Spring cleaning. What exactly does it include? For you, maybe it’s scrubbing your baseboards and for others, it’s sorting through old papers. Most people agree that spring cleaning includes giving your home some TLC that you haven’t been providing every day throughout the year. It’s also about organizing and possibly throwing out items that you don’t use anymore.
But do you spring clean your plumbing, electrical, heating and air systems, and/or swimming pools? These oft-forgotten areas can circulate dust particles or even leave bacteria in your drinking water. If you haven’t thought of cleaning these items before, don’t worry, read our Authority Brands Spring Cleaning Guide for easy tips on how to address these areas of your home this spring.
Authority Brands is the leading provider of in-home services, building brands that support the success of franchisees as well as better the lives of the homeowners we serve and the people we employ. These include America’s Swimming Pool Company, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, The Cleaning Authority, Homewatch Caregivers, Mister Sparky Electrical, Mosquito Squad, and One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning.
In this time of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, The Cleaning Authority is offering deep cleaning services and is providing estimates for future whole house cleaning services, including move-in/move-out cleanings, one-time cleanings, and bi-weekly cleanings. Get an estimate today.
Read the Authority Brands Spring Cleaning Guide Now
Spring Cleaning Guide
Four Oft-Forgotten Things You Should Clean This Spring
What Do You Spring Clean? INTRODUCTION Spring cleaning. What exactly does it include? For you, maybe it’s scrubbing your base boards, and for your neighbor, it’s sorting through old papers. Most people agree that spring cleaning includes giving your home some TLC that you haven’t been able to provide over the course of the year—or years! It’s also about organizing and possibly throwing out items that you don’t use anymore.
But do you spring clean your plumbing, electrical, and heating, and air systems? Not to mention getting your pool ready for the summer if you have one?
These oft-forgotten areas can be home to dust particles, bacteria, or worse. If you haven’t thought of cleaning these items before, don’t worry, read on for easy tips on how to address these areas of your home this spring.
YOUR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Tidy Tips to Maintain Your Electrical Health
When we think about spring cleaning, we tend to forget about our electrical system. It’s easier to see the dust on the TV than the dust inside the TV. Maintaining a healthy electrical system is a crucial part of keeping your home clean and tidy. Here are a few things you can do:
- Clean Your Light Switches. Light switches get a lot of traffic. Give them all a thorough wipe down.
- Check Your Electrical Panels. As you add electrical appliances and circuits, you increase the workload on your panel. Depending on age and usage, your electrical panel may need to be upgraded or replaced or a sub-panel added to keep up with demand.
- Check Lightbulbs. Make sure lightbulbs match the listed wattage for each light fixture to eliminate safety hazards and reduce the risk of fire. You should also clean your lightbulbs using a soft, lint-free cloth.
- Inspect Your Cord. Electrical cords can be damaged in all sorts of ways, from getting pinched in doorways, punctured with tools, or even nibbled on by pets or vermin.
- Move Any Misplaced Cords. It’s always best to keep cords out of the middle of the floor to prevent a tripping hazard. Remove any cords running under carpet, rugs, doorways, in bushes, hanging up, and especially move them far away from water.
- Clean Your Dryer Ducts. Dryer fires are a serious hazard that can easily be avoided by cleaning the interior and exterior of your dryer hose and exhaust vent. Inspect your dryer vent for clogs and lint buildup every few months.
A clean home is a safe home. And, taking proper care of your electrical system can keep your home running for years. But sometimes being attentive and vigilant isn’t enough — and you may find that you’re in need of repairs or an upgrade. Put your trust in a company that you know will get the work done safely — call Mister Sparky.
YOUR PLUMBING
Spring Clean In and Around Your Plumbing Systems
Clean Your Showerhead. A dirty showerhead not only prevents your shower from operating efficiently, it can expose you to bacteria. Here’s what to do:
- Get Your Hands Dirty. Remove the showerhead so you can get in between the holes with a tooth brush.
- Soak It. Soak the showerhead in a tub of white vinegar for a few hours. The acidity of the vinegar makes it easier to scrub away calcium deposits and debris.
- Clean the Filter. Check the manual for your showerhead to see how to properly remove the filter, which will be connected to the pipe. Cleaning the filter can dramatically improve the flow of water and efficiency of your fixture.
From clogged drains to grimy toilets, your plumbing systems can really use a deep clean, inside and out. If your cleaning job reveals some underlying issues or becomes too tricky to handle—like severely clogged drains—it might be time to call a plumbing expert. No sink, toilet, or tub is made to last forever, and etched-in rust stains may require a new fixture or a water softening system. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing has a locally owned and operated location near you that’s ready to help. Learn more about Benjamin Franklin Plumbing.
Deep Clean Your Toilet. Pour vinegar into your toilet bowl and let it sit overnight. In the morning, use a sturdy toilet brush to scrub around the bowl. A toothbrush and a little baking soda can help get the hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. Don’t forget to give the flushing handle a scrub and a spray with disinfectant. Then, throw out old carpets that wrap around the toilet. They may look nice, but they can harbor germs throughout your whole bathroom.
Tackle Clogged Drains. Have you been ignoring your clogged sink? Spring is the perfect time to tackle the annoying water belching from your drains. If you’re lucky, you can resolve the problem by using a plunger. For a tougher clog, you’ll need a plumbing expert to take over.
Remove Stubborn Rust Stains. If your water has a high iron content, it can leave brown stains around your sinks, tubs, and toilets. This can happen even if the water tastes normal and appears to be clear. If your toilet bowl has a brownish ring around the water line, it may be rust which takes serious elbow grease to clean. Try lemon juice mixed with salt or a chemical cleaner that contains hydrochoric acid.
Fight Biofilm. If it’s been a while since you’ve cleaned your sinks and showers, you might have noticed sticky goo on the plumbing fixtures. How about the ooze that comes up when you clear a hairball from your shower drain? Meet biofilm. Use a damp cloth and your favorite cleaning solution to wipe it away. Make sure you research your specific faucet type, so you don’t accidently use a cleaner that damages the finish
If your cleaning job reveals some underlying issues or becomes too tricky to handle—like severely clogged drains—it might be time to call a plumbing expert. No sink, toilet, or tub is made to last forever, and etched-in rust stains may require a new fixture or a water softening system. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing has a locally owned and operated location near you that’s ready to help. Learn more about Benjamin Franklin Plumbing
YOUR AIR QUALITY
Spring Cleaning to Improve Air Quality in Your Home
Beginning in the 1970s, houses have been built “tighter” to keep cold air out in the winter and hot air out in the summer. While this is a great way to conserve energy, it is also a cause of “Tight Home Syndrome,” which means dirty and stale air is locked in your home. This contributes to indoor air pollution.
The American Lung Association, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and other organizations have expressed their concerns about the dangers of indoor air pollution. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor allergens and irritants play a significant role in triggering asthma attacks and other health issues.
This year, don’t forget to include your home’s air in your spring cleaning activities. Follow our checklist below to make sure you’re taking care of your home’s air quality during spring cleaning: If you want to be healthier and more comfortable in your home, it’s a good idea to start by improving your indoor air quality.
- Open the windows and let some fresh air in while you’re doing your spring cleaning. • Switch to fragrance-free cleaning products, laundry detergent, dish soap, etc.
- Get more houseplants to help naturally remove toxins in the air.
- Have your ducts cleaned by a professional.
- Switch out your heavy curtains and rugs for ones with thinner fabric, as they will capture less dust.
- Replace your air filters.
- Organize your coat closest and use it! The more you wear your jacket or other outdoor clothes throughout the house, the more outdoor allergens you’re spreading inside.
- Ask the professionals at One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning about which air quality system is best for your home
If you want to be healthier and more comfortable in your home, it’s a good idea to start by improving your indoor air quality. Your local One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning team offers a full range of indoor air quality services for your climate and lifestyle. Visit One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning today to request your appointment
YOUR POOL
Tips for keeping your pool clean and properly maintained
Weekly pool maintenance is ideal for ensuring satisfactory water chemistry, sanitation, and overall appearance of your pool. If left untreated, your pool water could grow algae blooms or become a breeding ground for serious bacteria like E.Coli. Untreated pools can also cost you hundreds to thousands of dollars in equipment repair, liner replacement, and pool resurfacing.
DIY Pool Maintenance
Routine Ensure your pool stays healthy and sparkly clean with a weekly pool maintenance checklist.
Weekly Pool Maintenance Checklist
- Check pool water chemistry, record chemical readings, and add chemicals as needed.
- Empty skimmer baskets, pool pump basket, and automatic pool cleaner debris bag.
- Skim pool water surface for leaves and debris.
- Brush tile or vinyl at water surface around the entire pool, including pool steps and benches.
- Check filter pressure for appropriate reading.
- Other items as needed unique to your pool features (e.g., cleaning fountain).
Swimming pool homeowners need to create a pool cleaning and maintenance routine, and if you don’t have time to do it yourself, pool experts can be a huge help — saving you time and money!
America’s Swimming Pool Company can give you the peace of mind you have always wanted from a pool service company. All activities are recorded in Pool Ops®, its digital platform, which will email the time we serviced your pool that day, your pool’s chemical readings, the chemicals we added, and a picture of your clean pool.
More Benefits to Spring Cleaning
Spring cleaning began as a way to clean away winter’s mess. In those days, homes were heated by fires, and doors were kept shut tight to keep the warm air in. This, of course, led to soot and grime accumulating during the cold months. These days, with modern heated homes, this kind of cleaning isn’t necessary anymore.
So, what benefits do we reap from spring cleaning today?
- Find Lost Items - Spring cleaning can turn into a treasure hunt finding the items you’ve misplaced, haven’t seen in a year, or completely forgot you had!
- Increase Productivity - Decluttering and organizing your home will save you time in the day-to-day and clear out your space from distractions
- Purge - Spring cleaning is the perfect time to get rid of stuff. Go through your closets, drawers, and cabinets and clear out what you don’t need.
- Be Happy - Studies show a clean home makes people happier! Cleaning can also give a sense of satisfaction that will put you in a good mood.
- Bonus: Make Some Money - Take those items you don’t need any more and have a yard sale, take them to a consignment shop, or sell them online
Need more help with keeping your home clean? When you hire The Cleaning Authority, we spend the first two cleans fully detail cleaning your home. From there, we continue with a careful system that divides your home into four zones and rotates which is deep cleaned. This system ensures your home gets the level of clean it needs at the right frequency. Visit The Cleaning Authority to find the location nearest to you and get a free online estimate!