Apartment Chores to Perform Yearly
It is important to have a cleaning routine to keep your apartment tidy, but some chores may be slipping through the cracks as they only need to be performed once or twice each year. Make sure you aren’t forgetting about the places in your apartment you that don’t require day-to-day cleaning with the list below.
Window Curtains, Drapes, and Shades
They may not appear dirty, but the curtains, drapes, and shades over your windows will accumulate a ton of dust. When going about your everyday cleaning procedures, it’s easy to forget to clean them, which is why you need to remember to clean them at least once each year. Drapes and curtains usually have a tag explaining how to clean them, and normally, you can throw them in the washer as you do with your clothes. Depending on the fabric, you will want to use cool or warm water on gentle cycle and be sure to use a mild laundry detergent. For your shades, take a duster to them or use the brush attachment for your vacuum to remove the dust. With the drapes and shades off of the windows, now would be a great time to wipe the bugs, cobwebs, and dirt off the windowsills and wash the glass. Clean windows will allow more natural light in, which can help keep your gas and electric bill low. Don’t forget to clean the curtain rods and wipe down the spots on the walls where the drapes or curtains are normally hanging over.
Balcony Furniture
The best part about a private balcony is being able to sit outside and enjoy the sun! The only downside is birds might leave behind a nasty surprise for you when they fly by. It’s easier to maintain your furniture’s cleanliness when you habitually clean it once every week or so, but you should still clean it when you first bring it out for the summer and when you put it away in the fall. Pick a hot, dry day to wash your furniture with soap and water, then let the sun do the work of drying it off.
Carpet and Furniture
It is important to keep your carpet clean, especially if you want your security deposit back. The best time to shampoo your carpet is at the end of summer when it’s still hot outside, as you can turn the air conditioner off, open the windows, and turn on a fan to help it dry quicker. Pick a day where you can dedicate the whole day to deep clean your apartment, then let shampooing your carpet be the last thing you do. Most home improvement stores and even some hardware stores have a carpet shampooer you can rent for a few hours, so you don’t have to waste your money buying something you’ll only use a few times. If you have a rather large apartment or simply can afford to, you can always decide to hire the help of a professional cleaning company. Carpets and upholstered furniture need to be cleaned once a year so you don’t have any nasty stains or odors lingering in your apartment.
Your Mattress
It’s important not to let your mattress go uncleansed! Next time you strip your bedding, take your mattress cover off and throw that in the washer too. It’s common to stay in bed when you’re sick, and you want to make sure there aren’t any germs and viruses hanging out in your mattress and cover. Put your mattress cover on a sanitize setting to ensure all dirt, germs, and bacteria are removed from it. Then, you need to vacuum the top, bottom, and sides of your mattress. Don’t be alarmed if you see stains on your mattress, these can be removed with warm water and fabric cleaner. With everything off your mattress, flip it over for even wear, just like you get the wheels of your car rotated so they don’t cone.
All Cabinets, Drawers, and Kitchen Pantry
At some point in their life, everyone has food pile up. No need to fret, simply empty each kitchen cabinet, drawer, and cupboard disposing of everything expired. With all food products on your counter and table, wipe down the inside of each cabinet. As you put your food back into the cabinets, keep track of what you have and what you will need to add to this week’s grocery list.
The Linens in The Closet
Most people wash their linen before folding and putting it back in the closet. While you may not need to clean the closet often, as everything being placed in there is clean, it’s critical to vacuum and dust it at least once each year as cobwebs and spiders may have made this closet their home. While everything is out of your closet, sort through all the linens and donate any you haven’t used. All your linens with rips, tears, and holes can be thrown away. A good way to arrange your linen closet is by season. Place the linens you use most frequently on top for easy access, and everything else folded neatly underneath in the respective order of the seasons.
Documents and Files
While it may seem like most companies have gone paperless, there is still plenty of paperwork that needs to be filed correctly. Choose a day in the year where you can sit down and sort through all your paperwork and digital files. Any paperwork you don’t need a physical copy of should be scanned and saved on your computer or external hard drive. Before you scan your physical paperwork, be sure to look at all the digital files on your computer and external hard drive(s) and delete any files you don’t need anymore, freeing up space for all the physical paperwork you’re about to scan and save. You can save your important documentation to the cloud so you have it stored in two separate digital places.
