As the half way point of spring quarter approaches and the beginning of May appears, hope and desperation are lingering in the air. Summer is just starting to come into reach and the hot Southern California sun is already gracing us with its presence. Yet standing in our way are piles of midterms, projects, and essays that accompany the week five, six, and seven slump. With motivation and grade point averages crumbling around us, it is primetime to spring clean. There is nothing like a good purge of everything that is literally gross in your life to get you back on track to sail through the last few weeks (and it will make the moving out process easier). This may be the first time that you’ve spring cleaned but with the easy step by step guide below, simply grab your cleaning supplies and go room to room with the list. Before you know it, your apartment will be clean, your life will be organized, and you’ll be ready to charge through the next few weeks like the sophisticated, put-together adult that you are.
Room #1: The Kitchen
1. Clean out your refrigerator and throw away anything passed its expiration date or growing questionable substances
· Once your fridge has been purged of anything disgusting, take the time to wipe down the shelves and compartments with a disinfecting wipe.
· If your fridge is stainless steel, make sure to use some stainless steel wipes on the outside to remove accumulated finger prints and stains.
2. Clean the inside of your microwave.
· Bubbling soups and exploding pasta may leave stains on the microwave, but thankfully, cleaning it is super easy. Step 1) put 1/8- ¼ cup lemon juice or squeeze juice from half a lemon in a microwave safe bowl and fill half way with water. Step 2) Microwave the lemon juice/water mixture for five minutes and let sit for two minutes. Step 3) Wipe off all of the food with a rag or paper towel (it will come off with no scrubbing necessary!)
3. Go through your cabinet/pantry and organize by food type. Put the baking supplies into one cabinet, the canned goods in another, the chips in one place, etc. Plastic bins may be helpful with this process. Don’t forget to throw out any chips and crackers that have gone stale. If you’re feeling super motivated, tackle the organization of other cupboards that have gotten messy.
4. Clean the sink, stove, oven, etc. Clean any dishes remaining in the sink and wipe the sink out with some soft scrub or simply a soap and sponge. Clean your stove top and remove any crumbs that have accumulated under the burners.
5. Wipe down the counter tops and put away appliances or unnecessary items taking up counter space.
6. Finish off the kitchen space by vacuuming and mopping the floor.
Room #2: The Bathroom
1. Go through your bathroom medicine cabinet, drawers, and cabinets. Throw out old make-up and empty bottles. *For tips on when to throw away make-up, reference this Her Campus article: http://www.hercampus.com/school/uc-irvine/use-it-or-lose-it-when-say-goodbye-your-favorite-beauty-products
2. Give your shower and shower drain a good thorough cleaning by scrubbing the floor and walls. If your drain is clogging up, think about purchasing some Draino or a drain stopper to catch the hair.
3. Clean the sink with a soft scrub, a sponge, and some hot water. Use the scratchy side of the sponge to remove all the toothpaste stains!
4. Clean the toilet. To help you out in the future, purchase some blue toilet water tablets. It’ll help you keep your toilet bowl clean for at least a few weeks.
5. Replace the towels with some freshly washed ones.
6. Clean the mirror with Windex and disinfect the counter tops.
Room #3: Bedroom/Closet
1. Change your sheets! Put on a new set of sheets or toss your sheets into the washing machine. While you’re at it, wash your pillow cases (a clean pillow case can help prevent acne!) and your comforter if it is machine washable.
2. This may be a big task to tackle, but cleaning out your closet will help you keep track of what you have and enable you to get dressed without stepping over piles of shoes. How you organize your closet is up to you but to make it easier for next year, flip all of your hangers around the opposite direction. When you wear the article of clothing, flip the hanger around the right way. At the same time next year, get rid of anything on a hanger still facing the wrong way because you didn’t wear it all year.
3. Organize dresser drawers and clean out the piles under the bed.
4. Vacuum the carpet and dust all surfaces.
Room #4: Living Room
1. Vacuum the carpet. Do a thorough vacuuming job by getting under coffee tables, barstools, etc.
2. Dust all surfaces, including lightly dusting the television screen.
3. Wash any blankets and throws on the couches.
4. Clean the windows with Windex.
Finished! Even if you only did a few of the things on this list, be proud that you have created a cleaner living space to help you survive the final few weeks before summer. Hang in there anteaters, you’re almost there!