Preparing Your Apartment for Spring

Though sometimes it may seem that winter will never end, the coming of spring is inevitable for all apartment dwellers. Preparing your apartment for spring and doing a little apartment maintenance today will help you welcome warmer weather and good times into your apartment.
Spring cleaning
For many people, preparing for spring means spring cleaning. When you’re ready to roll up your sleeves, you don’t want to search endlessly for supplies. Assemble everything together ahead of time in a handy cleaning caddy and you can save your time and energy for scrubbing. Ready-to-work clothes, rubber gloves, scrub brushes, old toothbrushes, cleaning cloths and some standard cleaning agents are a good basic beginning. You’d be amazed at what can be accomplished with vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda, for instance.
In addition to a more thorough version of your regular apartment cleaning routine, you’ll want to tackle all the areas you may have avoided for the last year — windows, appliances, mirrors, light fixtures, vents, cupboard/pantry shelves and under the beds. You’ll also want to make sure your vacuum cleaner and mops are in working order with fresh bags and heads, respectively, and ready to conquer your floors.
Lose the dust so you can breathe easy
With warmer weather, allergies are also an issue. Keeping a handle on dust year-round is a necessity, with regular vacuuming, dusting and laundering, especially if you have pets. Give your apartment a good dusting now and you will be able to maintain a dust-free pad. While you’re changing you linen and vanquishing the big-game dust creatures under your bed, also vacuum your mattress.
As the temperature rises, so can the humidity, increasing the chance for mold and mildew. This duo can especially be an issue in bathrooms, but they can build up in any area of your apartment. You might want to consider a dehumidifier to help keep your apartment’s humidity at between 30 and 50 percent.
This is also the time to get your heating and air system serviced, filters changed and, if necessary, ducts cleaned.
Out with the old
While you’re preparing for some major apartment cleaning, you’ll want to get as much stuff out of the way as possible. This makes it a great time to sort and remove all the detritus that’s built up since last spring. Make one pile for what you want to keep, one for what gets sold, and another for donations. Include a garbage can or bag for the jetsam that should just be tossed. Perform this purge in every room, cabinet and closet in your apartment and you can truly say you’ve done a spring cleaning.
Play it cool
Now is the time to swap out cold-weather bedding and clothing for the warm-weather alternatives. Make sure all linens and clothing are clean and mended before you pack them away in hanging bags or plastic bins. Keep moths from nibbling at expensive knits by using repellents (such as moth balls or less intrusive lavender or cedar), in addition to storage bags or containers. You’ll also want to reverse the direction of any ceiling fans so that they run clockwise, pushing warm air up and away.
Got a little cabin fever? Why not take your apartment-bound time to get ready for spring? Get the hard work done now, and you’ll be free to head outside and enjoy the warmer weather when it arrives.