Having a clean home to start the new year can be a foundation for many people.
And whether you had company staying with you during the holidays or the kids were home over the break, I’m sure your home could use a little extra TLC right about now anyway.
The new year can spark the desire in many of us to start fresh and many times that begins inside our homes. Consider an early spring cleaning of sorts.
But as you go about your usual cleaning routine, there are a few places in your home you could be forgetting that are particularly apt to collecting dirt and dust. Here’s a few places we tend to forget:
Air Vents – The narrow openings in air vents are the perfect dust catchers. Regular vacuuming is good maintenance but twice a year you should remove the panels and thoroughly wipe everything down inside and out. You can also run a vacuum cleaner attachment hose into the venting as far as you can to suck out any extra dust hiding out in there.
Ceiling Fans – Have you ever wondered how the blades collect so much dust even when they are constantly moving? A Swiffer duster or any extender is a great tool for this cleaning. You can also wipe it down with a liquid dust cleaner to help prevent future buildup. And if you are allergic to dust, there is a great trick you can find on YouTube that uses a pillow to remove all the dust particles without the mess.
Windowsills and window tracks – If you have blinds or shutters that rarely get opened or raised, you’ll be shocked at the amount of dirt accumulated on those window sills. Use a vacuum brush attachment to suck up most of the dirt followed by wiping it down with a gentle all-purpose cleaner. Be sure to open the windows to clean the tracks with the same process.
Lampshades – Quite often ignored in the regular cleaning process, lampshades can collect dust and cobwebs like no other. A lint roller is a helpful trick to remove lint and dust from the shade, as well as a damp cloth. If anyone has left any telltale fingerprints on the lampshade, you can use a small amount of dish soap in warm water and a white cloth to dab at the stain.
Baseboards – No matter how hard you try, you just can’t accomplish a good cleaning of your baseboards by simply mopping your floors. The areas on the floor where the corners of the room meet are also highly susceptible to dirt and dust build up. Take a damp cloth and run it along the baseboards and into the corners for the best cleaning.
