With some dreary, cold, and damp April weather hopefully now behind us, we all hope for a pleasant May to give us an opportunity to spend more time outside and to get ready for summer. There are some good signs already; lawns are greening, birds are singing, and crocuses are popping up. Spring renewal can be a wonderful time of the year.
As temperatures get a bit warmer, you may want to take to your yard to do some raking and cleaning up, or you might just want to open the windows to air out the house after a long winter. If you have a lot of ambition and energy, you just might be prepared to tackle more of a spring cleaning endeavour.
Spring cleaning and preparation for summer may be a part of your normal annual ritual, but if you’re more like many of us, you may need some suggestions on how to approach the job. In a previous blog, we had cobbled together ideas from some available resources to provide somewhat of a ‘guide’ to spring cleaning. This list is not exhaustive, so feel free to do more or less. And remember, not everything needs to be done in one day!
Let’s start by going room to room …
Kitchen
- Clean the oven, including cleaning or replacing burner trays. Pull out the oven and vacuum/sweep and wipe the floor and walls behind
- Defrost, wipe down with a mild detergent and rinse the inside of the refrigerator. Pull out the fridge and vacuum the rear coils and floor. Clean the drip tray at the bottom of the fridge (if you have one)
- Go through cupboards and pantries and discard expired products. Wipe down shelves
Bathrooms
- Empty vanities and medicine cabinets. Throw away outdated products and take expired prescriptions to your local pharmacy for safe disposal
- Wash shower curtains. Cleanser sinks, tubs, and shower stalls
- Clean behind and around toilets. Turn off the bathroom exhaust fan. Remove and wipe dust and debris from the cover and vacuum the exterior of the fan motor and ducting
Laundry Room
- Clean behind the washer and dryer
- Detach the vent hose from the back of the dryer and remove any lint build-up. Reattach and secure the dryer ducting
- If available, run the washer ‘clean’ cycle
Bedrooms
- Vacuum and flip over mattresses (unless they are pillow-top versions which aren’t designed to be turned over). Vacuum under beds
- Wash pillows or hang them outside to freshen
- Launder comforters and bedding. Replace with seasonal bed coverings
- Clean out closets and dressers. Remove seldom worn clothing for donation to local shelters.
Living Rooms/Halls
- Dust blinds/ wash curtains
- Clean furniture and vacuum sofas and chairs
- Remove dust from the backs of TVs
General
- Clean windows and sills
- Wipe down baseboards and clean air ducts
- Replace furnace filter
- Vacuum dust from smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms. Replace batteries
- Clean light fixtures and remove dust from ceiling fan blades. Switch fans to the counterclockwise direction when the weather gets warmer
We know our list only scratches the surface of spring-cleaning activities, but we hope this will give you some guidelines for making your homes a little safer and healthier as we move into the warmer seasons.
At Scotia Fuels, we want to continue to provide you with great service and helpful information. If you have any concerns with your home heating system please send us a note at https://scotiafuels.com/contact-us/ or better still, call us at 902-453-2121. If you haven’t yet had your annual furnace cleaning (that’s included in your fuel oil price) please use our handy online booking tool in the Contact Us link above.