Get The House Ready
A Simple Guide To Clean From Top To Bottom
Your visiting relatives want your bathroom to be spotless.
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By Theresa Juva
If you know your Aunt Tilly tends to run her hands over your furniture to make sure it’s polished before she plops down, have your arsenal of cleaning tools ready to scrub, mop, and wipe every corner of your home to make sure your castle is immaculate before opening the gates.
The Web site www.essortments.com offers a boot-camp approach to whipping your home into shape and provides hundreds of tips from cleaning your toilet to a comprehensive list of the 30 spots in your home that need a dirt zapping every five years.
Get Rid of Rover Odor
• Open the windows to let fresh air in and replace the stagnant smell of pets, last night’s dinner and dad’s dirty gym socks simmering in the corner.
• Get your carpet shampooed, especially if you have pets, because their scent gets trapped in the rug.
• Air freshener your home with plug-in air fresheners or candles that emit a pleasant aroma. You can also make your own by boiling a teaspoon of vanilla or cinnamon.
• Wash couch covers, animal bedding and curtains and let them dry outside.
Master the Vacuum
• Make sure your vacuum cleaner is free of snagged objects, an overloaded bag or loose parts that can affect how well it sucks up debris.
• Move furniture when cleaning and avoid picking up metal objects like change or paper clips.
• Don’t use your vacuum to pick up animal waste. Spilled kitty litter should be swept up with the broom and not a vacuum to avoid carrying the odor from one carpet to the next.
Time for Your Good China to Shine
• Don’t use a metal spatula on your china when scrapping off leftover food. Only use a rubber one.
• Put a placemat or towel at the bottom of the sink before unloading china into it.
• If your china has gold decorative designs, don’t place it in the microwave or dishwasher because it can melt the detail.
• When stacking your china dishes in a cabinet, place a piece of felt between them to prevent them from scraping against each other.
• Hang cups on hooks to reduce the chance of damage, and pack individual pieces in zip-lock bags if you plan to store them.
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