Spring Forward – Cleaning Shortcuts to Make the Most of Your Extra Hour of Light

March 8, 2015 will be the start of Daylight Savings Time. It’s also a yearly prompt that spring is near, which triggers some of us to schedule and conduct annual cleaning in and around our home. Every household needs a seasonal spruce-up to stay in good working condition, but not everyone wants to spend a lot of time actually doing it. Luckily daylight savings time offers us an extra hour to work on some necessary household responsibilities. If we can get them out of the way early, we have until November to enjoy our extra hour of light doing things for ourselves and with our loved ones.

Here is a list of some common Spring Cleaning tasks, but with simple shortcuts to make the most of your extra hour of daylight and get you back to enjoying the fun stuff.

1. Freshen up carpeting & rugs. Using a ½ cup of Borax and 1 Pint of Water make a paste. Use a strong scrubbing brush. Mainly target the high-traffic zones and pesky stains that have been bugging you this past year. Give the rest a quick (but still substantial) once-over. If all else fails rent a machine from your local grocery store. Having clean carpet is like a having a new home.

2. Steam your curtains. You can steam most fabrics, from silk to velvet, in order to revive them and knock out stagnant odors. Turn on your shower to high heat, hang the fabric over the shower curtain rod, close the bathroom door – let it steam for 10-15 minutes. Some fabrics can be vacuumed with an attachment; spot cleaned and then steamed for a deeper clean.

3. Give your mattress and bedding a makeover. You can freshen up a mattress with a little baking soda while your comforter gets a thorough washing. Pour baking soda into a sifter and lightly dust it all over your mattress (it will gradually draw dirt and moisture out of the mattress and eliminate odors). Yes, it’s ok to leave this light dusting on the mattress when you remake the bed. For your comforter, soak it in some cold water first (with some OxiClean), then wash with detergent on the highest temperature setting recommended, and be sure to add a cup of white vinegar to the load (it deodorizes it).

4. Clean your couches. Using a hand vacuum, hit every inch of the couch’s frame and the cushions. If you can get your hands on a Hydro dry-cleaning sponge (Amazon has them for $6), use it to rub all the fabric surfaces sparkling clean. Vacuum up the crumbs and dust from the base – remember to save the spare change. Finish off with a lint roller. Like new!

5. Dust your ceiling fans. Use a pillowcase as a ceiling fan duster. Simply slide an old pillowcase over a fan’s blade then pull back on the fabric – it will keep all the dust and dirt contained.

6. Polish your brass and copper fixtures. You can shine copper and brass with a paste made from a few tablespoons of white vinegar and identical parts flour and salt. Apply the paste with a soft fabric, rinse, and dry.

So remember, even though you’re going to lose an hour of sleep on March 8, 2015, you’re going to gain an hour after work to be; productive, preventative, healthy, mindful or passionate about anything you want. Knock out the pesky maintenance stuff first and then move onto the more rewarding activities – you have an entire hour, make it count! #myextrahour #daylightsavings #SpringCleanShortCuts