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Tuesday, June 23, 2020 - Spring cleaning check list

Spring might have officially started on March 19, but as Calgarians know, “spring” in this city is an elastic concept. Now that temperatures are rising and nature is showing new signs of life, it’s time to give your home the spring-cleaning treatment.

Thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, keeping your living space clean (and sanitized) is more important than ever. Due to social distancing measures, people are spending the bulk of their time at home, and the novel coronavirus can live on surfaces there for several hours.

Health Canada recommends regular cleaning and disinfecting of hard surfaces with either household cleaning products or diluted bleach (created using a ratio of one teaspoon of bleach for every 250 millilitres of water). A list of hard-surface disinfectants and hand sanitizers that meet Health Canada’s requirements for COVID-19 is available here.

Focus on high-traffic areas of the home first, as these are the places where viral buildup is most likely to occur. Also, stick to a few all-purpose cleaning products to save money and simplify the process.

Depending on the size of your home, the number of people in your household you recruit to help and how thorough you want to be, your spring-cleaning routine could take anywhere from a couple hours to a few days. So, assess the situation and plan accordingly.

The following checklist is a solid baseline for any spring clean, but feel free to add and subtract tasks to customize it to your home’s layout.

As a bonus, if some of these tasks become part of your regular cleaning routine, next year’s spring clean will be a breeze!

Spring cleaning checklist

Entry

Wipe down the door
Shake out doormats
Wipe down railings
Organize shoes or store them in the closet

Kitchen

Tackle the pantry – purge, clean and reorganize
Deep clean appliances (e.g., microwave, oven, fridge, etc.)
Wash kitchen cabinets

Bathrooms

Disinfect the bathtub and/or shower (including the shower head)
Clean and disinfect the toilets
Wash bathmats, shower curtains and liners
Wipe down counter spaces and mirrors
Clean and reorganize the space beneath the sink and/or the medicine cabinet
Clean floor tiles

Bedrooms

Wash bedding (including pillows)
Vacuum and flip mattresses
Clean and reorganize closets, as well as any belongings stored underneath beds (purging old clothes as necessary)

Laundry room

Clean/sanitize the washing machine (vinegar works well)
Empty the dryer lint trap and wipe down the interior
Clean behind the washer and dryer, but be careful not to damage the hoses

Dining room

Wipe down the table
Dust any furniture, decorations and light fixtures
Wash chair cushions (if relevant) and placemats

Living room

Vacuum furniture/upholstery and lampshades
Wash throw pillows and blankets
Polish wood furniture
Clean carpets
Scrub windows and mirrors
Sanitize remote controls

Garage

Declutter and get rid of any junk that has accumulated
Sweep out the garage floor, then hose it down to clean off stuck-on grime
Wipe down windows, the doorframe and any shelving
Leave the garage door open for awhile to air out the space

Throughout the home

Sweep/mop floors
Vacuum carpets
Wipe down walls and baseboards
Clean windows, window coverings and doors
Wipe down houseplants
Dust light fixtures and ceiling fans
Declutter wherever possible and discard or donate unwanted items
Clean air vents/registers
Sanitize door handles and light switches
Test and replace batteries in smoke and CO alarms

Source CREB NOW May 2020

posted in Calgary housing statistics at Tue, 23 Jun 2020 16:07:18 +0000

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