WASHING, DUSTING & INSOLES? A GUIDE TO SPRING CLEANING
Spring is so close we can almost smell it. The aroma of blooming flowers, the fragrance of a fresh cut lawn, the faint scent of the neighbor grilling, the odor of Windex and Clorox.
Windex and Clorox? What do they have to do with Spring you ask. Spring cleaning, of course.
We hate to burst your bubble, but that first Spring weekend your significant other blacked out on the calendar that you thought was going to be a surprise vacation, isn’t a vacation after all.
Surprise! It’s spring cleaning, and your honey-do list just grew another 2 feet.
It shouldn’t have been a surprise, though. The concept of Spring Cleaning is actually pretty old. This tradition originally began back in the days when people had to keep their houses boarded up tightly all winter long and used coal, oil, or wood to burn for heat. Once Spring arrived, the house was so filled with soot and ash it had to be cleaned thoroughly.
Luckily, we don’t live this way anymore, but Spring is still a great time to break out the vacuum, duster, and scrub brush to deep clean your house.
Since we know you would rather be golfing or doing some other fun activity, but you don’t want to upset the S/O we compiled these 8 Spring Cleaning tips, tricks, and shortcuts to get you out of the house faster.
Skip the Chemicals. Make Your Own Cleaner
This environmentally friendly and cheap DIY cleaner will clean nearly every surface in your house including counters, your fridge, tables, and window sills. All you have to do is mix 4 tablespoons of baking soda with 1 quart of warm water. Then scrub away.
Up, Up and Away
When cleaning it is easy to just clean what is in your sight of vision. You know, vacuum the floor and wipe the counters. To truly Spring Clean you should think outside your sight of vision, particularly to places you can’t see like the top of a ceiling fan or the inside of your forced air vents. It is also a good time to replace your furnace filter to avoid blowing dust all over your newly cleaned house.
Cloudy with a Chance of Window Washing
Your significant other likely added “clean the windows” to your honey-do list. Sure, you could probably get away with just wiping the inside of your windows but go the extra mile and clean the outside since you weren’t able to do so all winter. Oh and make it easier on yourself by doing it on a day with some clouds so the sun doesn’t dry the cleaner too fast. We also recommend cleaning your window screens with a scrap of carpet to remove all dirt.
Wash the ‘Washer
Let’s be honest. Your dishwasher does most of the heavy lifting when it comes to cleaning your dishes. To make sure it keeps producing sparkly, clean dishes when you push the magic start button, we recommend removing any food from the catch pan in the bottom of the washer, scrubbing each part, then running an empty wash cycle with specialty appliance cleaner. While you’re at it, you should clean out your garbage disposal and grind up some fresh lemon rinds in it for a nice lemony scent.
Wash the ‘Wave
There’s no shame in eating microwave dinners. Especially during the winter time. There is some shame in a dirty microwave though and cleaning a winter’s worth of spilled/cooked food out of it is tough. Make it easier on yourself by microwaving a bowl of vinegar for 5 minutes. Let it sit for a little bit, then simply wipe clean. Sure, it may smell weird, but it will be easy to clean, and you want to hit the links for a noon tee time.
Let There Be Light
Dust is sneaky. You can find those little dust mites just about anywhere, including your light fixtures. Using a ladder and a damp cloth you should be able to clean all the light fixtures in your house. You’ll be surprised how much brighter the room gets when there is no dust blocking the lightbulb.
Love Animals, Hate the Smell?
Sprinkle your carpets, couches and other soft places with baking soda, let it sit for 15 minutes then vacuum it up. The baking soda helps remove the animal smell.
Clean Your Kicks
Why buy brand new shoes, when all your old shoes need is a little love? If they are dirty, grab some toothpaste and scrub them clean. Say, what? Yep, toothpaste will help clean your shoes. Are they smelly? Just sprinkle some baking soda in them and let them sit. The baking soda will do all the hard work. All you have to do is remember to tap them out before you wear them.
While we are on the subject of shoes and spring cleaning, let’s talk about insoles.
If you have been a follower of our blog, you likely know the importance of investing in Zelus insoles. If you haven’t already, we suggest taking a quick break from this article to read our blog post titled: Why Do I Need Insoles.
Go ahead, read it. We will wait.
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Ok, welcome back. Now that you are convinced you need Zelus Insoles, or maybe you already have Zelus Insoles, let’s talk about how you can clean those babies.
It’s actually a real simple process. Just follow these 4 steps:
Remove the insoles from your shoes
Scrub them with a soft detergent or mild soap
Air dry them
Put them back in your shoe
PS – We do not recommend putting them in a washing machine.
Wow, look at the time. Your Honey-Do list is all checked off, your S/O is happy with you, and you still have plenty of time left in the day for that fun Spring activity.
Go enjoy your Spring, and If you’re ready to feel the zeal, visit Zelus Insoles online at www.zelusinsoles.com, or call us at 1-833-BE-ZELUS (239-3587) to learn more about the Zelus story, compare the options and find the insole solution that matches your lifestyle.