The flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, and it’s finally above fifty degrees here in Pittsburgh. This means it’s that time of year again - spring redd up (or cleaning for you non-Pittsburgh natives)! This can be an overwhelming task for yinz, especially since everyone has been stuck in their apartment, working and living at home! It can be tedious to know where to start cleaning and what all needs done to prepare for spring. Continue reading for tips to seamlessly spring clean your home or apartment in Pittsburgh!
Organize and Clear Clutter
The first place to start is assessing everything that needs to be done. Make a list of what needs cleaned, organized, or cleared out. This is the perfect place to start to make the spring cleaning process less overwhelming.
Putting together a checklist of the items you would like to tackle during your spring cleaning will provide you with a reminder and give you the satisfaction of crossing tasks off when complete.
Clear the Clutter
One of the biggest parts of spring cleaning is often decluttering. A clear and systematic approach can be helpful for this, though. Start by identifying problem areas, analyze reasons for the clutter, determine solutions, and implement them. This may take longer than a day, and be sure to make an organized list of each area to try and tackle a little at a time, and avoid becoming overwhelmed.
Sorting your belongings into categories - trash, give away, store, or put away - can be an effective approach as you continue the decluttering process. Once you sort the clutter, move it out as quickly as possible. Pittsburgh has many amazing charities to donate to, such as Goodwill and Salvation Army, that are located all throughout the city.
Organize
Once you’ve taken the step to declutter each area of your living space, it’s time to organize what is left. This is the perfect opportunity to analyze how your belongings are currently organized, determine if the system is effective, or if a new organization method needs to be implemented. Trying new organization systems can reduce clutter and improve cleanliness in the coming months, making next year’s spring cleaning even less daunting!
Redd Up Room by Room
When starting your spring cleaning, it can be most effective to deep clean room by room. Just as you made a checklist of what needs to be organized and decluttered, remember to add cleaning tasks for each room. Some of these might include:
- Clean the baseboards
- Move furniture away from the walls - dust the walls and clean underneath
- Change the filter on your kitchen vent hood and your fridge water
- Clean windows inside and out, don’t forget about the windowsills, too!
- Touch up paint on trim, doors, and shutters
- Clean light fixtures, shades, and lamps
- Dust and clean ceiling fans
If a room has been regularly cleaned (such as your bedroom or bathroom) feel free to skip it. Focus on the parts of your apartment that have been neglected over this past winter, especially the outside.
Tackle the Seasonal Chores
The winter weather in Pittsburgh can take a toll on outdoor spaces. As the weather officially begins to warm up, you’ll be ready to tackle the outdoor chores to get your deck, porch, balcony, and/or yard ready for summer fun and entertaining. Consider the following tasks for a clean and beautiful outdoor area:
- Power wash decks or patios
- Plant new flowers
- Trim trees and shrubbery
- Inspect your roof shingles
- Hire a chimney sweep to clean your chimney
- Weed your garden/start planting a new one
- Clean and disinfect any outdoor surfaces and furniture
Establish New Cleaning Habits
Think of the start of spring as the new year, but for cleaning habits. What resolutions can you establish this season that will make spring cleaning next year much less tedious?
Regular maintenance and cleaning of your apartment can maintain value and increase the likelihood to receive your full deposit back. At Birgo, we encourage our tenants to regularly clean and organize their space so that if they choose not to review their lease, the move out process is much smoother.
Conclusion
Spring cleaning is definitely an overwhelming task, but, with these suggestions and tips, we hope decluttering, organizing, and redding up this spring becomes less daunting.
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