Top 10 Actions to Take During Your Deep Clean

Spring has sprung! Now is the perfect time to deep clean your home.

Cleaning your home makes it feels fresher and more open. Whether you’re preparing for a sale or clearing the cobwebs of winter, this means going further than your regular tidying and making time to dive into the seldom-touched areas of your home. Here is a list of the top 10 actions to take during your deep clean: 

1. Hitting the Baseboards

You probably loathe dusting the baseboards of your home, but the immediate feeling of gratification makes it worth it. Simply take a soft towel, spray with your favorite all-purpose cleaner and wipe away the build-up of dust and dirt. This will leave your home sparkling and your wood moisturized for the coming months.

2. Dusting the Blinds

Blinds are an area of your home that get used a lot, but get little cleaning attention. Take your soft towel and your favorite all-purpose cleaner and wipe off the dust build-up on your blinds. If you have wood blinds, make sure to follow the manufacturer’s directions on how best to treat the wood.

3. Vacuuming Couch Cushions

This step can (and should!) be done more frequently than just during your Spring-cleaning. If you ever eat on your couch, like most people do, this is especially important. Take every cushion off your couch, vacuum the front and back of each and hit the couch base. This is also a great time to clean the floor under your couch. Pull the couch out so that you can get to the rest of the crumbs, forgotten pens, and cat toys!

4. Climbing Up to the Light Fixtures

Your light fixtures gather a lot of dust and pet hair. Grab a ladder or step stool and gently wipe down the fixtures. Depending on the materials of your fixture this can be done with a light cleaning spray or water and soap.

5. Washing Pet Toys

Pet beds and toys are often forgotten about when we clean. Depending on your pet’s bed and toys, you may even be able to throw them your washing machine. If you are not able to, use the hose on your vacuum to get the build-up of pet hair and dust/dirt that has accumulated. If your pet has especially fine hair (like cats!), use a brush to run through their beds.

6. Clearing the Vents

Air vents both on the floor and on your ceilings need a good wipe-down. They accumulate dirt and dust which is then put back into your home when they are pushing out heat and cool air! Use a comfortable and light duster, making sure that it has an extendable arm for those hard-to-reach places. You can also use your vacuum hose to get any loose dirt or animal hair that’s stuck in the vent.

7. Fine-tuning Windows and Doors

Like baseboard cleaning, wiping around windows and doors is tedious, but satisfying! You may need your step stool or ladder to reach these. The tops of doors and windows accumulate a lot of dust, especially if you open your windows during the day. Once again, take your soft towel and all-purpose cleaner and wipe down these areas. This is also an excellent time to get both sides of your doors, especially if they have carved out details that have built up dust accumulated.

8. Wiping Down Bookshelves

Since most people tend to dust around objects on shelves and bookcases during a “regular” clean, now is the time when you should take the items of your shelves and dust behind them. Often times you will find dust built up and pet hair behind your books and vases. Depending on the materials of your shelves, take your soft towel and light cleaning spray and wipe down the entire shelf, both the top and bottom sides.

9. Emptying the Cabinets

Similar to shelves, you probably aren’t able to get behind the items in your cabinets and wipe them down during a quick clean. This step will take a decent amount of time depending on the number of your kitchen cabinets, buffet cabinets, and media console cabinets. Take everything out of these cabinets and wipe down all four sides of the cabinet. (And get rid of the items you no longer use!) Make sure to finish by wiping down the front and back of cabinet doors.

10. Disinfecting Door Handles

Door handles and knobs are frequently overlooked during cleaning. Take the time to go around to all of your doors and wipe down the handles and knobs. You should do this on your hooks, railings, and cabinet knobs. Make sure you are using an appropriate spray for the materials of your knobs, hooks, and handles. This is also a good time to buff them so they look brand new once again! 

Of course, there are many other areas of your home that rarely see a deep cleaning, but we hope this list helps you get started and leaves your home feeling fresh and clean for summer!

Cleaning your home for an upcoming sale? Let one of our agents guide you through the process…