Posted on April 4, 2023 by Miller and Smith Blog Team
Outside every Miller & Smith home in Maryland and Northern Virginia, it is undeniable: spring is here!
Trees are putting their leafy gloves back on, birds are building new nests, and everything is tidying up from winter.
It’s time for you to tidy up, too, with two words that are as universal as “spring showers:” spring cleaning!
Of course, if you’ve just moved into your new Miller & Smith home, spring cleaning might just be regular cleaning since everything is so new. But we wanted to give you some tips and areas to focus on when you do it, because it can never hurt to have too much knowledge.
So, to that end, here are 5 spring cleaning tips for your Miller & Smith home!
Our homes always come with right-sized and energy-efficient HVAC systems, but there are some things you can do throughout the year to help the systems that keep your indoor air clean. First, you want to make sure you’re changing your air filters as often as recommended by your system’s literature. Take extra care to install new filters in the proper direction based on air flow (it’s marked on the filter). To help your HVAC happy, keep the return and supply registers free of dust, debris, and anything else that could impede their airflow. Also, don’t forget to clean the vent fans in your bathrooms. With a combination of disinfectant wipes and a duster or vacuum, you can get it clean in no time.
Our kitchen appliances get to witness the change in seasons, too, as different fruits and vegetables become more plentiful depending on the time of year. To get them in shape to make the best springtime meals for us, let’s give our appliances a good cleaning. The best way to do this is to check the owner’s manuals for each one, as an oven is much different to clean than a dishwasher. But a few universal cleaning tips also apply. The first is to make sure any rubber seals or gaskets are free of debris, as debris can cause leaks. The second is to make sure all vents are clean and clear, especially on the back of your refrigerator (as this can drastically affect the inside temperature and overall health of the unit). Our townhomes at The Retreat at Westfields have the kitchen as the heart of the home, so you definitely want to keep that heart healthy!
Large electronics like televisions, game systems, computers, and sound systems are cool, but they also get quite hot. That’s why they have lots of vents and fans in them. They also tend to be stationary devices. All these means: 1) they collect a lot of dust and 2) if you don’t clean that dust, it will get sucked inside and shorten the lifespan of the electronics (and possibly become a fire hazard). Keep your electronic devices free of dust and dirt by using special electronics cleaning wipes that are specially formulated to clean delicate electronics. You can also dust with used dryer sheets. Wipe them on your electronics to impart some of their static-reducing magic and repel dust before it has time to settle! This is incredibly easy if you live in one of our Ranier home styles in Cascades at Embrey Mill, their 55+ Active Adult section. Main-level living means your laundry room can reach most of your home without stairs, making it much easier to grab a used dryer sheet for dusting!
Vinegar isn’t just for cooking anymore! It also makes a great cleaner and disinfectant. There are different recipes online for different cleaning solutions, but most of them involve water and white vinegar. Vinegar is so powerful because it’s made from acetic acid. That’s what gives vinegar it’s sour taste and strong smell, but it’s also the same ingredient that’s used in many store-bought household cleaners. It’s so powerful, in fact, that it can dissolve mineral deposits, dirt, and grease, while also being strong enough to kill bacteria. If the smell’s a bit too pungent, you can always mix in a little essential oil or lemon juice for some better scents.
There’s a reason that the changing of the seasons sees a huge uptick in the number of yard sales: spring is a time to get rid of the old and make room for the new. Now, if you’ve just moved into your Miller & Smith home, you might not have any “old” yet, and that’s okay. But re-evaluating how you’ve organized your storage space can often free up a lot of room. Things that are stacked up might be better stored on a shelf. Clothes in storage containers might be better hanging up, or vice versa. The goal is to make sure everything in your storage areas is still wanted and organized in the best and most practical way possible. If you lived in one of our new single-family homes in Patapsco Crossing like The Bradburne, you’d have a lot of extra storage in your basement, including some under your stairs. Making the most of these spaces will mean less clutter in the rest of your home!
Refreshing your home’s air, cleaning your kitchen appliances and major electronics, making your own cleaning products, and reorganizing your storage spaces will bring the re-energizing joy of spring into your home. And even if you’ve just moved into your new Miller & Smith home, these 5 spring cleaning tips will get you in the habit of keeping your home amazing for years to come.