Springing into action

Spring has sprung.

Birds are chirping.

Flowers and trees are starting to bloom (and share their pollen). Puts you in the mood to clean, doesn’t it?

Spring cleaning seems straightforward enough. Just declutter and deep clean every room in the house, right? Still, there are lots of places in homes that go uncleaned because people simply don’t think to clean them - such as the top of cabinets or the inside of water heater closets, according to Vanessa Hearnsberger, owner of Uneedamaid in Little Rock.

Here are some often neglected spots, according to our experts.

IN THE KITCHEN

Clean the top of kitchen cabinets. This is actually a good place to start your spring cleaning project, according to Hearnsberger, because “you want to get all the dust knocked down from the top before you start cleaning lower areas.”

Clean behind appliances. “Pull out the refrigerator and clean behind it,” Hearnsberger says. This is also the time to vacuum the refrigerator’s exhaust and cooling coils. Be sure to clean behind all appliances including between and behind the washer and dryer and behind appliances on the kitchen countertop.

Check the kitchen sink for mold. Sinks with garbage disposals are particularly prone to mold, Hearnsberger says. But, any sink can grow mold if it’s not cleaned regularly.

Clean the refrigerator inside and out. “You want to take everything you’ve got off of the outside of the refrigerator and clean it,” she says.

“You also want to clean out your refrigerator.” That means getting rid of the food that must go - foods that are spoiled or outdated - and taking out the food that can be kept before hand-wiping shelves with disinfectant.

Hearnsberger recommends reorganizing the contents after the fridge is clean to make the food easier to find.

Use special cleaners for dishwashers and washing machines.

Brands like Finish for dishwashers and Tide for washing machines make special cleaners to help clean the drum and prevent mold, mildew and bad odors. Spring cleaning is the ideal time to clean those appliances. They’re fairly easy to use. Just drop a cube in your washer or place a bottle of dishwasher cleaner in your dishwasher, set the cycle and let it clean itself.

There’s also a special extension tool available at discount stores that can be used to clean out the lint trap on dryers, Hearnsberger says.

Set the oven to self clean. Be sure to turn on a self-cleaning oven during spring cleaning, and then wipe or vacuum out the ashes when the cleaning process is complete.

IN THE BATHROOM

Clean every part of the shower/tub. The tracks underneath shower doors, tub surrounds and shower heads are often neglected during regular cleaning, Hearnsberger says. Use a cleaner with bleach to eradicate mold and mildew that flourishes around the tub. Soak clogged or dirty shower heads in vinegar - either by attaching a plastic bag to the shower head using a twist tie or by removing the head - to eradicate soap scum and grime.

Don’t forget to clean the bottom of the toilet. It’s easy to remember to clean the toilet bowl and seat, but Hearnsberger says to be sure to clean the base of the toilet and the bolts, too. Also, use a microfiber mop to clean the space between the toilet and the wall.

AROUND THE HOUSE

Vacuum the water heater closet. “You want to get in there and make sure that’s all vacuumed and cleaned out,” she says. It will reduce the amount of dust near the heater, which is especially important if you have a gas water heater with a pilot light.

Dust the baseboards. “It depends on how dirty they are,” Hearnsberger says. “If they’re just a little dusty, you can just use a duster or a vacuum.” For dirtier baseboards or baseboards covered in spills, use a cloth and cleaner and hand-wipe them, she says.

Move your furniture to clean. “You want to be able to move your furniture so that you’re not just cleaning around it - you’re cleaning underneath it as well,” Hearnsberger says. This includes cleaning and vacuuming under the bed.

Vacuum your hard surface floors. “For hardwood floors and other noncarpeted surfaces, thoroughly vacuum the area and then damp mop to remove debris and dust mites - one of the most frequent causes of environmental allergies,” says Larry Spada with Outdoor Living Brands Inc., the company that franchises Fayetteville’s Renew Crew and Arkadeck. Simply mopping can just spread around dust and germs.

Pay attention to the return air vents. “Be sure to remove accumulated dust from the interior ventilation surfaces,” Spada says. Vacuum the return air vents and then wipe them down with a damp cloth or sponge. Particularly dirty vents can also be taken outside and hosed down, according to Hearnsberger. Likewise, make sure to change the air filters every other month throughout the year in your heating and cooling unit as the manufacturer recommends. This will reduce the amount of dust introduced into a living space through the forced air system.

Check the area between the bed and the nightstand. “People eat in bed, and it gets in between the nightstand and the bed itself,” Hearnsberger says. Pull out the nightstand and vacuum.

Dust shelves and knickknacks. “The most neglected thing in most homes is dusting,” Hearnsberger says. “Take everything off shelves, clean the shelves and hand wipe the items going back on the shelves.” This can be books, knickknacks or photographs. When cleaning photos or art in frames, be sure to spray cleaner on the rag instead of on the frame so that the cleaner doesn’t ruin any photos or artwork.

Wash the inside of the windows. Typically, the outside of the windows get cleaned, but using some glass cleaner on the inside of the windows will do wonders for the view from a living room or a bedroom window. Also, be sure to wash the outside of the windows and the screens, Spada says. “If you prefer to open your windows to let fresh air in, be sure to remove accumulated outdoor dirt and grime from your window screens,” he says. This can be done by removing screens from their tracks and washing and rinsing them clean with a garden hose or in your bathroom shower. Allow them to air dry and be sure to clean the window casing before reinstalling them.

OUTDOORS

Don’t forget to clean outdoors. Spring cleaning often takes place mostly indoors, but outdoor surfaces also need to be cleaned off. Spada recommends cleaning everything on patios, decks, driveways and entryways that is covered in winter debris or spring pollen. “At the very least, be sure to hose down those surfaces to remove the allergens that have collected since last summer,” he says. Eric McVey of Renew Crew suggests starting with porous materials like wood, concrete, brick and stucco that are ideal for mold growth.Then, move on to less porous surfaces like vinyl siding and gutters. Bleach is less than ideal for outdoor use, McVey says, because it can kill plants and trees and can harm children and animals. Pick a wood cleaner for a wooden deck, a vinyl cleaner for siding, a brick cleaner for brick and so on. Be as systematic outdoors as you are indoors.

There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?