Spring Cleaning Tips from Ottawa’s Acceptable Storage

Spring is coming! Spring is here! What a wonderful time of the year!!

As the days get longer and the gloom of winter lifts, we tend to find ourselves with more energy. But it’s too early for camping, cottage, or many other outdoor activities. What better way to harness that energy than by doing a full spring-cleaning around the house?!

We’ve got some great spring cleaning ideas for you, for all kinds of spots and items throughout your home.

How to Prepare for Spring Cleaning

The old saying “measure twice, cut once” comes to mind here. Or, “proper planning prevents poor performance.” Before you embark on your cleaning adventure, plan out what you want to accomplish and what you’ll need to get the tasks done. Ask yourself:

• Which spaces and things in your house currently need the most cleaning TLC?
• Which spaces in your house are cluttered and need some organization and de-cluttering? Where will you put the items you’ve removed from these spaces?
• How much time do you have / can you make for cleaning?
• Will it be just you cleaning? Or you and your spouse/partner? Will you be ‘volunteering’ your kids to take part in this time-honoured ritual?
• What cleaning supplies do you currently have? What are you running low on? What else do you need that you currently don’t have?
• How can you accomplish the greatest volume of cleaning in the least / most efficient amount of time?

By spending just a few moments to put this prep together, you’ll save yourself valuable minutes or even hours in the process of cleaning and organizing. If you can determine the ‘what goes where’ in the final look of things, even better. You might find yourself in need of some extra space (perhaps the basement and/or garage are already full and cluttered). If so, we can help! Contact Acceptable Storage in Ottawa for your self-storage needs.

Okay, let’s get started on the list of what you can clean, where and how!

Now that you’ve got the big picture in mind, where would you like to clean?

Let’s start with some of the big items and locations within your home. These will be the most heavily trafficked and commonly used, so they’ll have gotten the most wear-and-tear since the last time you did a deep-cleaning and home-organization.

First, there’s the KITCHEN.

Ah, the kitchen. Where all that good food happens. Of course, the prep and clean-up happens there, too. That means a solid amount of cleaning needs to take place on an ongoing basis. When was the last time you did a deep-clean of your kitchen? This would include dine-ins, nooks, pantry, etc. Here are some kitchen areas and items you’ll want to pay close attention to:

• Cabinets
• Countertops
• Stainless Steel
• Refrigerator
• Dishwasher
• Oven

Cabinets seem like a fairly benign place, right? Well, over time cabinets can actually collect all kinds of dust, residue, even crumbs or other morsels of food. The latter poses the biggest cleaning threat, since food attracts mice and bugs – you don’t want those! Do you run the exhaust hood over your range while you cook to keep grease from settling? If not, this grease has likely gathered and settled on/in your cabinetry (and elsewhere around the kitchen!). To get rid of it, you can use kitchen cabinet cream to cut through the grime and leave your wood moisturized.

Now for that range hood grease. If you haven’t run the fan, the grease and grime has probably spread around. To clean it elsewhere, you can use a vinegar-water solution that’s quite effective and also natural, organic, and harmless. If you run the range hood fan on a regular basis, you’ll find grease further up in the mechanism, meaning you’ll need to pull the trap door off and clean up in there.

When it comes to countertops, prevention is paramount for granit. Seal your countertops as soon as they’re installed. Does water bead and form droplets on the surface? Good! It’s sealed. Have them sealed again a year later and make sure you wipe up spills and don’t leave fluids puddling for too long.
Got stainless steel appliances or surfaces? It’s a lovely look… when clean. Make that surface sparkle again with a specialty spray a couple times a week. Don’t over-spray, though, as that can leave a grimy or dull look.

You gotta clean the inside and outside of your refrigerator! Start by taking out all of the interior shelving and wash with warm soapy water. Afterwards, wipe surfaces that can’t be removed on the inside with a sponge, then put them back into the fridge.

Then there’s the dishwasher. It cleans, so you don’t have to clean it… right? No. The dishwasher needs cleaning TLC just like any other appliance or fixture in order to keep doing its duties. The first thing you’ll want to do is get rid of any bits of food on the bottom of the dishwasher. After that, do a cycle with a specialty dishwasher cleanser once a month.

Last but not least in the kitchen is the oven. Self-cleaning oven, no? Well… yes and no. You can run a self-clean every now and then. But if you smell something burning when you turn the oven on, let’s say it’s time for deep clean. First, chip off loose pieces, then use water-vinegar solution for the food that’s caked on. Sprinkle baking soda & vinegar the bottom, let it bubble up, and wipe with a sponge.

Not Throwing It Out? How About Storage?

If you’ve cleaned and de-cluttered, you might still find yourself in a situation where items are taking up room – but you don’t want to throw them out.  If you find you need storage in Ottawa, give us a call or use our Contact Form Storage to get in touch.