Get your home ready for summer activities, cookouts, and guests with these summer cleaning tips.
Summer Cleaning Checklist Tip 1: Get Your Outdoor Spaces, Ready for the Summer
It’s important to give the exterior of your home and outdoor entertainment spaces a good once-over when the summer starts. Here are the areas you should pay attention to:
Household Vinyl Siding: Use an eraser sponge to remove mold, mildew, dirt, and grime. If you have a large area to clean, our Super S Eraser Sponges (12 Pack) will help shorten your cleaning time due to the their large size.
Windows: Use an eraser sponge to remove any dirt or grime from windows. The eraser sponge extension handle kit can help you reach the upper areas of the window with ease as it extends up to three feet. No ladders or step stools required!
The Pool: Remove stains and water scum lines from vinyl pool liners and concrete surfaces with our Dual Melamine Eraser Sponge and Scouring Pad. Use the smooth eraser sponge to gently wipe away water line scum, leaf stains, calcium deposits and other grime from a pool liner. Use it on a plastic pool ladder and also on any inflatable plastic pool toys as well. For concrete stains, use the tough brown scrubbing side. Get two sponges in one! The dual sponge contains NO added chemicals that might contaminant your pool, so it’s safe to use and won’t contaminate your pool water.
The Patio or Outdoor Seating Area: Make sure outdoor plastic and metal patio furniture is clean and free of grime. Use an eraser sponge to scrub away dirt and grime from plastic lawn furniture and vinyl covered cushions. Check the floors of your patio and sun room. If you have a rug, now is a good time to steam clean. For concrete floors, use a concrete floor cleaner and good stiff wire broom brush to work the water and cleaner into the floor. Let dry.
Summer Cleaning Checklist Tip 2: The Grill
Get your grill ready for summer cookouts by cleaning it using our Grease and Grime Grabber Scouring Pads. Use on a cold grill great to scrub away baked-on, burnt-on food, grease and general grime. Simply wet the scrub pad, or use it with your favorite cleaner. Be sure to rinse the great well before returning it to the grill. You can also use this sponge on any porcelain-coated or cast iron cooking plates and grill accessories such as grill baskets, griddles and
Cleaning with a scrubbing sponge like ours is safer versus using a wire brush. Wire bristles can detach from grill cleaning brushes during the cleaning process and become embedded in food and ingested, leading to injury. No one wants to spend their summer in the emergency room, so choose the safer option and clean with a scrubbing pad.
Summer Cleaning Checklist Tip 3: Prevent Mold!
Summer weather means humidity and you might notice your washer giving off a mildew odor in the summer. To get rid of the smell, run an empty load with a cup of vinegar, or use a commercial washer cleaner like Affresh Washing Machine Cleaner. Check to see if your washing machine has a cleaning cycle and if it does, choose that setting to clean your appliance.
If you use fabric softener, be sure to clean the dispenser drawer to remove any left-over fabric softener. Wipe down the inside of the washer’s tub using a damp sponge followed up by a dry microfiber cloth. Leave the lid open so that the drum can air out.
Fight humidity further by running a dehumidifier in your laundry room, basement, or any area that needs it.
Garbage disposals and trash cans are also another place for unsavory smells and mold from spoiled food. Choose a sunny day and bring your kitchen garbage cans outside to hose off. Use vinegar mixed with freshly squeezed lemon and a large sponge cloth like our Swedish Dishcloths to clean out the can. Use another dishcloth to dry, or let it dry naturally in the sun. Sunlight is a natural disinfectant and can help kill germs.
If your garbage can is made of plastic, use an eraser sponge to get rid of any stuck-on grime or dark scuff marks. Simply wet and scrub clean!
Summer Cleaning Checklist Tip 4: Use Fresh Lemon and Sunlight for a Natural Clean
Give your home a fresh summer smell with lemons. Use a fresh lemon to clean stainless steel in your kitchen. According to House Beautiful, a few strokes with a lemon wedge, followed by a microfiber cloth is sure to get your kitchen and bathrooms sparkling and kill germs. Plus, think of the delicious lemony scent you’ll enjoy post clean!
Be sure to open all curtains and raise all blinds to let the sunshine in! Sunlight is a natural disinfectant and a study done by the University of Oregon shows that “rooms exposed to daylight have fewer germs.”
Summer Cleaning Checklist Tip 5: Pantry
Prevent any pantry moth infestations by checking any opened packages of rice, pasta, cereal, spices, and dry pet food for signs of webbing or moths themselves. Toss any expired or contaminated foods. Kill any future moths by placing items in a freezer for 24 to 48 hours. Finally, store any loose or opened items in sealable containers to prevent infestations.