Spring is finally here after one of the coldest winters in Northeast Georgia history.
So, sweep off your front porch and dust off your window sills, it’s time for spring cleaning.
"Springtime is coming and people are opening in their windows," said Jennifer Turner of Two Ladies Cleaning in Gainesville. "I guess (spring cleaning) helps them get ready and feel better."
Start from the top
Dan Slott, owner of ServiceMaster Expert Cleaning in Gainesville, suggested starting at the top and working down. "So if you have ceiling things that you would like to clean, start there and then work to the walls. The reason you do that is because of our good ole favorite concept — gravity."
Pick the right cleaning cloth
"Don’t use a feather duster because feather dusters just simply put the dust on other surfaces," Slott said. "It puts it up into the air and doesn’t remove it."
What you want to do is capture the dirt and dust and not just move it around the room.
"Damp wiping is preferable, and they also may want to invest in micro-fiber cloths," he said. "Micro-fiber cloths are specially made for capturing dirt into the cloth. You can get them at Lowes and Home Depot, and you do need to follow manufacturer-suggested instructions because they need to be washed before you use them."
Care for the carpets
To get all that winter mud and dirt off carpets, springtime is a perfect time to clean carpets and replace vacuum bags in the cleaner, Slott said.
"I think spring is a great time for you to have your carpets deeply cleaned and Scotch Guarded," he said.
"Make sure to change your vacuum bag because the vacuum bag, if it’s full and yucky and nasty, could put nasty things in the air."
Take on tough cleaning
Spring cleaning is the one time of year that it is good to tackle those cleaning tasks that really are the toughest before the heat of summer makes you drag.
Turner suggests pulling out appliances and cleaning behind them.
"We would clean out our attic and move the stove and clean behind it," she said. "Switching winter clothes for spring clothes ... wash our curtains and take down our blinds, that sort of thing. We do really detailed spring cleaning when we clean people’s house but I guess it’s a little more in detail at our own home."
Open the windows
"The idea of spring (cleaning) comes from back when everything had been battened up for the winter and they would take everything out and beat the dust off of it and open the house," said Kevin Boyd, owner of Boyd’s Cleaning in Gainesville. "One of the things that most people forget to do is, it’s a good time to change the air filters and just open the windows and doors and let the fresh air in the house."