In my neck of the woods, we are all ready for springtime (& spring cleaning)!!
All winter, dust and debris pelt our homes and windows, the wind brings in garbage, pets do their business, patio furniture huddles together collecting dust and our decks are weathered by the elements. For all these spring cleaning needs, let me give you a few of my spring cleaning tips with the help of Norwex products, to tackle all these ‘hibernated’ areas and make them shine again.
For complete demonstrations on how to clean your outdoor items, take a moment to watch a few of my short YouTube videos:
Spring Clean Outside Windows
Use Mop System for Window Cleaning
Spring Clean Your Patio Furniture
Easy BBQ Cleaning
Outdoor Spring Cleaning
As the snow begins to melt and the sun stays out longer and we all anticipate summer… be inspired to try a few of my spring cleaning tips to make your outdoor areas their best. Nothing beats looking out a freshly cleaned window while enjoying the sun going down.
Comment below: What spring cleaning job do you enjoy the most? …and dread the most?
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Delores VandenBoogaard is an Independent Norwex Sales Consultant from Edmonton, Alberta Canada with customers and consultants throughout Canada and the United States including; New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, North West Territories and Ontario. She also has customers and team members in; Michigan, Texas, California, Massachusetts, Florida, Arizona, Missouri, Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina, Idaho, Washington, New Hampshire, Iowa and Maine.
With the long-waited spring season comes the long-waited barbecue season! Spring cleaning would not be complete without getting one of our favourite “tools” clean. As the BBQ works hard during the summer months to supply mouthwatering meals, I would like to show you a biodegradable, all-natural but tough cleaning system for your BBQ that works FANTASTIC! It is one that you will feel comfortable cooking dinner on, right after you clean it.
Roll your BBQ onto a tarp or a used newspaper to avoid staining your deck — this is a greasy and sometimes drippy job.
Heat your BBQ to its lowest setting, approximately 150 degrees, turn off.
Spray the BBQ racks including the upper racks with Oven & Grill Cleaner, close the lid and let sit for five minutes.
Grab a small bowl of water and a use a Spirinett to scrub across the face of the BBQ racks. This stainless steel ball will remove all the burnt on deposits and make your racks clean and shiny.
To finish the job, use an well-wrung EnviroCloth to wipe both the outside of the BBQ and the racks inside that you just scrubbed.
Bring your EnviroCloth to a sink and rinse well; rub it on itself to remove the majority of the grease.
Put your BBQ back in its original spot – ready for your next BBQ!
Done!
While we are outside let’s continue our “get it done” spring cleaning, by getting started on the windows. Our windows collect dirt, debris, whatever hit your window or what they left behind and creates another spring cleaning job. I would like to show you a simple method to maintain clean windows in your home that doesn’t not require paper towel or chemicals.
Box the outside edge of your window with a well-wrung, flat-folded EnviroCloth.
Wipe the remainder of your window with the same EnviroCloth. Spray your window with a little water if you find the moisture is evaporating too quickly.
Use your flat-folded WindowCloth to polish the window – leaving a streak-free and shiny window.
Done!
For high windows:
Attach a well-wrung EnviroCloth to your Mop System head – after you have attached your wet mop pad (leaving it dry) – with the clip system.
Lock the head of the mop so it doesn’t swivel.
With an up and down motion, clean your window.
Replace EnviroCloth with a Window Cloth. When your Window Cloth is dry you can only work in an upwards motion. So give your window a squirt of water and polish from the base to the top of your window.
Done!
Lastly, we will clean our patio furniture. Patio furniture is one of those things that gets dirty just by sitting there – not even being used. But we want to use them this spring!!! Again, this is a job that usually calls for paper towel and windex, but the Norwex method will eliminate the use of paper or chemicals. Even your kids can be the boss of the patio cleaning. So, let’s get started.
Delores VandenBoogaard is an Independent Norwex Sales Consultant from Edmonton, Alberta Canada with customers and consultants throughout Canada and the United States including; New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, North West Territories and Ontario. She also has customers and team members in; Michigan, Texas, California, Massachusetts, Florida, Arizona, Missouri, Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina, Idaho, Washington, New Hampshire, Iowa and Maine.
I have been known to say, “If you don’t get started, you will never get done!” This is true about many things in life and especially true about spring cleaning. I grew up on a farm where we had a row of beautiful lilac bushes. Each spring they were one of the first flowers to bloom. Their beauty and scent not only reminds me of the spring but also the time to get spring cleaning. The kitchen is the best place to start because it is the high-traffic hub of our homes where we gather for meals, smell coffee in the morning, share stories of the day to connect with our family and of course where we raid the pantry.
Also, it is a place where we work hard and make our appliances work harder, often feel crumbs beneath our feet, know there are forgotten spills, crusted-on spots and greasy areas. For all these reasons, we will start spring cleaning our kitchens.
Cupboard Tops – Attach your EnviroWand to the Mop System handle and bend your EnviroWand to the width of your cupboards, spray the thick tassel side of the wand with 2 squirts of water and wipe across the tops of your cupboards. For heavy grease spots, use a dab of Cleaning Paste and scrub with a Spirisponge and wipe with a well-wrung EnviroCloth. Done!
Cupboard Doors – Use your EnviroCloth to wipe down the fronts, backs, sides and knobs. If you have debris in the nooks and crannies, use the sharp Spirisponge edge to loosen and simply wipe off. Finish by polishing your door fronts with a Window Cloth. Done!
Cupboards – This spring break I enlisted my girls for help! I asked them to choose two cupboards per day to clean. They chose to work from smallest to largest!!! They did a fantastic job with just water and an EnviroCloth. I will give you the same instructions I gave them:
Remove Items.
Discard expired items.
Recycle any empty containers.
Wipe down cupboard shelves, edges and walls with a well-wrung EnviroCloth.
To remove scuff marks, cut a small square of the Micro Clean Hand Pad and give it a scrub. Wipe clean with an EnviroCloth.
Replace items.
Repeat.
Done!
Tip for utensil drawers:
Vacuum drawer after removing utensils.
Use a Micro Clean Hand Pad to remove scuffs in your utensil try and wipe clean with an EnviroCloth. Done!
4. Back Splash & Counter Top – Remove items from your kitchen counter. Wipe your back splash and counter tops with a well-wrung EnviroCloth. If your grout is grungy use a dab of Clean Paste and scrub with a Spirisponge, wipe clean with EnviroCloth. Done!
5. Sink – Clean the sink basin with a dab of Cleaning Paste and the scrub with a Spirisponge. Spray the edge around your sink and the base of your faucet with Descaler. Let sit for a few minutes and scrub with an old toothbrush. Wipe clean with an EnviroCloth. Pour two tablespoons of Descaler into a plastic baggie and submerge faucet head, secure with an elastic. Let sit for a few hours. Use the sharp Spirisponge edge to remove build up. Wipe down sink and faucet with EnviroCloth. It will smile back at you. Done!
Now go out and enjoy the spring flowers, you have accomplished the start of your spring clean! Check back next week when we will tackle the home appliances.
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Delores VandenBoogaard is an Independent Norwex Sales Consultant from Edmonton, Alberta Canada with customers and consultants throughout Canada and the United States including; New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, North West Territories and Ontario. She also has customers and team members in; Michigan, Texas, California, Massachusetts, Florida, Arizona, Missouri, Colorado, North Carolina, South Carolina, Idaho, Washington, New Hampshire, Iowa and Maine.
