Spring Cleaning Tips

You wash your towels and sheets regularly. You tidy up around the house after the kids go to bed. But spring is the best time to tackle tasks that are easy to overlook the rest of the year. Let the Spring Cleaning begin with our tips for both the interior and exterior of your home.

Sprucing Up Your Home’s Interior

• Dust all furniture and ceiling fans, and clean all ducts and vents. This will decrease your exposure to pollens and other airborne allergens. Make sure you catch all the dust bunnies by cleaning out from behind the kickplate on your refrigerator, mopping behind washers and dryers, and wiping down the tops of cabinets. Clean or replace air conditioning and heating filters.
• Wipe down hard surfaces. Telephones, doorknobs, light switches, thermostats, cabinet pulls, and faucet handles harbor tons of bacteria and are often overlooked during routine cleaning. Use a mild disinfectant on paper towels to kill harmful bacteria and help prevent the spread of viruses.
• Clean all mold and mildew from bathrooms and other damp areas with a bleach-based cleaning product. Mold is a fungus that can trigger allergic reaction. To learn more about household mold and the issues related to it, see the Center for Disease Control’s webpage.
• Organize your medicine cabinet. While you’re cleaning the bathrooms, take a look at your medications and discard any that have expired and those you no longer use. Your pharmacist can advise you about the best way to dispose of old medications, since tossing them into the garbage may be dangerous. Many pharmacies and clinics offer a free medication take-back service.
• Sort your cleaning products. Don’t hesitate to dispose of products you don’t or won’t use anymore. Get rid of any products that don’t get the job done and older products that may have expired. The labels usually mention proper ways to dispose of these products.
• Check your rugs. Make sure rugs on bare floors have non-skid mats underneath. Wash or replace older mats that have become dusty and lost their non-skid properties.
• Change the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. If you haven’t already, test to be sure they work properly. Collect old batteries throughout the home for recycling or disposal.

Exterior Home and Boat Spring Cleaning Tips

Don’t forget to give the exterior of your home the onceover. Regular maintenance will keep your home safe and your vehicles ready to roll so you can enjoy the warmer months in the South Carolina sunshine.

• Check for rain gutter obstructions. Over the winter, leaves, sand from shingles, and other debris can accumulate in your rain gutters, slowing or blocking proper drainage – especially with all the rain and wind we have in South Carolina, especially in Columbia and Lexington. This can lead to foundation flooding and other damage from standing water. Eyeball the gutters for obstructions or spray a hose onto your roof for several minutes and watch the flow of water leaving the downspouts. HouseLogic.com offers suggestions for cleaning your gutters.
• Check the garage and basement for old cans of paint, thinners, oils, solvents, stains, and other forms of “toxic” trash. Call your city or county sanitation department to find the location of the hazardous waste drop-off center, and get rid of anything you’re not going to use.
• Inspect outdoor play equipment. Make sure it remains sturdy and in good repair. Check for loose guardrails, protruding bolts, and other potential hazards. Clean equipment with non-toxic cleansers and be sure to thoroughly rinse any residue with clean water.
• Clean your vehicles thoroughly. Your garage and driveway will stay cleaner for longer if you remove all the gravel and dirt from your automobiles’ undercarriage. Also, a cluttered car can be a distraction on the road.
• Break out your boat. Get your boat ready for the season. A winter in dry dock can lead to dried-out wood and loosened bolts on your watercraft. Follow this checklist from BoatSafe.com to get your vessel ready and help you have fun and stay safe on the water. And make sure you have adequate watercraft insurance to protect your interests before heading out to Lake Murray or Charleston.

• Clean up your insurance coverage. Spring is also a great time to take stock of your insurance policies. Insurance Spring Cleaning! Review your policies to make sure they are up to date. Have you switched cars? Started a home-based business? Installed a swimming pool? If so, you may not have adequate coverage. Give us a call at 803-791-1120. We’ll be happy to review your policies with you.