Our temps have hit the 80-degree mark, baseball is back in town and weekends are filled with fun outdoor festivals; it’s spring! While this is the best time of year to live in Arizona golf communities, it’s also a good time to do some spring cleaning to keep allergies at bay and keep homes clutter-free- especially if you’re considering selling your home soon.
Here are our top 10 tips to make the most of the season!
- Keep fabrics fresh. Aside from the weekly linen loads, this is a good time to wash mattress pads, pillows (check tags first), bath mats, showers curtains and drapes. These fabrics can harbor dust and other allergens, so keeping them fresh and clean will help eliminate irritants while extending the life of the fabrics.
- Wipe down work areas. Whether you work from a home office or just sit down once in a while to answer emails and pay bills, keyboards and desks can get yucky. Sanitize these areas with microfiber cloths and electronics dusting spray.
- Kitchen clean up. Has your microwave been subjected to frozen dinners, popcorn, and leftover reheating overload? Try cutting a lemon, covering it with water in a microwave-safe bowl, and nuking it for three minutes. The steam helps loosen grime, plus a lovely lemon scent will emerge. You can also put citrus pieces in the disposal to help eliminate grease and odors.
- Heat things up. While you’re working on the microwave and disposal, why not run your oven’s self-cleaning cycle? It’s best to do this when you won’t need to use the oven for a while and before it gets too hot outside.
- Later leftovers. Clear out leftovers that are more than a few days old and any food that has also passed its expiration date. Check produce bins for lingering fruit and veggies and wipe down surfaces. Change out your baking soda to help keep odors under control. This one is a good idea to try to tackle weekly if you can to minimize the build up.
- Take it outside. To help with tracking spring’s dirt and allergens through the house, take rugs outside to shake them, then hang them to air out. Check tags for washing instructions and consider throwing them in the washing machine if they could use a spruce up. Also, take trash cans outside and hose them down, especially kitchen trash cans that can see a lot of activity. Let them air dry and use a little baking soda at the bottom to keep future odors under the lid.
- Go through toiletries. Although not all toiletries have an expiration date, like loofas, many should be thrown out after weeks, months, or years of use to keep bacteria from growing. Consult the packaging for dates, try to remember when you started using the product or consult a toiletry guideline cheat sheet.
- Change directions. Of your fan, that is. Fans are set to the standard counterclockwise direction, but most have a switch that sends the blades in the opposite directions. If you changed the direction to clockwise for the winter, which helps the warm air gathered at the top of the room redistribute, change the direction back to counterclockwise for a nice breeze.
- Restock the closet. Think of all the household items you use regularly like toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, and cleaning supplies, then stock up so you’re prepared. Toss out old sponges and rubber gloves and grab some new ones to start fresh.
- Replace batteries. Batteries in smoke detectors should be changed about every six months, so if you didn’t do this before the winter, best to replace the batteries now. Also check digital thermostats, alarm pads, and carbon monoxide monitors. Not only do you want these things working at all times, but that chirping sound of a dying battery can drive you crazy in the middle of the night!
Don’t worry about checking all of these spring cleaning items off your list at one time – spread them out and do one or two a day. They’ll go a long way in keeping your Scottsdale golf home ready for the spring season!
Don Matheson
Realtor | Founder
The Matheson Team – RE/MAX Fine Properties
21000 N. Pima Rd., #100, Scottsdale, AZ 85255
480-405-4228
[email protected]
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