Spring cleaning no longer has to be done in the spring since most homes are no longer shut up all winter long with only sooty fireplaces for heat. Still, it’s a worthy tradition that prepares the house and those who live in it for the arrival of warmer weather. With this in mind, our pros at Absolute Plumbing, Electrical, Heating & Air are pleased to give some spring cleaning tips to help make the job faster and more effective:

Safety First

Make sure that you do your spring cleaning safely. For example: If you’re cleaning a door, don’t bend over in front of it. Someone could charge through the door and knock you in the head. To clean a door, always try to stand to one side of it. To be really secure, just lock the door before cleaning it.

Don’t back up without seeing what’s behind you. Look over your shoulder first, then back up.

Don’t mix ammonia and chlorine bleach. Mixing the two leads to chlorine gas. Anyone who has read one of the World War I trench poets knows it’s not good for the lungs.

Make a Layout of the Rooms

Before starting to clean a room, draw a rough layout of it and draw arrows to guide you around the room. Start cleaning at the door and move in a clockwise manner, cleaning from top to bottom. When mopping or vacuuming, start at the door and work around the room until you back out of the door. In other words, you should only have to go around a room once to clean it.

Don’t Throw Out Old Toothbrushes

You likely have a nice collection of old toothbrushes to clean those hard-to-reach places such as the faucet deck, tight corners on countertops and places around drawer pulls, handles, stove burners and knobs. By the way, many stoves allow the knobs to be pulled out. Clean them in warm, soapy water, let them dry, then just push them back in.

Check the HVAC System

Though a professional should be called in to give the system a once-over before the cooling season begins, there are things you can do to make sure your air conditioning system is in good shape. Change or clean the filters, remove trash from in front of the condenser unit, and hose the unit out. You may also want to call in a professional to see whether it needs maintenance, repairs, or a total replacement. Don’t neglect the furnace, because it needs to work with the air conditioning. Make sure the belts are not too loose or too tight, the blowers are clean and the vents, if there are any, are free of debris.

Wash the Windows

Dirt that’s accumulated on the windows over the winter can cut down amazingly on the amount of sunlight that gets into a room. Wash the windows inside and out, starting with the inside. One very important tip is to make sure the squeegee or the rag starts and ends up on dry glass. Wet the window with cleaning solution then take a rag and make a dry perimeter around it. Start the squeegee on one side of the dry perimeter then pull it to the other side. Another tip is to tuck a rag in the corner of the window sill to catch the drips of dirty water. If you live on a high floor, don’t hang out of a window to try and clean it. Leave it to a professional.

After Cleaning, Light it All Up

You’ll want to show off your spic n’ span home to its best advantage, and that means beautiful, bright lighting. Don’t hesitate to call our professionals at Absolute Plumbing, Electrical, Heating & Air. Call to schedule an appointment at 720-669-4188