Credit: Allie Brosh
That’s right folks! It’s National Spring Cleaning Week (NSCW) this week. I had no idea it was NSCW until the radio told me on Monday morning. Regardless, most of you are probably familiar with the concept of spring cleaning: you see the sun shining and are overtaken with the urge to organize, arrange and rid your home of all the crap that’s collected in your house over the year.
The truth is I’m not much of a housekeeper. That is until I decide the house needs to be clean. Then I’m an unstoppable juggernaut of junk riddance. Dust bunnies are destroyed, order is imposed, and filth is finished. Then once it’s done, woe betide anyone who dares use my bathroom and leave a crooked towel. I will cut you. Really.
Okay, okay, enough of the commentary. In honour of National Spring Cleaning Week, here are a few frugal (and green) tips for cleaning your home this spring:
1. Getting Rid of Hard Water Stains:
If you live in an area with hard water, you are intimately familiar with this stuff. And that shit ain’t coming off. Not for anything. Am I right? Sooooo, I’ve done a little research and found a recipe for a paste that can remove the stains with spring cleaning ease.
Mix together a paste of white vinegar and baking soda and apply to said surface. After you let it stand for a while, rinse off and it should be clean. If there’s still some leftover scuzz, give it another go. Lather, rinse repeat. Literally.
2. Wiping Your Windows:
Use newspapers to clean your windows. They are absorbent and easy to use on windows. Another bonus? Unlike paper towels and other cloths, there isn’t any lint that can be left on the window after you wipe it clean. You get a pristine clean and you are re-using all those newsprint flyers that fill up your mailbox. Win and Win.
Also, don’t clean your windows on a sunny day, the sun’s heat on the glass evaporates the cleaning solution too quickly which leaves streaks. Personally, if I spend fifteen minutes cleaning my sliding door window and there are still streaks when I’m done, I get a little bent. Spring cleaning rage!
3. Removing Pet Hair:
Put on a latex glove and use the power of science to remove pesky pet hair – static electricity works with the material and the hair sticks to it. This can work with rubber gloves or cloth gardening gloves with a rubber coating. Moisten the glove to make this method extra-effective.
Alternatively, you can use packing tape to the same end. Wrap some around your hand, sticky side out, and then pat whatever pet-hair infested surface you desire and watch the fur disappear.
4. Cleaning Your Bathroom:
Wipe down surfaces like counters, faucets, and sinks with a dry cloth prior to cleaning them with a cleaner. This will remove all the dust, hair, and other particles that tend to get trapped on wet surfaces before trying to disinfect everything. That way, you’re not smearing around all the stuff you’re trying to wipe away.
After you’ve cleaned everything, use a dry cloth one more time to polish up your faucets and any other chrome-like accents. It takes a few seconds and saves your taps from hard water stains.
5. Stop Using Vinegar to Clean Everything:
Yes, yes, I know this is a post about frugal and green ways to spring clean but there are limits to everything. You know all that granite or marble that’s adorning your kitchen? Apparently, the acid in vinegar or lemon juice will eat at your stone and leave it dull. This can be a drag if you’ve paid a red fortune for the stuff and refinishing it can cost a pretty penny. Woman’s Day advises using a neutral cleaner specifically designed for cleaning natural surfaces.
Check out this other post on how to make money off spring cleaning. That’s it for now. Happy Spring Cleaning!