Top Ten Spring Cleaning Ideas - Part 2

Empty kitchen cupboards and wipe down all surfaces with a pre moistened microfiber cloth or a kitchen towel sprayed with cleaner. If you use contact paper liners that have become stained and dingy, replace them. Oh... and think about getting rid of all those accumulated plastic "collector's" cups from fast food chains.

5. Sparkling Bathroom Tile

Spray mildewed grout with a specially formulated grout cleaner and scrub it with a toothbrush or grout brush. Let it set for about 15 minutes and repeat if needed. For a longer lasting sparkle, when walls are dry, mist with a mildew inhibitor.

6. Upholstered Furniture

Remove cushions and vacuum creases and folds at the back and sides using the crevice tool (especially if you have kids, you may want to first remove the small action figures, coins, brushes, hair scrunchies, and other assorted artifacts that have accumulated). Then go over the upholstery and the cushions with the brush attachment. For stubborn stains, carpet stain remover can often help.

7. Ceiling Fans

Remember all the dust that collected on your computer? Its cousins live on the leading edge of your ceiling fan blades. Depending on the height of the ceiling fan, you can either use a step ladder or a brush with an extension handle to brush down the fan blades. If they're relatively low, you might even want to spray on a household cleaner and give top and bottom surfaces a quick wipe with a dust cloth.

8. Lamps and Light Fixtures

Use a feather duster sprayed with a furniture polish to quickly clean lamps and light fixtures. You can also apply this technique to knickknack shelves and bookshelves.

9. Bedrooms

Flip all the mattresses to even out wear patterns and lengthen their useful lives. Wash all mattress covers or replace, as needed. And then... brace yourself... look under the beds to see what assorted clutter you can dispose of (if you have kids, you should probably wait until they're at school for this step). This is also a great time to go through closets, dresser drawers, etc. to cull outgrown, worn out, and unwanted clothing. Box it up (or put in garbage bags) and take your local resale, thrift, or Salvation Army resale shop.

10. Refrigerator: Get Rid of Those Science Projects!

While you probably don't save this just for spring cleaning time, you're in the cleaning mode, so why not go through the fridge and toss out all those resealable containers whose contents you're afraid to guess? This is also a great time to yank the ice bin in the freezer and chip away the permafrost that builds up in the bottom and reduced the available space for ice cubes you can actually use. While you're in the freezer: is there anything in there that you've had longer than your oldest child has been alive? If so, you should probably toss it. Remove the contents of the refrigerator and spray the shelves and the inside with a cleaner, giving everything a thorough wipe down. Don't forget to check the grill at the bottom; this is where the compressor takes in air, and it tends to get very dusty. Vacuum out the dust and, if your fridge has a condensation collection tray, remove it (very carefully!) and dump the (probably) icky contents down the drain. Rinse clean, and replace.