It's that time of year, school is out, the weather is heating up (especially down here-- It's been feeling like the dog days of summer for a few weeks now!) Which means that there will be some leases ending soon, so you will be packing up to head home... I think that calls for a little spring cleaning! As a clean-freak myself, I couldn't be happier to share some tips and tricks to get your apartment deep cleaned, whether you are renewing and just want to declutter or you are packing your bags!
1. Let's start with the kitchen! Of course, dishes get washed, dried and put away, the trash gets taken out and left overs get put away. BUT, how do you *really* get in there? One thing I love to do, before I take the trash out, is take everything out of my refrigerator, freezer and pantry. Anything that is out of date, about to be, just doesn't look right or maybe isn't sealed correctly so it would make a huge mess in transportation goes straight in the compost/trash. Everything else that is still good but you don't really want goes into a donation box or to your roomies if they want it!
While you have everything off the shelves, take out drawers, racks, etc. and get to wing them all down. PRO TIP: Thoroughly wipe out the entire inside and outside of the refrigerator and freezer with a bucket of water and a mild detergent.
2. Hit up the laundry room next! Aside from making sure all of your belongings are removed if you are about to move-out, check the lint trap and make sure all debris is removed from the vent and the screen. PRO TIP: Take a dryer sheet and rub the screen to remove all the little hard to pick up lint pieces.
3. Even the living room needs a little love, especially the couch! Remove all the cushions, pillows, blankets, etc. and sweep/vacuum out under the cushions and under the couch. You never know what you might find! Of course, make sure that you sweep, wash the windows, and dust the fans too. PRO TIP: If there's a lot of little things that you don't want to get sucked up in the vacuum, put a dryer sheet over the opening of the nozzle and secure it with a hair tie. That way the dryer sheet will catch it all!
4. Let's take this to the bedroom! Let's change those sheets and fold those clothes. Of course vacuuming, wiping down the windows and dusting are all important. But what you might not think about is rotating/flipping your mattress! Rotating your mattress helps distribute the comfort of your mattress and relieves one spot/side from being over worn.
PRO TIP: After you strip the sheets and rotate your bed, take some baking powder or sensitive carpet cleaner and sprinkle it all over the top of the mattress. Vacuum it all out and let it air out for a few hours before putting new sheets on it.
5. The WHOLE house could use this final tip...DECLUTTER. Set aside a few boxes, one for trash, one for recycling, one for donations, one for the things you want to keep and maybe a box of stuff to give to you roommate or friend if they still need/want it. Check out your local donation centers and recycling stations so that you can make sure everything gets where it needs to be!
PRO TIP: If you want to make some extra money, try joining local clothing exchanges on Facebook or other social platforms where you can sell some of the things you want to get rid of! (If it's in good condition of course)
Good luck to all of our-move outs sprouting their wings to fly! Hail Southern!
Below we will attach some local establishments in Statesboro and other inspiration to help aid you in your spring cleaning!
Spring Cleaning Playlists:
Cleaning Tips/Tricks/Hacks:
Motivation:
Donations:
Habitat for Humanity- https://habitatbulloch.org
Goodwill- https://goodwillsega.org
Statesboro Food Bank- http://statesborofoodbank.org
Spike's Habitat Restore- https://habitatbulloch.org/spikes-restore/
Recycling:
Bulloch County Recycling Center- http://bullochcounty.net/recycling-centers/
Langston Chapel Recycling Center
Pretoria Recycling Center