Spring Cleaning with a twist

Fussing over spring cleaning?

Some tips for cleaning unexpected places and items in your home.

Everyone has reasons for starting the all-fire rush to spring cleaning. Howstuffworks provides one theory: It’s possible that we spring clean simply because we wake up from a winter long melatonin-induced stupor and find more energy as the days grow longer when spring arrives.

That may be, so when you’re in that spring frenzy to sanitize every nook and cranny of your apartment, private home or treehouse, be sure to remember some of these forgotten places and items:

Pillows
If you knew how much gunk accumulates in a pillow, you’d never rest easy again. According to wartimehousewife,
” After two years, one third (emphasis mine) of the weight of a pillow consists of dust mites, dust mite leavings, dead skin, bacteria and saliva.”
Antidote: Dust mites hate heat and light. So wash your pillows in the machine and then simply air-dry, letting the sun put back the freshness in your pillow.
Bonus: If your pillow smells moldy, musty or mildew, you don’t have to throw it out. Just add half a cup of baking soda into the wash.
Note: similar treatment for duvets, which can be even more grungy. But we’ll save that for another later time.
Cutting boards
Problem: What would you do without your cutting board? So useful and yet such a nourishing media for bacteria.
Antidote: Clean your board with a few drops of white vinegar; let it sit for a few minutes. Let dry.
Credit cards
Problem: Admittedly for the truly anal, but think about it: whenever you swipe your card through a machine, how many other germ-infested cards went through it, too? Makes you think twice before you decide to buy?
Antidote: Do yourself a favor and clean your cards – with an eraser. To get started, clean cards with a towel to remove any grime or other gook, and then, with the eraser, gently rub the magnetic strip on the back.
Smartphones
Problem: Too often, I’ve read FaceBook posts that begin with: help! I tried to clean my smartphone by quickly putting it under water, but for just a second….
Antidote: Take a microfiber cloth and spray the cloth, not the screen, with a small amount of plain water or a drop of dishwashing liquid. Go easy, go slow.
Removing rust
And you thought a cola-flavored beverage was only good for rotting your teeth. It actually has some beneficial purpose, too: removing rust. According to cleanmyspace, cola’s citric acid busts rust.

Just soak the rusty item in a container of coke for 24 hours. Remove, rinse with water to eliminate stickiness.

Spring is a wonderful time of rejuvenation – both for nature, our bodies and our home, and we hope that we can all find the right balance to increase our zest for life.