Spring Cleaning Shortcuts

It's April in Seattle and warmer weather is coming. It's Spring Cleaning season. Do you have a checklist?

In some households, spring cleaning is an annual ritual, taking anywhere from a full day to an entire week to complete. Room-by-room, foot-by-foot, dust, dirt and grime are replaced with cleanliness and shine.

No matter in which way to you choose to tackle your chores, though, the people at Real Simple have you covered. The magazine's website provides a thorough, detailed walk-through of the most common spring cleaning tasks. It also offers a "shortcut" series.

For example, the section of cleaning area rugs and rooms with wall-to-wall carpeting is a chore Real Simple lists as lasting "a morning". The shortcut version, however, is noted to take just 10 minutes.

Some of the other areas covered in the Real Simple spring cleaning guide include :

• Windows (4-6 hours long version; 15 minutes each "shortcut" version)
• Curtains (30 minutes per panel long version; 10 minutes per panel "shortcut" version)
• Upholstery (25 minutes per piece of furniture long version; 5 minutes per piece of furniture "shortcut" version)

You'll need tools for your spring cleaning tasks including special cleansers, sponges, rags and vacuums. In some cases, you may want to rent equipment from a local hardware store. For example, deep-cleaning an area rug with a steam cleaner may be more time-effective than scrubbing it clean by hand.

Then, after completing the above chores, remember to flip your mattresses, change your air filters, and test your smoke alarm batteries.

Keep track of what you've done, and what's left to do, with this classic, 3-page Spring Cleaning Checklist from Martha Stewart.

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First-Aid Guide For Furniture

When furniture arrives in your home, it's factory-issued, perfect and clean. From that day forward, however, accidents can happen, causing damage to your pieces. Sometimes the damage is permanent.

Know how to react when the inevitable spill or scratch occurs and you can "save" your furniture and extend its useful life.

From Martha Stewart, these "first-aid for furniture" tips should come in handy.

Wood

• Moisture "rings" : Pour table salt on the white rings/haze and cover with a terry cloth. Apply hair dryer on low setting until rings are gone.
• Alcohol spills : Blot spills immediately, do not rub. Apply small amounts of ammonia to damage.
• Wax spills : Allow to cool and harden, then freeze the wax with an ice cube in a sandwich bag. Use a butter knife to gently scrape off wax.

Fabric

• Red wine stains : Cover wine with table salt and let sit until salt has wicked up the wine. Vacuum salt and repeat, as necessary. Blot remaining stains with damp cloth and dish soap.
• General spills : Repeatedly blot with a damp white cloth. Use white cloths to prevent dye transfer.
• Oil spills : Cover spill with baking soda and vacuum once absorbed. Blot remaining stains with rubbing alcohol

Leather

• General stains : Blot with all-purpose household cleaner. To prevent fading in the upholstery, avoid products with bleach or bleach alternatives.
• Scratches : Apply saddle soap to a damp cloth and rub the scratch to help it "blend in". It won't go away.

The tips on leather furniture also makes mention that you should never bother with touch-up kits or colored markers. It's nearly impossible to match leather colors and your repair work will only make the scratch more noticeable.

Read More

First-Aid Guide For Furniture

When furniture arrives in your home, it's factory-issued, perfect and clean. From that day forward, however, accidents can happen, causing damage to your pieces. Sometimes the damage is permanent.

Know how to react when the inevitable spill or scratch occurs and you can "save" your furniture and extend its useful life.

From Martha Stewart, these "first-aid for furniture" tips should come in handy.

Wood

• Moisture "rings" : Pour table salt on the white rings/haze and cover with a terry cloth. Apply hair dryer on low setting until rings are gone.
• Alcohol spills : Blot spills immediately, do not rub. Apply small amounts of ammonia to damage.
• Wax spills : Allow to cool and harden, then freeze the wax with an ice cube in a sandwich bag. Use a butter knife to gently scrape off wax.

Fabric

• Red wine stains : Cover wine with table salt and let sit until salt has wicked up the wine. Vacuum salt and repeat, as necessary. Blot remaining stains with damp cloth and dish soap.
• General spills : Repeatedly blot with a damp white cloth. Use white cloths to prevent dye transfer.
• Oil spills : Cover spill with baking soda and vacuum once absorbed. Blot remaining stains with rubbing alcohol

Leather

• General stains : Blot with all-purpose household cleaner. To prevent fading in the upholstery, avoid products with bleach or bleach alternatives.
• Scratches : Apply saddle soap to a damp cloth and rub the scratch to help it "blend in". It won't go away.

The tips on leather furniture also makes mention that you should never bother with touch-up kits or colored markers. It's nearly impossible to match leather colors and your repair work will only make the scratch more noticeable.

Read More