Spring-cleaning time is upon us. Most homemakers are ready to embark on a cleaning spree of their entire house or parts of it. Nothing is left to chance, no corners go untouched and no surface goes unpolished. Everything is washed, wiped, dusted and/or shined from top to bottom.

In our section of the earth where snow doesn’t fall, the best time for spring-cleaning is probably when there’s no rain. Which means now is a perfectly good opportunity since we are not likely to have much rain before the hurricane season begins in June.

Of course, it makes sense to choose days when it’s not scorching hot. Otherwise, after only a few minutes you’ll be sweating like you’ve just ran in the Olympics. Find that mid zone between cold/rainy weather and extreme heat and you’re set.

Now that you know when to, let’s address the ‘what?’ and ‘how?’ We’ll break this section down by household areas: living room, dining room, bedroom, bathroom, the verandah and kitchen.

Living Room
Here we are likely to have a lot of furniture and perhaps stereos and televisions. When cleaning sofas don’t just dust off the top, kids, and adults too, sometimes unknowingly hide treasures beneath the cushions!

Remove rugs and give them a real scrub down outside and pay special attention to soils. Or take it to a rug/carpet cleaner. Be extra careful with appliances and always ensure they’re plugged out before you start to work on them. Drapes, of course, need to be taken down and washed and ironed before returning them to the windows.

Dining room
When cleaning the dining room remember under the tables and chairs and the back of the breakfront. With overhead fans and chandeliers you should take your time cleaning this area of the house.

Bedroom
Your bed, night tables and chest of drawers must get a detailed wiping. Dusting just scatters particles and you’re almost right back where you started. For mirrors, using damp used newspaper is an economical cleaning item but of course the fancy stuff in the supermarket works too. Empty closets before you start cleaning. And don’t forget to clean the back of the closet and dressers; sometimes they house spider webs.

Bathroom
Now for the “throne room.” Most people want the bathroom to be the cleanest place in their home. The face basin and toilet needs careful attention. But you also have to wipe the toiletries where dust gathers. Storage areas should also get a good cleaning, as should rugs and foot towels.

Verandah
Cleaning the verandah is probably the easiest spring-cleaning task. Give everything a good scrub down, and dust your welcome mat before soaking it in a strong cleaning agent. You may need to clean plant pots if you have any, and you probably should take down awnings to get them really clean.

Kitchen
The kitchen is probably the hardest place to clean in the household. Appliances like the coffee maker, microwave and blender gather muck easily and over time these demand a good scrubbing. We will assume that your refrigerator and stove get a regular cleaning, but now is the time to work over the top and the sides if these appliances are squeezed into spaces. Make sure to properly clean knobs and burners when cleaning stoves.

Drawers and cupboards in the kitchen means much muscle work if yours is large. Changing the contact paper in your drawers after each spring-cleaning is not a bad idea.

General Household
Ceilings and fans, floors, windows and doors all must get their share of cleaning. Lamps and ceramics, paintings and sculptures also need attention.

Work from a checklist so you don’t realize a week later that something is still full of dust. Take breaks while cleaning so you don’t get dehydrated. Carry a water bottle and small face towel around with you. If you have kids, rope them into the day-long action, or take it room by room. No need to do everything at once. Finally, sit back and relax when you’re finished, and enjoy the comfort of your clean space.