Tackling fans, baseboards, light fixtures, furniture

This week’s projects include tackling your lighting fixtures, ceiling fans, baseboards and furniture. Follow the list below and check items off as you go to stay motivated!

Lighting fixtures

Whenever possible, remove light globes and soak them in the sink or a bucket. If they are very dirty, add some bleach. Any light fixtures that cannot be removed, you can wash with a damp cloth and a cleaning solution mixture.

Below is a nontoxic cleaning solution mixture for lighting that can be used for soaking fixtures in or applying with a damp cloth. It’s also great to use in a spray bottle!

• 1 2/3 cup baking soda

• 1/2 cup liquid soap

• 1/2 water

• 2 tbsp. white vinegar

Use a gentle green scrubbing sponge to aid in removing tough grime and dirt in crevasses. Most dirt will come off easily with this cleaning solution and a sponge or cloth. Then replace any bulbs that aren’t working, and wipe down the base of lighting fixture.

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Ceiling fans

Use a paper towel to remove large amounts of dust before wiping down with a damp cloth. Or use a pillowcase to wipe each blade, then shake the dust out over a garbage pail.

Once the top layer of dust is removed, use the nontoxic cleaning solution mentioned earlier and a damp cloth to give the blades of the fan a good cleaning. You shouldn’t need to dry them off if your cloth was squeezed out thoroughly enough. If they are still damp, dry with a towel.

Tip: This also is a great time to check the light bulbs in your oven, refrigerator and closets to ensure they are all working.

Baseboards

This task isn’t as bad as it seems. I PROMISE! Yes, your home has dozens, even hundreds of feet of baseboards which may seem daunting, but don’t procrastinate. Set aside time to get the task done!

First, place your nontoxic cleaning solution mixture in a small bucket. It needs to be easily portable as you are moving around quite a bit. I find that a cloth works better than a sponge and is able to get in the crevasses that most baseboards have.

Story continues

Wet and wring out your cloth so it is barely damp and wipe four sections at a time. Dip and wring out the rag every so often to keep it clean. Repeat the process until every room is complete.

How often you do this depends on how dirty your baseboards are. Most people can thoroughly clean all the baseboards in their home in less than two hours. Give it a try!

Furniture: Couches and chairs

This task goes pretty quickly, and you may be surprised with what you find! Turn on the lights and open the blinds so you can see the furniture in the best light possible.

Vacuum the tops of the cushions and entire couch and chair. Then remove cushions, if possible, and vacuum every nook and cranny. The last time I did this, I found hair ties, a business card and 87 cents. If you can’t remember the last time you tackled this task, you may find even better things and more money, if it’s been a while since you lifted up your couch cushions.

Once pet hair and debris has been removed from your furniture, take a damp cloth of dishwashing detergent and water and spot clean any areas needed. During my last cleaning, I was able to wipe off small smears of chocolate and drool from our granddog Penelope!

It feels so much better knowing that after a hard day’s work, my family and I are resting on a clean couch.

Good luck!

Look for more tips from Deb in the Observer Dispatch every other Sunday and on her websites decluttercoachdeb.com and dceffconsult.com. You can follow her on social media and watch her TV show Organization Motivation! organizationmotivation.com.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Spring cleaning: Tackle fans, baseboards, light fixtures, furniture