Archive for the ‘Blog’ Category

Spring is the time to wash all the knickknacks in your home. Many of your home’s decorative trinkets can be dipped in a bucket of plain water and wiped with a clean cloth. Given there are hundreds of variations on decorative items, there are just as many cleaning methods, but I often wash groups of items in the kitchen sink, even tossing some inexpensive glass and glazed pottery pieces in the dishwasher.

In the book Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Housekeeping, Cheryl Mendelson makes one of the most logical and eloquent cases for why and how to keep things neat that I’ve ever read. Mendolson’s book, published to much fanfare in 1999, is one of the most thorough, meticulous, and well-researched books on housekeeping ever published. I highly recommend it.

In the chapter on “neatening,” Mendolson explains the difference between a compulsive commitment to neatness and one that is reasonable and logical. Her concepts suggest that abandoning the Sunday morning crossword puzzle alongside an unfinished cup of coffee and your morning slippers, may not be such a bad thing. By the day’s end, it may serve as a comforting reminder of the leisurely way your day began. It will make your home look lived in. But coffee cups and slippers will turn to distraction and chaos by the next day, opening the door for even more clutter.

With this in mind, the habit of neatening and restoring your home to order in the morning and evening hours is introduced. Before you retire each evening, pick up the day’s debris. Make sure the dinner dishes have been washed, the coats have been hung in the closet, the gym bag is unpacked, and the kid’s school papers have found their rightful spot. By restoring the house to order before you retire, you awake to an orderly, organized household and you’re ready to begin the day.

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There’s so much junk mail these days that it’s no wonder many homes are cluttered by piles of paper. When it comes to mail, and many other things in your home for that matter, practice the “touch it once rule.” Take your mail to the same spot in the house each day and immediately sort through it, discarding all of the junk mail on the spot. Place bills that need to be paid in one spot and file statements and receipts in another. I keep a paper shredder next to my desk, and I shred unwanted credit card offers before I read the fine print. You may want to leave that pretty card from your mother out for a few days, but don’t leave it out for months. Discard it or start a box to store greeting cards, letters, and photographs. After you’ve finished the evening newspaper, take it to the recycling bin, and then set up a regular day to discard of your recycling if it isn’t picked up at curbside.

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Don’t forget to tackle the attic, basement, and the garage. If you’re a packrat, this may
be the perfect time for a garage sale. These kind of tasks take focus, organization, and the
willpower to throw things out. Divide things in piles to be either discarded, sold or kept, and
then clean and rearrange. If you are enjoying these tips please visit my new General Cleaning Service Facebook Fan Page and don’t forget to become a fan. Cleaning Service Columbus Ohio – Tim Rosshirt, General Cleaning

Clean pictures by spraying a glass cleaner on your rag. This way you don’t run the risk
of the product seeping through the glass and ruining a favorite photograph or print. Clean your
frames at the same time, using a damp rag and a mild cleaning solution.

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If you can’t remember the last time you changed the filter in your furnace, it’s time for
a new one. Changing the filter on a regular basis will reduce the amount of dust in your home.
This is also the time of year to clean your home’s registers. Remove the grates and vacuum them
on each side. Before replacing them, run your attachment in the heating and cooling duct to
remove excess dust and debris.

In tackling cleaning your kitchen, clean your cupboards and refrigerator by removing their
contents and wiping them clean. Once again, use a little willpower. If you can’t remember why
you bought that jar of capers that’s collecting dust, it’s time to toss it. Ovens should also be
targeted. Make use of the self-cleaning feature in your oven if you have one, but be sure you
wipe it out after the cycle is finished and the oven is cool.

Draperies can be vacuumed with a soft brush. Depending on the fabric and the level of soil, you may want to washed them or have them professionally cleaned. Blinds should ideally be dusted or vacuumed several times a year, but spring is the time for a thorough cleaning that will remove a greasy build up that can collect over time. I’ve tried every method in the book to streamline cleaning blinds, but the most effective way is to wipe them with a damp rag. For blinds made of aluminum, vinyl, or painted wood, use a thin, all-cotton rag, and a bucket of water with only a capful of a mild cleaning solution such as Murphy Oil Soap. Close the blinds and wipe them from top to bottom, then close them in the opposite direction to clean the other side. Heavily soiled blinds may need to be wiped one slat at a time, placing the rag between your fingers and working it inside each slat. The miniblind cleaning tools with “fingers” are fine for regular dusting, but if you haven’t cleaned your blinds all year, these tools will only make a bigger mess.

People often neglect the upholstered and leather furniture in their home. The reading chairs in my home get more use in the winter than any season, and spring is the time when I usually find loose change and a handful of popcorn husks under the cushions. Remove the cushions and vacuum the entire piece of furniture with a small attachment. Most leather can be cleaned with a damp rag, using plain water, taking care to never let water stand on the material. For heavily soiled leather, try about one tablespoon of Murphy Oil Soap to three gallons of water or check with the manufacturer’s instructions. Ideally, your upholstery should be vacuumed each month. If you have pets or haven’t cleaned your furniture in years, it may be time to hire a professional to shampoo your upholstered furniture.

Spring is also a good time to move all of your furniture and clean behind and underneath it. Be sure to clean the baseboards behind furniture. This is the time to have your carpets professionally cleaned as well. If you don’t have children or pets, and you keep your carpets vacuumed on a regular basis, an annual carpet cleaning may not be necessary. But for many families, an annual cleaning is a must.