April 22, 2020

- Dust your ceiling fans. Pro Tip: Use a pillow case! Slip a pillow case over the blade to wipe the dust off the sides, top and bottom. That way, all the dust stays on the pillow case — instead of going everywhere!
- Clean your washer and dryer. Get rid of mold and mildew odors, as well as a built up of soap and fabric residue in your washer by running the machine empty with hot water and about 2 cups of white vinegar. You should also thoroughly clean the lint trap in your dryer.
- Deep clean the inside of your oven. Generously sprinkle baking soda on the bottom of the oven. Using a spray bottle, wet the baking soda with vinegar (you don’t want a puddle of vinegar.) Let the mixture sit for about 4 hours or overnight, then wipe away vinegar and baking soda with a textured sponge.
- Check the batteries in your fire and carbon monoxide detectors.
- Check and if necessary, replace water filters in your fridge, portable water filter or under sink filtration system.
- Give your coffee maker a good cleaning. If you’re like me, your coffee maker has been working over-time since I’ve been working from home, so it could probably use a little TLC.
- Empty your coffee pot. Dump out any leftover coffee from the pot and empty the filter of used grounds.
- Add vinegar and water. Fill the coffee pot with 3 cups white vinegar and 6 cups cold water. Pour the mixture into the coffee maker’s reservoir. Tip: If your coffee maker is small, adjust the white vinegar to water using a 1:2 ratio.
- Turn on the coffee maker to brew a pot. Once the brewing cycle is complete, shut off the machine and allow the vinegar solution to sit for 15 minutes.
- Brew water-only for two cycles. This will get rid of any remaining vinegar taste. Turn off the coffee maker for 15 minutes between each brewing cycle
- Wipe down your refrigerator shelves and drawers and throw away expired foods.
- Empty your pantry of anything expired. Yes, it’s time to throw away the 4 bags of expired chip crumbles. Dust or vacuum the pantry shelves and then organize your unexpired goods back into the pantry.
- Wash your shower curtain liner. If your plastic shower curtain liner is dirty or mildewed wash it in your washing machine, along with two bath towels, on the gentle setting.
- Your dog or cat bed. Vacuum the bed and use a spot cleaner to remove and stubborn stains. If the bed has a removable cover, or is small enough, toss it in the washer. If not, you can wash the bed by hand in the bath tub with mild detergent.