Summer Is the Best Time to Clean Your House On the Inside and the Outside

How Often Are You Cleaning Your Home?

Despite the hot summer weather in Vancouver, Wash., you will want to keep your home clean. One of the best ways to have a clean home in the summer is by maintaining the air conditioner. In addition to ensuring that you have cool climate-controlled air while you are completing your household chores, an air conditioner that is maintained properly will help to keep your home cleaner. This means that you should change the air conditioner’s filter once a month along with making sure that it isn’t covered with debris.

Do You Have Fans Inside Your Home?

You likely have fans inside your home that are covered in debris. The exhaust fan on your stove may have a screen that is covered in grease, but you can remove it to soak it in the sink. If you have ceiling fans, then turn the items off to use a long dust wand to clean the blades, or you can climb on a ladder to clean the items. The exhaust fans in your home’s bathrooms can also become dirty, making it impossible to remove humidity. Remove the vents to clean the items thoroughly. If you have box fans, then you can unplug the devices before using a screwdriver to remove the screens. Wash the screens outside with a garden hose, or you can place the items in a bathtub to remove the debris. Dry the screens before placing the devices back onto the fans.

Clean Closets and Cupboards

When your house is cool during the summer, you will feel more energized so that you can tackle the difficult cleaning tasks that you avoided during the winter. You can open the curtains to let the sunlight in while you empty kitchen cupboards and bedroom closets to sort though items to get rid of things before washing the shelves, rods and other surfaces. This is a great time to organize with storage systems such as special containers or hanging devices so that you can find things faster.

Wash Walls and Ceilings

Use a ladder to reach higher areas in each room to clean along the door frames. Fill a bucket with warm soapy water to wash the walls and the ceilings. You will feel amazed at how dirty the water is after you complete this chore. You can take down the window blinds or the drapes to clean the window coverings. Make sure to wash the windowpanes and the windowsills because this is a difficult chore during the winter. If you have removable window screens, then you can take the items outside to wash away debris with a garden hose.

Upholstery, Rugs and Carpeting

If you have dirty carpets, then summer is the best time for shampooing the items because you will have air circulation to dry the fibers. When you have washable rugs, you can toss these into a washer or a bathtub filled with water to get rid of the dirt. You can hang the rugs outside on a clothesline to dry. This is also the perfect time to shampoo the upholstery on living room furniture, or you can rent a machine to steam clean the mattresses on the beds.

Cleaning a Basement

When you have a basement at your home, you may ignore it when the weather is cold, but if you use it for an entertainment space or guest bedrooms, then it requires extra cleaning. Alternatively, you might only use a basement for a laundry area or for storing items, but if it is filled with cobwebs and a collection of dust, then your home isn’t really clean. You can spend one day cleaning your basement with a vacuum cleaner and a mop, making you feel better about the cleanliness of your home.

Outdoor Cleaning Chores for the Summer

Are you remembering to take care of the exterior of your home? You can use a garden hose or a power washer to remove debris from the roof and siding of your house. Make sure to have a friend nearby as you climb an extension ladder to perform these chores, and also, make sure to avoid any power lines. While you have your power washer or garden hose, it is a good time to clean the driveway, porches or a deck to eliminate dirt and insects from the surfaces.

Keeping Barbecue Equipment Clean

If you have an outdoor cooking area, then you should keep it clean to avoid infestations from insects, birds or wildlife. You can use a garden hose to wash a charcoal grill, or you can clean a propane grill by using paper towels that are saturated with a mild cleanser mixed with water. Make sure to clean picnic tables, chairs and other items near the outdoor kitchen at the same time.

Indoor Kitchen Cleaning Chores

Cleaning your home’s kitchen can require an entire day, but when you do this chore, make sure to take the time to complete extra tasks. Remove everything from the refrigerator to clean its interior along with the drawers and shelves. Pull the refrigerator away from the wall to clean its back and to wash the floor. It is also a good idea to clean the stove to remove its buildup of grease, and you should lift the top of the stove to clean around the burners. In addition, move the stove away from the back wall to clean behind it to remove food particles, grease or cobwebs.

Bathroom Sanitizing Chores

You may have multiple bathrooms inside your home, and cleaning each one is a long-term project. It is easier to clean a bathroom when you remove everything from its medicine cabinet and cupboards. Clean these storage systems with paper towels and cleansers before placing the items back into the cupboards and cabinets, but throw away outdated medications, makeup and other items first. It is a good idea to keep medications in a safer location than a bathroom’s cabinet. You can wash the bathroom’s rugs, shower curtains and other fabric items, but you may prefer replacing these things once a year. Scrub the bathtub, sink and toilet thoroughly. Mop the floor, and also, wash the walls or ceiling to eliminate mold growth.

Handles and Doorknobs

The doorknobs and handles in a home are often filthy because the items are touched frequently, but you can clean all of these quickly by using a spray bottle filled with cleanser. Walk from room to room to spray the cleanser on the handles or doorknobs before using a paper towel to dry the items completely. Change to a new paper towel occasionally to keep the doorknobs and handles as clean as possible. Don’t forget to sanitize the buttons on the remote controls for televisions and other electronics by using a soft microfiber cloth.