Ah, spring…the season of renewal, rebirth, and (usually) resuming social interaction after a long hibernation. Maybe, like us, you’ve left your spring cleaning to the last minute and have just realized that spring is over, but you still need to get the job done. Or maybe you’re reading this in the fall, and just want to sneak in a deep clean of your apartment before your mother-in-law comes over for dinner.
Whenever you’re reading this—spring, summer, fall, or winter—these 5 tips can help speed up the process of deep cleaning your home so you can get back to planning social-distanced picnics with your friends in the park.
5 spring cleaning hacks for procrastinators
Steam-clean your microwave
Did someone microwave your delicious homemade chili without a lid (not naming any names Rob) three months ago? Are there now bits of beans and tomato sauce plastered to the walls of your microwave like cement? Have no fear.
Rumour has it that microwaving a cup of water with ⅓ of a cup of vinegar in it for about 4 minutes will loosen the grime, leaving you the simple job of wiping everything clean in one swipe.
Refresh your dishwasher
A dishwasher is for washing dishes, right? Yes. But who washes the dishwasher itself?
Maybe this question blew your mind (as it did ours). If you think about it though, not washing your dishwasher is akin to hand washing your dishes with a dirty sponge—inefficient and full of bacteria.
If you notice that your dishes aren’t getting as clean as usual or have a funky “dishwasher” smell, you may need to clean your dishwasher. Try placing a cup of vinegar on the top shelf and running your dishwasher on the hottest cycle. Then, run a shorter hot cycle with a sprinkle of baking soda around the bottom.
Clean your shower head
Speaking of cleaning devices that need to be cleaned themselves, did you know your shower head can get clogged with mineral deposits?
If you notice your shower head isn’t as powerful as it used to be, or is spraying unevenly, try running it through your dishwasher. If your shower head isn’t removable, soak it in a bag of vinegar overnight (secure it with a hair tie).
Use salad tongs to clean your blinds
Honestly, salad tongs are useful for many things that don’t involve salad. For one, they can help you clean your blinds—maybe in the home office you’ve recently set up for yourself?
Covering each tong with a reusable dry rag and securing them with elastics can help you clean both the top and underside of each blind simultaneously—and help you access those hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. Here’s a step-by-step guide.
Clean your oven racks in the bathtub
Oven racks attract grime and grease like no other surface in your home. After years of baked casseroles and frozen pizza (no judgement), it’s easy to forget what they looked like when you first bought them (the answer: shiny and sparkling!). Plus, they’re a fire hazard.
So how do you revert them to their original glory? Soak them overnight in baking soda and water and then wipe them clean. Use your bathtub instead of your sink to fit all your racks in at once. Rinse and dry them before replacing them in the oven.