Essential Spring Cleaning Tips

Spring has arrived – which means it’s time to get your home in tip-top shape. A good, deep spring clean-up is a tradition that not only promotes wellness by keeping your environment clean and organized; it also helps carry the fresh-start feeling brought on by a new year well into the summer.

We’ve compiled some of the best DIY spring cleaning tips so you can deep clean your house and make it sparkle all year round.

Spring cleaning tips

Remove water stains with lemon for a natural faucet fix

This spring, make faucets clean and sparkly by rubbing a lemon half on the water stains. The citric acid helps remove hard water marks. Then, use the other half of the lemon for our next tip.

Clean your microwave by heating lemon juice and rinds in water

Cut a lemon into halves, squeeze the juice into 1/2 cup of water and drop the rinds into the mixture. Microwave for three minutes and let it stand for five minutes without opening the door. The trapped steam will loosen the grime, so you can wipe the microwave clean with less elbow grease.

Use white vinegar to beat shower head buildup

Looking for more natural ways to clean your bathroom? Vinegar can dissolve the mineral deposits accumulate in showerheads over time, causing reduced pressure and water flow. Fill a plastic bag with white vinegar, secure it over the showerhead with a rubber band and leave it overnight to get rid of buildup. Just be sure to run the shower before you hop in, or you risk smelling like vinegar all day.

Clean stainless steel sinks with baking soda

Simply wet your sink and faucet, sprinkle baking soda, and scrub with a sponge. If you need more heavy-duty scrubbing power, add salt to the baking soda.

Use newspaper to clean dirty windows and mirrors

Mix ¼ cup of white vinegar, 2 cups of water and 2 teaspoons of liquid soap into a spray bottle. Spray the mixture onto the glass and scrub with newspaper for a streak-free window or mirror. The ink acts as a mild abrasive and allows you to make use of old newspapers.

Organize your fridge and cabinets with rotating turntables

Don’t limit rotating turntables and Lazy Susans to your tabletops. After discarding old condiments and spices, organize your pantries and refrigerator with this useful storage hack.

Place a wet dryer sheet on your ceramic stovetop to remove burnt-on residue

Dryer sheets are non-abrasive and a great way to remove burnt-on food from your stove. Place the wet dryer sheet on your stovetop at least 15 minutes before rubbing the gunk away.

Clean your grill with an onion.

Get your grill cleaned up and ready for the warm weather. First, heat it up and spray some white vinegar onto the grates to help loosen the residue. Then, scrub the area firmly using half an onion. The acid from the onion will rid your grill of any leftover remnants.

Let coffee filters do more than put a spring in your step

Does your TV screen or computer monitor show fingerprints, smudges and dust? The fiber in coffee filters is be gentle enough to rub them away, even on delicate TV screens. Just don’t press too hard!

Unpack and stack your spring/summer clothes vertically

Are your dresser drawers a mess? Instead of putting away folded clothes flat, stack them vertically for easy access.

Use cream of tartar to clean toasters and tea kettles

Combine 1 tsp of cream of tartar with just enough water to create a milky paste. Rub the solution onto your stainless steel appliances and wipe away to reveal their original shine.

Know your couch or rug before cleaning it.

Don’t ruin your upholstered furniture by using the wrong cleaner. Not all manufacturer labels state what type of solvent to use. Familiarize yourself with the cleaning codes below.

Upholstery Cleaning Labels:
W: Use water-based cleaning solutions.
S: Use dry-cleaning solvents. Do not saturate. Do not use water.
S-W: Use water-based cleaners or dry-cleaning solvents.
X: Use a vacuum or brush only.

Use a window squeegee to scrape pet hair from your carpet or rug

The rubber edge of the squeegee is a great tool for gripping and removing pet hair from your rug. Use a firm grip and make sure to clean up the excess hair as you go. Finish by running the vacuum to catch any hair still on the surface.

Avoid scratching floors by placing clean towels under furniture while rearranging

Looking to freshen up your home by rearranging furniture? Slide heavy pieces like couches and tables easily and without damage by placing folded, clean towels under each end of the furniture.

Use Velcro strips to keep drawer organizers in place

Attach the grippy strips to one end of your drawer and the other to your drawer organizers. This keeps the organizers in place, but lets you remove them when needed.

Put the spring back in your dirty keyboards with cotton swabs

If certain keys or sticking, or your entire keyboard just doesn’t have the same pop that it used to, chances are dirt and crumbs are the culprits. Sweep cotton swabs between your keys to dislodge dust and grime. And for a real deep clean, use compressed air to blast away any leftover dust, and follow it up with one more sweep through your keys, this time using a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to kill germs.

Use a dustpan to help fill a large mop bucket

Not all mop buckets fit in bathtubs or sinks. If your bucket is too large, try using a dustpan as a spout by placing it flat on your sink to transfer water to the bucket. This handy hack is also helpful for other large containers you want to fill.

Use a butter knife to clean air vents

Don’t let that dust build up for another minute; use a butter knife to reach those tough get places between and behind your vents. Simply wrap the knife in a rag and wipe between the slats. Then, pen the windows and run your central air to fill your home with fresh spring air (just be sure your heat or AC isn’t on while you’re running the fan).

Wrap a towel over a broom to clean hard-to-reach places

Cobwebs and dust can collect in room corners and on ceiling fans. Wipe them away by securing a towel over the bristle end of a broom with a large rubber band. The dust and cobwebs stick to the cloth.

Recycle old socks to use as dusting mitts

Cotton is a great fabric for trapping dust particles. Try using a (clean) pair of socks as dust mitts and you’ll have more control over where dust goes.

Whether you’re doing your annual spring clean-up or a weekly deep clean, check out this list of 10 things you never clean in your home (but should).

Gelderman.ca Real Estate Team
RE/MAX Aldercenter Realty

www.gelderman.ca

Know someone moving ANYWHERE in the WORLD? Call us today--we know the BEST agents everywhere!!

Serving Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, Langley, Surrey and the WORLD!

Office Phone: 604-743-7653

Fraser Valley Market Statistics MARCH 2019

Fraser Valley market sees typical spring increase in March sales

SURREY, BC – Last month, buyers in the Fraser Valley took advantage of the continued stability in home prices and the highest inventory levels for March since 2015.

The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board processed 1,221 sales of all property types on its Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) in March, a 24.3 per cent increase compared to sales in February 2019, and a 26.6 per cent decrease compared to the 1,664 sales in March of last year. Of the 1,221 total sales, 462 were residential detached homes, 300 were townhouses, and 346 were apartments. This was the lowest sales total for the Board during March since 2013.

Darin Germyn, President of the Board, said of the market: “From a buyer’s perspective, there are more opportunities available as we move deeper into spring. Many of our communities are seeing higher inventory levels, especially in the attached market with the number of available townhomes almost doubling and Fraser Valley condos more than doubling compared to last year.”

There were 7,011 active listings available in the Fraser Valley at the end of March, an increase of 9.4 per cent compared to February 2019’s inventory and an increase of 46.2 per cent year-over-year.

The Board received 2,872 new listings during the month, a 29.6 per cent increase compared to February 2019’s intake of 2,216 new listings and a 0.2 per cent increase compared year-over-year.

“One of the reasons our market has remained stable is simply due to affordability. Although prices have increased dramatically over the last ten years, during the last twelve months we’ve seen prices for all major residential property types in the Fraser Valley decrease between four and five per cent. This is good news for buyers,” continued Germyn.

For the Fraser Valley region, the average number of days to sell an apartment in March was 38, and 29 for townhomes. Single family detached homes remained on the market for an average of 38 days before selling.

HPI® Benchmark Price Activity

• Single Family Detached: At $963,100, the Benchmark price for a single family detached home in the Fraser Valley increased 0.4 per cent compared to February 2019 and decreased 4.2 per cent compared to March 2018.
• Townhomes: At $517,300, the Benchmark price for a townhome in the Fraser Valley in the Fraser Valley increased 0.3 per cent compared to February 2019 and decreased 4.5 per cent compared to March 2018.
• Apartments: At $418,000, the Benchmark price for apartments/condos in the Fraser Valley increased 2 per cent compared to February 2019 and decreased 5.1 per cent compared to March 2018.

Find the FULL March Statistics Package HERE

Gelderman.ca Real Estate Team
RE/MAX Aldercenter Realty

Visit our Team Web Site HERE

Know someone moving ANYWHERE in the WORLD? Call us today--we know the BEST agents everywhere!!

Serving Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, Langley, Surrey and the WORLD!

Office Phone: 604-743-7653