Deep cleaning your home isn’t a fun project, but the results can be dramatic. Spring cleaning protects your family’s health and safety, makes your home more appealing, and prolongs the life of your house and furnishings. Here are some tasks to be sure you don’t overlook when you dig into your next spring cleaning binge.
Pull Out Your Appliances
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Moving the stove and refrigerator to clean behind them is a lot of work, but it’s also extremely important. It’s easy for bits of food to drop alongside the stove when you’re cooking ? you might not even see it happen. But if that food collects on the floor, it can grow mold and offer a breeding ground for germs and insects. Pull out the stove completely so you can clean the sides and back of the appliance as well as the floor and wall behind it.
Your refrigerator is another appliance that needs attention from time to time. In particular, the coils located under or behind the fridge need to be vacuumed and wiped clean. Those coils release heat, and if they are clotted with dust and hair, they can be a fire hazard. Keeping them clean will also help your refrigerator work more efficiently.
Scrub the Dryer Vent
Clothes dryer fires cause an estimated five deaths, 100 injuries, and $35 million dollars in property loss every year,?according to the U.S. Fire Administration. The leading cause of these fires is the failure to clean the dryer vent. Cleaning your lint filter between loads helps, but some lint still gets into the duct that exits your dryer. You should clean the duct regularly with a flexible brush, or vacuum it out with a shop vac. If your clothes are taking a long time to dry, there’s a good chance your vent is getting clogged with flammable material. if you’re not able to clean it yourself, hire a professional.
Deep Clean Your Ductwork
Cleaning your home’s HVAC ductwork is also important. It’s not necessary to hire a professional duct cleaning service every year, but if you can’t remember the last time it was done, you should probably schedule the work. The service crew will inspect your ductwork and remove all the accumulated dust, dirt, allergens, and pollutants. Clean ductwork will improve your indoor air quality and help your HVAC system work more efficiently, so you’ll spend less money on utility bills and stay more comfortable in your home.
Make Windows Sparkle
Don’t overlook the windows during your spring cleaning spree. You’ll be surprised how much cleaner and fresher your home will look when the outside view is crystal clear, and clean windows will let the natural light stream into your rooms, brightening the colors in your rooms and lifting your mood. A thorough window cleaning will do more to brighten your home than any other chore you might perform.
Including these four tasks in your spring cleaning regimen will not only help your home look and smell fresh, but it will protect your family’s health and safety.