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Issue Date: March 30, 2008
Spring-cleaning: Old and new
We challenged experts to make your ritual this year easier than ever.
By Natalie Ermann Russell
Try lemons, natural cleaners
Forget New Year's. This is the time of year for making a fresh start. It's spring-cleaning season, when we scrub the house from top to bottom, get rid of clutter and fling open the windows to let in the warm air. In fact, 77% of Americans report that they participate in the spring-cleaning ritual, according to a 2008 study from the Soap and Detergent Association (SDA). So in the name of a more efficient, more rewarding spring-cleaning, we talked with some of the country's foremost cleaning and organizing authorities to tell us what we're doing wrong and what would make the job easier. Out with the old, in with the new.
OLD: Use a scrub brush and chemicals to clean sinks and countertops.
NEW: "I use the open face of a freshly cut lemon as a scrub-brush replacement. It's loaded with natural grease-cutting acids, and, of course, it smells amazing," says Michael DeJong, the author of "Clean: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing." "With salt, borax and/or baking soda as an abrasive, the lemon works wonders." However, don't use this on marble, granite or other stone surfaces (check manufacturer's instructions because acid can damage certain materials).
Use the acid and scent of this citrus.
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OLD: Reach into the garbage disposal to try to pull out what's causing that offensive odor.
NEW: "Run the disposal with lemon peels inside," says Sabrina Soto, host of HGTV's "Get It Sold." "It helps clean it and makes it smell nice."
Vinegar for odors and mildew
OLD: Attempt to eliminate odors in your home with air fresheners that seem to only compound the problem (cranberry-citrus with a hint of ... cat litter?).
NEW: "A crazy but effective trick is to soak a kitchen towel in white vinegar, wring it out thoroughly and swing it over your head several times," DeJong says. "Vinegar is a great odor eliminator."
Prevent mildew with this staple.
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OLD: Wonder about the grime that runs along your refrigerator door?
NEW: Realize it might be mildew. "Rub vinegar on the seals of the refrigerator to prevent mildew," Soto says. "It really works."
Clean in the dawn's early light
OLD: Tackle cleaning in the evening, after the lunch appointment, the errands and the Little League game.
NEW: "One of the single biggest mistakes people make is to start cleaning in the afternoon or evenings," says Don Aslett, author of 40 books on cleaning (including "How I Swept My Way to the Top"). "When you clean in the mornings, you feel fresh, and the light is better. In the evening, you're tired, and you can't see as well."
Give stain removers time to work
OLD: Spray a cleaner on a surface, wipe it off and find that the stain remains.
NEW: "People don't give the cleaner time to work," Aslett says. "It's like pre-soaking in a washing machine. Let it sit a minute, and the soap and detergent will break down the grease."
Cleaning hard-to-reach shelves
OLD: Get annoyed because you can't reach the back of a cabinet to clean it.
NEW: Cover shelves with thick, plastic shelf liner from an organizing store. There's no adhesive, so it's removable. "It's almost like a ridged plastic place mat," says Sandra Felton, founder of Messies.com. "I take it out in the backyard and just shake it out."
Forget scrubbing the grout
OLD: Wield a toothbrush to scrub grout in the bathroom.
NEW: Whiten bathroom grout with a bottle of grout stain such as Homax's Tile Grout Coating. "It looks like white shoe polish. You just rub the applicator over all of the grout," Soto says. The best part: You don't have to do any scrubbing.
Go bagless when you vacuum
The fourth time is the charm when vacuuming.
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OLD: Wonder if the vacuum bag is too full.
NEW: Get a bagless vacuum cleaner. "You can see through a window, so you know when to empty it," says Elizabeth Goldsmith, author of "Carpet Cleaning Tips for Dummies" and a professor of family resource management at Florida State University. "And it's satisfying to see the dirt in there and not on the floor."
OLD: Vacuum each section of the carpet just once, moving across the room like a Zamboni.
NEW: "You need to go back and forth four times," Goldsmith says. "If you go over the carpet only once, you don't pick up as much dirt and dust. Because of the thickness of the pile, the forward and back motions are both needed."
Wash outside of windows, too
OLD: Clean only the inside of your windows because you can't reach the outside panes.
NEW: Try the new breed of outdoor window cleaners. "They come with a nozzle that attaches to your garden hose," says the SDA's Brian Sansoni.
Conquer water stains
OLD: Try to mask drip stains on the cabinet below the sink and white stains on the coffee table with furniture polish.
NEW: Use Jasco Furniture White Ring Remover. It's a cloth treated with a chemical that removes water stains and water rings from furniture without ruining the finish.
Eliminate crayon marks
OLD: Scrub crayon off the walls with pricey cleansers or a MagicEraser.
NEW: Put toothpaste (not gel) on a sponge, rub it over the marks, then wipe clean with a wet cloth. "It gets it out just as well," Soto says, "and you don't have to buy a separate item. You always have toothpaste on hand."
Use a racket as a rug beater
Work out your tennis racket in a new way.
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OLD: Shake an area rug outside to get rid of the dirt.
NEW: Hang the rug on a clothesline and bang it using a tennis racket, Goldsmith says. It works just like an old-fashioned rug beater.
Use organizers in the fridge
OLD: Load your refrigerator with small containers, without even thinking about organization.
NEW: Use long containers from an organizing store as "drawers" in the fridge (pull them out and push them back in when you're done). "The refrigerator is like a closet that's cold," says Felton, who is known as the Organizer Lady. She likes containers as long as the fridge is deep. "Put labels on the front of these drawers that say 'leftovers,' 'dairy,' 'meat.' That way you know what's inside."
Wall-hung toilets aid cleaning
OLD: Scrub the base and pedestal of the toilet ad nauseam.
NEW: Install a wall-mounted toilet. "The hardest part to clean on a toilet is around the bottom," Aslett says. "I have wall-hung toilets in my home so there's no bottom to clean." The toilet bowl is fixed to the wall, meaning no dust or drips collect around the base.
Go to top
Declutter for a good cause
The clothing, accessories, utensils and gadgets that are cluttering your life might be exactly what someone else needs. So instead of tossing them, give them away.
Soles4Souls: Distributes your old shoes to those in need in more than40 countries around the world. GiveShoes.org
Nike Reuse-A-Shoe: Turns old sneakers into basketball courts, tennis courts and other play surfaces. letmeplay.com/reuseashoe
Excess Access: Matches donationsof household items with non-profits that need them. ExcessAccess.org
Dress for Success: Helps disadvantaged women around the world who are interviewing for jobs by giving them professional, gently worn outfits, shoes and accessories. DressforSuccess.org
Cover and cover story photographs of Matt Lauer by Joshua Kessler for USA WEEKEND; hand-held vacuum courtesy Dyson; storage boxes courtesy The Container Store
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