spaces! This is to also ensure that you clean hard and most importantly, smart. You may opt to plan out your sequence on a blank piece of paper first, mapping out a simple blueprint version of your home, and start from there.
Firstly, prepare yourself with your tools and weapons of:
- Dry cloth x1 (preferably one for each room)
- Wet cloth x1 (preferably one for each room)
- Cleaning solution (at least 200ml of any store-bought cleaning solution or a mix of our favorite lemon juice, baking soda and water in a 1:1:1 ratio).
- Plastic bag x 1
- Vacuum cleaner or broom x1
For the Kitchen
We start with the best room in the house - your kitchen. Packed with stacks of goodies to welcome your guests, the kitchen is the first place we have put into this nifty little list that you can easily follow.
- Begin by unplugging all your electronics that are not in active use and wipe them down. Make sure to get every nook and cranny. Spray some cleaning solution onto your wet cloth and wipe. Be sure to clean them well and dry with the dry cloth.
- Empty all the crumbs from your oven, toaster and air fryers.
- For the refrigerators, prepare your empty plastic bag beside you so you can throw away any expired food or beverages. You will be surprised at what you can find in this mini treasure hunt.
- Be sure to wipe down all surfaces with your cloths and wipe dry before placing all the items back into their respective spaces. For refrigerators, you can start cleaning from the freezer. You may also want to take inventory of the items in your food storage cupboards and refrigerators to prevent excessive buying and reduce wastage.
- Lastly, scrub your sink and cooking tops at the very end so you can remove all stains and gunk.
For the Bedrooms
Always start with the smaller items first when it comes to packing your room. And this means your wardrobes.
- Start by removing all items from your wardrobe. You can even go through and sort piece by piece so you can take out those that you wish to donate or dispose of. Please donate your articles of clothing responsibly and avoid giving away items like used underwear for hygiene purposes.
- Wipe down your wardrobe and wipe dry. Do make sure you wipe it dry to prevent bacteria and mold from forming. You may also choose to replace the air freshener in your wardrobe as you clean it out.
- Wipe down all the surfaces, makeup counters and preferably, anything that is exposed to the air.
- Remove the bedsheets off your bed and clean the mattress well. You can change the nozzle of your vacuum cleaner to an appropriate one that will be able to suck out the dirt and dust from your mattress well.
- Before placing on fresh sheets, be sure to bring all the dirty and used sheets to the toilet for washing and clean the surrounding areas with your vacuum cleaner. If you have sensitive skin, it will be good for you to wear a mask and gloves as you go about cleaning.
- You may also choose to rotate your mattress before putting on fresh sheets to ensure an even weight distribution on your bed.
For the Living Room
The most commonly used space in the entire house requires a lot more care than you imagine.
- Give all surfaces a wipe and leave the sofas for last.
- Be sure to clean the TV console and disinfect your remote controls and commonly used areas.
- Do not neglect the lamps and carpets and be sure to send your carpet for thorough cleaning if you have young children or pets at home.
- Finally, depending on the material for your sofa, give it a wipe down (for leather) or vacuum it well (for cloth).
For the Bathrooms
This should be the last place to clean for your home.
- Start by organizing your drawers in the bathroom and getting rid of any unwanted and expired cleaning product and toiletries. Replace them with new ones if necessary.
- You may want to increase the potency of your cleaning solution (1:2:1) for the bathrooms or use appropriate cleaning products sold in the market.
- Be sure to wash and clean all the items from the other rooms before finishing the bathroom.
- Wash the shower curtain and floormat. Replace if necessary.
- Scrub the toilet tiles and shower head. Use a toothbrush for detailed cleaning. Your effort will not go to waste.
Once you are done, take a relaxing shower. Trust me when I say it is the best shower you will ever take in your life, or at least in a year since this form of extreme sport is done annually. It also serves as a good form of exercise and you can choose to do this right after you wake up and before you shower in the morning.
Also make sure that your unwanted items that you have removed are disposed of and donated responsibly and for bulky items, do contact the appropriate agencies to assist you with removal!
We hope this has been a good list for you to begin cleaning and we wish you a wonder and prosperous Ox year ahead! Why wait? Get moooo-ving!