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From one festive celebration, and on to the next! Lunar New Year is fast approaching, and if you have been juggling a million things and feeling guilt-ridden about not starting on your spring cleaning duties yet, we're here to help. We've curated a guide narrowing down the essential and often overlooked areas to get your home in immaculate condition before the clock strikes 12 on Lunar New Year. Don't forget that it is a major no-no to do any form of cleaning (including sweeping, mopping or dusting) on the first day of the Lunar New Year to avoid good luck from being swept away!
Read on to get your home guest-ready with our ultimate spring cleaning guide.
Home’s Entryway
We tend to be so caught up in cleaning our homes that we overlook one key spot, and that is your home's entryway. Depending on the dynamic nature of Covid-19 restrictions, you may or may not be hosting guests this year, but it is always a safe bet to keep your entryway clean because it is the first space seen by everyone! We reckon this won't take too much of your time, so don't forget to devote at least some time and attention to this space by giving it a good wash and sweep to get rid of dust and stains. Clear out or recycle advertising leaflets slotted on your gates or under your doors. If you store your footwear outside, consider getting a shoe compartment, cupboard or storage seat to keep it clutter-free. This is also a great way to prevent a mix-up when your guests show up with similar footwear.
Refrigerator
Since we know that cleaning our stoves and countertops is imperative in ensuring that your kitchen is ready for a cooking session, we thought we'd zoom in on an area we may not focus on as often as we should, and that is our refrigerator.
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To facilitate an easy cleaning process, we suggest removing every item in your refrigerator to give it a thorough clean. According to research, the bottom shelf of our refrigerators tends to be the breeding spot for most bacteria because moisture and condensation trickle down and gets accumulated from the shelves above it. So, it is important to wipe down the shelves and surfaces of your refrigerator with a disinfectant to remove any gunk or sticky spills that may have been left unclean for a while to keep germs and bacteria that could thrive in cold temperatures at bay. Also, since you've gone through all that effort to clean your shelves, don't forget to wipe down bottles and jars which may have an excess spillage on them.
Next, create space to store your groceries and keep them organized in their respective compartments or food groups. In need of more space? Maybe it's time to purge your refrigerator. We recommend going through every item you have and checking its expiration dates, discarding leftovers stored in the refrigerator for days, and don't forget to check your fresh produce to see if they're still suitable for consumption! Now you've settled the interior portion of your refrigerator, let's not forget about its exterior. Wipe the doors on your refrigerator to remove dust and fingerprints, as well as the handle daily as it's a high-touch area. This includes other often-neglected areas such as doorknobs and switches that are used repeatedly over the course of a day.
Toilet
The toilet is an area that deserves extra attention because it can easily be a breeding ground for bacteria, fungus, mildew and unpleasant odor. Furthermore, an unsightly grimy toilet is one you will not feel comfortable using, let alone your guests. While getting started on cleaning the toilet may not be something you look forward to, you'll certainly feel satisfied knowing that your toilet is freshly washed and hygienic. For one, a key benefit you'll reap from regularly cleaning your toilets is that it prevents the build-up of nasty germs and bacteria that could affect your health.
Since it's one of the most used areas in the home, we suggest cleaning it regularly, at least once a week or bi-weekly. Some of the key spots to give a deep clean and scrub to banish the build-up of bacteria and grime would be your shower, bathtub, tiled flooring, as well as your toilet bowl and seat. Here's a tip to always remember: close the toilet's cover to prevent the airborne dispersal of germ and bacteria-filled particles released by flushing the toilet, also known as toilet plume, which could splatter and land onto various surfaces of your bathroom, such as the toilet's seat and handle.
Wipe up traces of spills from your shampoo or soap bottles to avoid any sticky mess on your vanity area. Moisten your mirrors and glass showers with a cleaning solution and wipe down traces of watermarks and toothpaste splash spots with a lint-free cloth. Doing this could also restore the shine on your previously lacklustre faucets. Also, don't miss cleaning strands of hair from your shower drain or sinks, which could seem unsightly for guests. If you'd like, you could include an air freshener as a finishing touch to mask unpleasant odors and emit a fragrance of your choice, making it a more welcoming atmosphere. Check out our all-natural bathroom cleaning tablet in mandarin orange scent to keep your bathroom clean and smelling fresh!
Living Room and Bedrooms
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It comes as no surprise that the living room got a spot on our spring cleaning guide! It is one of the most frequented spaces in our homes where we unwind after a long day, spend quality time with family and entertain our guests. And, the first order of business is to give your sofa covers a thorough wash in the washing machine to keep them smelling fresh and spotless. You could toss your curtains in for a good clean too. Also, don't forget to give your cushions and pillows a good fluff when it's all dried up.
Banish dust bunnies by vacuuming surfaces where dust tends to accumulate, such as your carpets and areas under your furniture, then proceed to mop your flooring to give it a good shine. To eliminate coats of dust and cobwebs, dust and wipe down the corners of your ceilings and cornices and your ceiling fans and blinds, which also helps to remove nasty allergens lurking in the area. To clean the walls and windows or other glass surfaces, we advise starting with the top surface and working downwards to prevent dust from spreading to places you've already cleaned.
Are you all done with your living room? Repeat these tasks as most of these cleaning tips shared here can also be applied to your bedrooms!
Wardrobe
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An overly packed wardrobe may put you in a frenzy when you're trying to pick your outfits for the day. When you're in a hurry, you might also find yourself tossing the items you don't need in places they don't belong and over time, this will lead to a disorganized wardrobe. We believe that spring cleaning is the best time to go through your outfit collection and assess whether you're going to keep or let go of some of the pieces you know you won't be wearing anymore. Prepare a bag on standby to stash your clothes in categories to get started. Divide your items into categories such as for keeps, unwanted items and items for charity.
To ease the process of decluttering your wardrobe, try asking yourself if that particular item sparks joy (thanks for the tip, Marie Kondo!), and if it doesn't, thank it and place it in your bag. If you don't wish to let unwanted items still in good condition go to waste, you could consider selling them or donating them to a cause dear to your heart. Keep smaller pieces of clothing such as scarves and socks organized in storage boxes with labels to help you identify them quickly. Suppose you notice that there are a lot of items you're going to toss out. In that case, it's also the best time to re-evaluate your purchasing decisions and find ways you could mitigate from making impulse purchases or buying unnecessary items in the future.
We get it; spring cleaning may not be the easiest of tasks. While cleaning may be regarded as a therapeutic activity for some, the struggle is real for the rest of us, but it doesn't have to be a complete chore if you break it down into smaller and doable tasks. One great way is to create a checklist and create a schedule to keep track of the progress you've made. Add a dose of fun by blasting your favorite tunes to keep you motivated as you knock each task out of the park and get your home sparkling clean for Lunar New Year!
Bonus: SimplyGood’s Tip
If you're planning on restocking your cleaning arsenal or looking to make the switch to an eco-friendly alternative, give our dehydrated cleaning tablets a try. SimplyGood's eco-friendly tablets come in three variants (Multi-Purpose, Bathroom and Window & Glass) which we think will come in handy as you embark on your spring cleaning duties this Lunar New Year. In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, you can opt to pair our cleaning tablets with the Food-Grade Sanitizers to get an optimal clean while eliminating 99.99% of germs and bacteria effectively. After completely dissolving your tablet in warm water, add in a desired amount SimplyGood's Food-Grade Sanitizer and mix the solution.