Top 10 Spring Cleaning Ideas

Change Batteries in Smoke Detectors – More than half of the fires occur in houses without a smoke alarm.  The risk of death from residential fires is cut significantly when you know how to change the batteries in your smoke detector.

Cleaning Refrigerator Coils – Forced air refrigerators or built-in refrigeration units need to have their condenser coils cleaned at least twice a year. In fact, if you have pets you may want to clean them even more often than that! The reason is because as dust and dander gathers in and around the coils, it prevents the condenser from working properly. The refrigerator is now working twice as hard to keep your food cold, and as such, your electric bill is paying the price-or rather, you are!

Clean Ventilation Air Ducts – Cleaning the duct work in your home is important for many reasons. It can help to cut down on the dirt that causes additional wear and tear on the systems components, lessen the frequency of how often we dust and ultimately it helps to clean the air that we breathe while in our home. For those of us with allergies, this should be a welcome improvement.

Clean out Clothes Dryer Exhaust Hose and Duct – Once a year you should clean out your clothes dryer, lint trap and duct work. This should be done for safety reasons and dryer efficiency.

Clean Mattress & Pillows – Whether you have inherited a mattress you want to clean or just freshen up your old one, the idea of cleaning something as large as a mattress can be daunting. And if your mattress needs cleaning, there is a good chance your pillows do as well. Although a professional cleaning service will do the most thorough job, there is plenty you can do on your own for general care.

Clean Coffee Maker – Auto-drip coffeemakers are a practical choice for everyday coffee drinkers. Over time, however, calcium from hard water can build up inside a coffeemaker. This reduces its performance and negatively affects the coffee’s flavor. Daily or frequent users should clean the inside of the coffeemaker once a month with white vinegar to remove scale and build-up.

Cleaning Drapes & Blinds – Curtains are an elegant addition to homes but are often neglected. They look so lovely when you first put them up but you really don’t realize how much dust and dirt they collect until, years later, you whisk them open to let the sun in and a cloud of dust circles the air. Now you are faced with two decisions: wash or replace.

Clean Area Rugs – Area rugs are a comfortable addition on hardwood or tile floors, but rugs in high-traffic areas can become dirty quickly. Professional dry-cleaning of rugs can be expensive, especially if your rugs need to be cleaned often.

Clean out Expiration Date – With help from experts and product manufacturers, here is a guide to expiration dates. These dates are offered as a rough guideline. The shelf lives of most products depend upon how you treat them.

Decrumbing Toaster & Toaster Oven – Besides being a mess, the crumbs can smoke, stinking up your kitchen and possibly setting off your smoke alarm.