Spring cleaning only lasts so long! Use these 5 tips to keep your house clean this summer.

6/8/2016 (Permalink)

Spring cleaning only lasts so long! Use these 5 tips to keep your house clean this summer.

Although the weather’s nice and the sun is shining, summer often presents some unique messes. From grass stains to dollops of melted ice cream, summer can be challenging — unless you know the tricks of the trade.

Use these fivetips to keep your house clean and organized throughout the hot season.

1. Bathroom
Whether it’s washing off the dirt from a day in the garden or sweat from your kids’ sports game, your shower is likely to see more use during the summers. Be sure to remind everyone to keep a window open or the fan on during every shower to prevent humidity (which is the perfect environment for mold).

That being said, summer is a great time to go through what’s in the shower rack and under the sink. Toss out any empty bottles and take inventory of things you need (sunscreen for instance).

If you live in an area especially humid during the summers, be sure to wipe down any surfaces that accumulate moisture to prevent hard-water stains and mildew.

2. Patio/Deck Furniture
Summer is the time for eating outdoors. Whether you’re firing up the grill or hosting a potluck, you’ll most likely be spending a lot of time on your patio this season.

Cleaning the patio isn’t hard, either! You only need 30 minutes and a little elbow grease, and you’ll be on your way.

When it comes to patio furniture, you can use a gentle mixture of detergent and clean water give it a good scrub down. Check cushions for laundering instructions.

If you find any rust on metal furniture, sand it down and rinse it off. This might require multiple rounds depending on how much rust there is.

Tip: Spring rains can cause corrosion on a lot of equipment outside. Use our guide to painting outdoor décor for a like-new finish on everything!

3. Laundry Room
The key to prepping the laundry room for a summer full of washing, drying and folding grass-stained T-shirts and shorts is organization.

Clear the laundry room of empty bottles and boxes that may have accumulated, and be sure to pack away any cold-weather clothing to make room for the inevitable baskets and hampers of dirty clothes. The less cluttered the room, the easier it will be to sort clothes. The easier it is to sort clothes, the faster the process will be.

Since summer presents an entirely different set of stains you’d encounter in most other seasons (condiments, ice cream, grass, dirt), you’ll no doubt need to be able to sort what clothes needs pretreating and those you can simply toss into the washer — which may require more room than you’d think!

Tip: Check out our guide on getting rid of the most common summer stains you’ll encounter.

4. Kitchen
Hot temperatures cause a stinky reminder that this is a great time to give your garbage can a scrub down. While spring cleaning is all about organizing and surfaces, summer is the perfect time to get into the nitty gritty of everything else in the kitchen — like appliances.

While cleaning the toaster involves just removing a bottom plate that catches crumbs and shaking out any bits of bread between the slots, appliances that see heavier use, like a microwave, need a little more attention. The biggest, of course, being your oven.

Tip: Speed up the kitchen-cleaning process with our guide to getting it done in 30 minutes.

5. The Pantry
Even if your house is sparkling clean when you walk through, there’s something about a pantry that gets overlooked. This is the perfect time to organize all the usable items (after throwing away the expired or “why-did-I-buy-this?” kinds of foods, of course) for easy access — because there’s nothing worse than a house full of people rummaging for something in the very back of the pantry and knocking everything over in the process!

Tip: Cleaning the pantry is more than organizing! Pantries are renowned for collecting mysterious crumbs and debris. Use our five-step pantry cleanout guide to maximize your time!