While a regular cleaning regimen is essential to maintain your home’s cleanliness and organization, there are a number of important chores you may be forgetting about as you really only have to do them once per year. Check out these things you should be taking care of at least once per year.
Curtains, Drapes, and Shades
Even though they are vertical, your curtains, drapes, and shades collect a lot of dirt and dust. It might be easy to overlook these during your everyday cleaning routines, and that is why these make the perfect once-per-year clean. Follow the cleaning and care instructions provided on your drapes or curtains; most can be washed just like your clothes. Shades can be dusted with a regular microfiber duster or vacuumed using a brush attachment. While you have your window covering off, you should clean the windowsills and glass. Also, clean the curtain rods and wipe down the walls typically covered by the drapes or curtains.
Outdoor Furniture
If you have been keeping up with cleaning your outdoor furniture as it gets dirty, you can get away with washing it only once per year. The best time to clean your outdoor furniture is either right when you get it out for the season or right before you put it away for winter. Simply wash it off with soap and water and leave it out to dry on a sunny day.
Carpet and Upholstered Furniture
The end of summer is the perfect time to have your carpets cleaned before spending much more time inside this winter. The best way to do this is to set aside a whole day, clean everything else in your home, and rent a carpet cleaning machine and get to work. For bigger jobs or those who can afford it, hiring a professional is always an option. Cleaning carpets and upholstered furniture will get out stains, dirt, and odors. Cleaning carpets and upholstered furniture should be done at least once per year to keep your things clean and looking nice.
Mattresses
Don’t forget to clean your mattress! Now is the time to take everything off of your bed, run it through the washer, and clean your mattress. Wash your mattress cover on a sanitize setting in your washer to get rid of all dirt, germs, and bacteria. Thoroughly vacuum the top, bottom, and sides of your mattress. Next, use warm water and some fabric cleaner to spot clean the top of your mattress. You can also take this opportunity to flip or rotate your mattress, so it wears evenly.
Kitchen Cabinets, Drawers, and Pantry
This is best done right before the holiday season. Clean out all of your kitchen cabinets, drawers, and pantry. Completely empty each of these, one by one, and take careful inventory of what you have, throwing out anything expired and making a note of anything you need to restock.
Linen Closet
Take the time once per year to thoroughly go through your linen closet. Vacuum and dust out any spider webs in here; sort through your linens, making a note of what is unused and donating it, and trashing anything old and worn. Organize the closet by seasonal items and the things you use the most and make sure everything is folded neatly.
Documents and Files
Even in our digital world, there is still paperwork to be sorted and files to organize. Once a year, you should go through any physical paperwork you have and file it, and go through your digital files. You can save space and stay organized to scan any physical paperwork you have and create digital files on your computer. Not only is this going to reduce the physical clutter in your home, but your files will be easier to find and search through. For extra peace of mind, make digital backups in the cloud of your most important files.
