WINTER CLEANING TIPS

Many of us start feeling the urge to Spring Clean once the cold, dark days of winter have past. But there are things we can do during the winter months to help make that Spring Clean easier  and more effective. Spending more time indoors can mean clutter in the form of toys, clothes and books piling up.  Here are seven useful tips to keep your interiors clean this winter so you can ease up on spring cleaning.

1. Begin with Closets

Cleaning out your closets may seem like a daunting task but if you approach it in an organized fashion it doesn’t need to be. The first thing to do is to set up 2 large boxes near the closet. One is for throw away articles and the other is for give away articles. Working from top to bottom, go through all the sweaters, hats, boxes or whatever else you’ve squirreled away on the top shelves and decide what to keep and place the rest in one of your boxes. Now do the same with the hanging clothes – rule of thumb: if you haven’t worn it in a year – get rid of it. Chances are you never will. After sorting your hanging clothes, attack the floor! Pull out all the shoes, boots, purses and whatever else has found its way into that dark den under the hanging clothes. Pull it all out! While you’ve got everything off the floor, it’s a good time to grab a cleaning cloth and wipe those dusty baseboards. Then vacuum the floor and you’re ready to replace the shoes and boots you’ve decided to keep. The rest can go to one of your boxes. Now, that your closet looks neat as a pin, carry those boxes straight outside! Put the throw aways in your trash container and the give aways into your trunk so you can drop them at your local charity.

2. De-Clutter Your Kitchen 

The kitchen is one place that tends to get disorganized more frequently than not. The best way to de-clutter your kitchen would be to divide pots and pans and other utensils into 2 sections – ones that are used every day and ones that are used occasionally. Place the everyday ware close to the cooking range so they are handy and put the rest in top shelves or even in a store room. Match up your plastic storage containers with their lids and either keep them together or designate a place for lids separately. If a container has no lid…chunk it out! Do the same with lids who have no mate.

3. Take Stock of Your Pantry

A pantry is an extension of the kitchen. And this is where you stock your spices and groceries with longer shelf life. It is important to go through their expiry dates and trash the expired stuff. Do the same with your refrigerator. If you find that you have excess of any item which has some more shelf life left, but are not going to use them in hurry then you could donate them to the local food bank. Keeping spices in a small cabinet easily accessible from the stove will make it easier when cooking.

4. Discard Old Documents

Many of us have the habit of keeping every bank transaction and bill that comes our way. It helps to have a look at them periodically. When you begin clearing up you will realize that at least 50% of the bills and papers are not required. Be sure to shred those which contain your credit card information, social security number or other sensitive information.

5. Re-Organize Your Home Office/Computer

Many of us do bring our work home and some even have a sizeable part of the work being done from home. If your home or office work tends to end up in a pile accumulating dust, now is a great time to sort it  Organizing the desk involves the same approach as with your financial documents and the computer too. Delete or back up files and folders that you use rarely. This will clear up valuable RAM space and make your computer faster, also.

6. Clean your furnace and replace filters

It’s always a good idea to have a professional do a check of your heating system prior to using the furnace in winter. This can greatly aid in extending the life of your heating system, save on energy and decrease health risks. Be sure to check for dust bunnies in and around the furnace and change the filters frequently to keep dust to a minimum and lower your energy bill.

7.  Just before Christmas is a great time to clean out the kids rooms!

Now’s the time to sort through toys, books and kids clothing to make room for the new stuff your kids are going to receive for Christmas. There are many local charities that supplement their budgets by operating thrift stores stocked with donations from community members. If you’re not sure where to find yours, call your local City Hall or Chamber of Commerce for more information. Those toys, books and clothing that are still in good repair could help a family in need!