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First thing’s first… I tried to do this over on instagram and utterly failed so here it all is in a nice pretty blog post. Shout out to influencers- keeping up with social is hard work.
Now… what you came for! The goods. How many spring cleaning lists have you read since the birds started chirping? They’ll all tell you about your oven, faucets, and baseboards. But what about your jewelry? Your inbox? Your phones? Bet they don’t mention those! So, here’s a list of some unexpected spring cleaning if you’re looking to be an over achiever.
Full disclosure- there’s some yucky confessions up in here. But I know I’m not the only one. I won’t judge you if you don’t judge me. Fair? Ok. Good.
1. Washing machine
What happens when you try to clean your clothes in something dirty? They’re still dirty… I love using these tabs to clean the laundry once a month. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
2. Phones
Did you know that phones have on average 25,127 bacteria per square inch. Barf. There are a variety of products that can clean your phone (sprays, phone soap) etc. but I like this one. It’s quick and easy and does the job.
3. Your purse
Am I the only one who is not good about cleaning out her purse? Here’s your reminder. Dump that sucker out and clean it up. Trash, make-up, hair ties… who knows what else. This is also a good time to spot clean the inside of your bag. Something sticky down there? Get at it.
4. Jewelry
I don’t know about you but I get my wedding ring cleaned once a year and that’s it. Yet, I wear it everyday and it comes across everything I do- including my son’s…well… messes. Grab this solution for platinum and diamonds and these wipes for silver. Quick and easy! My favorite kind of cleaning.
5. Your contacts
Digital spring cleaning! How many “Michael yoga”s and “John from the club”s are still in your phone from your, let’s just say, wild days. Now that phones have such a large amount of storage, and contacts don’t take up a lot of space, this is something that really doesn’t impact daily life but wow how good does it feel to delete those fools.
6. Hair brushes
Ever wonder why your hair can feel greasy after you brush it… say hello to your nasty hair brush. Cleaning it is easier than ever. First, pick out as much of the hair as possible. Use another comb or this tool to pick it out. Don’t be afraid of using scissors to cut through the tangles. Next, fill your sink or a large bowl with warm water and a dash of dish soap or baby shampoo. Let those puppies soak! Rinse with warm water and get all the soap out. Lay your brush face down and let them dry! (P.S. This is for plastic hair brushes. A quick google will help you clean other materials).
7. Make-up brushes
Ugh. Raise your hand if you haaaaaaaaate washing your make-up brushes. Anyone else skip the task more often than not? I am here to tell you suck it up butter cup and clean those. Maybe try one of these fancy gadgets or this stuff.
8. Nespresso/ Keurig machine
Give your coffee machine a wiff- smell like coffee? That’s because coffee masks the smell of nasty shizzz. Because coffee makers heat water regularly limescale and hard water can build up. Aside from cleaning each individual part use this solution. You simply pour this in the water basin and run it through then run through fresh water- I recommend the water run a couple of times to make sure all the solution is really out.
9. Dishwasher filter
This is the grossest one of all. I seriously gag. But it must be done. Pull that out and give it a good baking soda and vinegar soak and scrub. Your dishes, kitchen and nose will thank you.
10. Your inbox
Not just deleting your emails… for the love of everything please unsubscribe. If you check your email in the morning and you see 15 emails it can be stress inducing- even if you delete 14 of them immediately. Of course you’d never unsubscribe from my emails right?
11. Toothbrush holders
You know you should replace your tooth brush every 3 months (if not here’s your sign) but what about what you keep your toothbrush in? We have a cup and I can tell you with certainty we clean the outside but how often do we clean the inside?
12. Drains
Grab those snakes and get that nasty-ass hair out of there. This will be disgusting but oh so satisfying. We use these cheap guys that get the job done.
13. Cleaning supplies
This is the time to clean your vacuum, your mop, your buckets… all the things you use to clean need to start out to being clean so they can properly clean. Follow that?
14. Your trash can
Smelly smelly smelly. Get your antibacterial spray and go to town.
15. Spices
Time to clean out your expired spices! Take allllll your spices out of your pantry and take a look at those expiration dates. In general the expiration date is the date that the spice begins to loose its potency. Let’s be honest… I’m not made of money and I don’t always toss the expired stuff. But I do have a limit. If it’s past the date I give it an old school sniff test. If it’s more than 2-3 years past the expiration date it might be time to go. I just cleaned up my spice rack and decanted into these and oh my god is it dreamy… blog post coming on that? What do you think? I wrote the expiration date on the bottom of the glass with a chalk marker so next year I know those dates!
16. Walls
So strange… the fact that your walls can get dirty…but it’s true they can! Time to check out the lost art of wall washing. I like to use a microfiber mop with a flat head and very lightly spray water on my walls for a quick clean. A lot depends on the type of paint you have etc. This article goes into more detail.
17. Water bottles
When was the last time you deep cleaned your water bottles? Even if you only have water in there it can get kinda nasty. The same limescale drama as your coffee maker. I like to use these bad boys. Fill your bottles with boiling water and plop a tab and watch it fizz away.
18. Plants
When was the last time you dusted your plants? Ok… I don’t have any plants but what about the fake ones? Those often get dusted around but not dusted themselves. Grab your favorite duster and wipe down each of those leaves! Your allergies will thank you.
19. Shower curtains
Ew… mildew. Have you ever seen your shower curtain have a slight pinkish tint. Yuck, that’s mold & mildew. I personally simply replace my liner and get on with it because I find it significantly easier and only about $5. Buuuut if you don’t want to do that, you can take your curtain off and give it a good clean. Take the cloth portion of your curtain and put it in the laundry. Just make sure you hang it immediately to dry so you don’t get wrinkles etc.
20. Lampshades
Want to know the secret to lampshade dust? A sticky lint roller. I just saved you so much time and effort. You’re welcome.
Don’t forget to open those windows and let that sweet sweet fresh air in!
What else? I’m all for making lists of random things that are probably dirty AF that need help! What have I missed?
