Surviving spring cleaning

Whether you’re preparing to sell your home or not, spring is finally here. It’s that time of year when you can open the windows, feel the warm breeze, and tackle decluttering and deep cleaning your home.

When you’re decluttering, you’re faced with the challenge of deciding what to keep and what to throw away. A mysterious item may appear. A lost charger, a set of keys that won’t open anything, or if you’re lucky, that one important document you know you left in a “safe place” shows up. Travel often turns into an archaeological excavation that breaks through the layers of everyday life. Along the way, you may come across items you misplaced or no longer need, and you’ll wonder why you kept them in the first place.

For example, the kitchen junk drawer is a universal item that defies classification. If you look for a rubber band and open it, you might find instead a screw of unknown origin, a tube of hardened superglue, and at least four pens that no longer work.

There are more surprises in your closet, where you can find things that don’t seem to belong at all, like cash in your coat pocket, a pair of gloves, a book you’ve been meaning to read, or a box full of cables from a device you no longer own.

If you only have one of a pair of somethings, you’re guaranteed to see its mate appear right after you throw away the one you had. And if you were intentionally looking for an item, it will appear in the last place you looked for it. That’s because I simply stopped looking for it once I found it.

There may also be strange things hiding in your linen closet or bathroom cabinets. Now’s the time to get rid of any unused or duplicate products you don’t remember buying, travel-sized toiletries from old trips, or expired medications.

Under the furniture is a truly mysterious place. Reaching under the couch or bed in search of fallen items, you often find a collection of unexpected things: miscellaneous coins, a dusty pet toy, a missing sock, and perhaps a long-lost piece of jewelry or an object you were sure was gone forever, something that makes you pause.

Organizing your garage or basement will take your experience to the next level, and organizing the tools and seasonal decorations stored there will instantly transform your encounters with unexplained objects. Why is there still a tile box that was renovated 10 years ago? Do you really need instruction manuals for appliances you no longer own? What could be in a box you haven’t opened since you moved?

Going through files, old electronics drawers, and piles of papers inside your home office can yield similarly strange results. I recently came across some flash drives containing customer files from 2014. They found a cache of notebooks with names and phone numbers of potential customers who had left the area 15 years earlier, as well as Turbo Tax installation CDs dating back to 1997.

If decluttering isn’t working for you, deep cleaning your home may not be as difficult as you think. Breaking it down into manageable steps makes the process much simpler and more satisfying. Consistency is the key to success.

Before you get your cleaning supplies, walk around each room one last time, collecting items from other places and putting them back in their proper places. Put away your clothes and take out the trash. This step will instantly make your home look better and allow for more effective cleaning. Work your way through ceiling fans, light fixtures, shelves, and blinds from the top down first, so you can deal with any debris that falls to the floor later. Use a microfiber cloth or your own Swiffer to trap dust instead of spreading it around. Don’t forget areas that are often overlooked, such as the top of door frames, window frames, and baseboards.

Move to the surface. Wipe down countertops and furniture with a suitable cleaner. Install squeegee windows to let sunlight in. Pay particular attention to kitchen appliances. Stove, microwave, and refrigerator handles can quickly collect dirt, as can the tops of upper cabinets. In the bathroom, disinfect sinks, toilets, bathtubs, and showers.

Finally, thoroughly vacuum carpets, rugs, curtains, and upholstered surfaces, including around the edges and under furniture where dust has accumulated. For hard floors, sweep first, then mop using a cleaner appropriate for the type of surface. This last step brings the entire cleaning process together and leaves your home feeling cleaner and smelling better.

After all, cleaning your home doesn’t have to be a tedious task. With a clear plan and a little consistency, you can create a space that’s comfortable, inviting, and easy to maintain, at least until this time next year.

Valerie M. Blake is a licensed associate broker in DC, Maryland, and Virginia with RLAH @properties. Call or text 202-246-8602 or email us at: [email protected] Or follow her on Facebook at TheRealst8ofAffairs.