The weather is warming, the birds are singing, and the dust bunnies and cob webs are blowing around with the fresh breezes. Spring cleaning can be daunting.
Sonia Gomez, owner of Sowy’s Cleaning Services in Huntley, says, “Don’t go to the store and spend a lot of money in equipment or expensive products. Make it simple.”
Jessica Miller, owner of Simply Clean Homes in Huntley, says that the must-have tool necessary for a good cleaning is a quality vacuum. “I would suggest an Oreck. The Oreck is very light in weight.” Disposable dusters are a staple in Gomez’ cleaning and make quick work of dust and cobwebs on walls and ceilings.
And don’t forget to dust the vents and ceiling fans, which Miller says are often overlooked. “Another part that often needs extra attention is all the woodwork in the home—for example, wood railings, wood trim on flooring and carpeted areas, and also the doors,” Miller adds.
Gomez says two things are key to making a house look professionally cleaned: “Clean anything that covers the windows, like curtains, blinds, etc., and clean the baseboards.”
To take the muscle out of all the scrubbing, Miller’s favorite product is Zep. “It is a spray bottle, and the cleaner is green in color. You can find this product at your local Home Depot.”
Gomez’s staple disinfectant is bleach. “Bleach is always the best to help you with the muscle in disinfecting.”
And with the last of the big holidays come and gone, stoves and ovens can be polished to a shine. “The best way to clean an oven or stove is to use the Oven Off cleaner. Every three months, I remove all the grates and burners from my stove and put them on newspaper and spray them with Oven Off. Doing this process with regular cleaning after each meal will keep your stove looking brand new,” Miller says. Gomez lets oven cleaner stand overnight before cleaning.
The most important thing to keep in mind with spring cleaning is to get rid of or donate anything that you don’t need. Tackle overloaded closets, storage areas, and garages with a “donate” and “keep box.” “Get rid of stuff you don’t need. Get those areas the emptiest as possible,” Gomez says. Miller recommends Goodwill in Carpentersville. “They have a drive up, and there is always an attendant there waiting to unload the items in your car. They also give you a tax deductible receipt for the items that have been donated.”
And if you’re completely overwhelmed with the thought of spring cleaning, Miller says to contact a local cleaning service to do the actual cleaning. “And then you can focus on going through items in the house that are not being used to donate to a local charity.”
