Kirby Cox's Calgary Real Estate Blog

Spring is finally here and with it comes everyone’s favourite activity: spring cleaning! It might seem like a difficult task at first, but once you get started, you might even enjoy the clean outcome. Here, we’ve got eight tips to help make your house sparkle this spring:

1.  Use doormats to help mitigate dust. Put one outside your front door and one inside. To keep the outdoor mat clean, give it a spray with your hose now and then; stay on top of dust inside by vacuuming both sides of the indoor mat. 
2. Wait for an overcast day so you’re not bombarded with direct sunlight (which causes streaks) to wash your windows. Use glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth to clean the windows themselves, then pull the blinds down and wipe them with a duster. If you have curtains, vacuum or wash them as well.
3. Does your kitchen sink stink? Try running a few lemon rind slivers through your garbage disposal with cold water to help alleviate the smell.
4. Turn your reusable groceries bags inside out and throw them in the washing machine from time to time to keep them clean and bacteria free.
5. Does the inside of your microwave look like a piece of abstract art? Get rid of these stains and splotches by putting a large microwave-safe bowl with water, chopped lemons or limes and some vinegar inside. Run the microwave on high for several minutes or until the water boils and the window is steamy. Let it cool for 15 minutes before opening the door. Once cool, take out the bowl and wipe down the inside to have it looking like new.
6. Ordinary dish soap can leave your countertops dull and filmy. To restore its shine and repel stains, use a granite polish. For daily washing, use specialized cleaners that cut through grease and remove stains without damaging the counter.
7. Stains on a cutting board aren’t as permanent as you might think. Run the cut side of a lemon over it to get rid of stains and bad smells. Good as new! 
8. Empty that junk drawer you’ve been avoiding for the last six months and give it a thorough vacuuming. After you’ve got it clean, sift through all the contents and throw out or donate whatever you don’t need. Organized the items you kept and put them back in the drawer so you can find them easily when needed. Try using old bowls, plates, boxes or containers to keep things organized in the drawer.  

Following only these tips may not leave you completely satisfied with your spring cleaning, but it’s a good start - don’t stop now! Keep that momentum going and turn your house into a space that you are proud to show your friends and family. 

Happy spring cleaning, Calgary!