indoors
KN O W -H O W
uper Spring Cleaning
A few specific tasks—done only once a year—
will freshen up your entire house. Adapt these
time-saving tactics to your own cleaning routine.
C lea n y o u r house
every day?
T h a t’s w h a t
D o n n a Sm allin, au th or o f
Cleaning Plain
& Simple
and seven other books on
clean ing and org anizing , recom m ends.
“ I t ’s the sim plest w a y to m inim ize
h ousew ork,” she says. T h a n k fu lly, she’s
n o t suggesting fu ll-b lo w n drudgery.
S hortcuts (le t dishes a ir-d ry, give
cleaners tim e to w o rk w h ile yo u do
som ething else) and p re ve n tio n (in vest in
good doorm ats, ban food from bedroom s)
can ease the load. A n d if yo u keep up w ith
d a ily to u ch -u p s, y o u r sp rin g clean ing is
lim ite d to ju st the extras. H e re are eight
chores yo u need to do o n ly once a year.
Windows, Doors, Walls
W A S H W IN D O W S
Be sure to p ick a clo u d y
day. “ I f it’s too sunny, the cleaning
solu tio n w ill d ry too fast and yo u ’ll have
streaks,” says Sm allin. F o r a w in d o w -
w a sh in g solution, she com bines / cup
o f sudsy am m onia (w h ic h is a specific
type o f am m onia), one p in t ru b b in g
alcohol, one teaspoon d ish w a sh in g liq u id ,
and one gallon o f w ater.
S M A R T T R IC K
T o determ ine w h e th e r
streaks are on the inside or outside, w ip e
w ith ve rtica l strokes on one side o f the
w in d o w , h o rizo n ta l on the other.
S C R U B A N D VA C U U M S L ID IN G G L A S S D O O R
T R A C K S
It ’s p rob a bly not the first spot
yo u ’d th in k to clean, but you’ll appreciate
having done it before the outdoor
entertaining season gets into fu ll swing.
Sm allin suggests scrubbing the tracks
w ith an old, d ry toothbrush to loosen
debris, then using yo u r vacuum hose to
rem ove it. F in ish w ith a w et sponge.
84 MAY 2009 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
