Dust and dirt on baseboard heaters can prevent the warm air from circulating properly, meaning they have to work harder and use more energy to maintain the room temperature.
What to do, and what to listen to while you're doing it
Look up the word "chore" in a thesaurus and you get a roster of no-fun words that include job, duty, work, and drudgery. But spring cleaning doesn't have to be a pain. And it pays off with a more organized, efficient and claner home.
Here are 10 spring cleaning tips, along with music and podcasts designed to make the time fly.
1. Declutter first, then start cleaning
It's easier to clean when you have less stuff to deal with. Sort through your belongings, then donate, sell, recycle or toss items. Zero in on high-traffic areas such as your living room, kitchen, and entry way before getting into storage areas.
Pro tip: Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea and schedule your spring cleaning, detailing where you'll start, how you'll get it done, and which bins you'll use to sort the clutter.
Podcast: Decluttering takes awhile, and theringer.com's Rewatchables podcast – deep dives into fabulous movies – is a perfect distraction. The hosts bring insight, opinion, and a whole lot of laughs.
2. Tackle one room at a time
Focus on one room and you'll avoid feeling overwhelmed. You could even do one room per week – just stick to the schedule.
Pro tip: Begin with spaces that need the most help, such as your kitchen or bathroom, and have a plan. Start from the top, cleaning the ceiling, fans, and light fixtures, and work your way down to the floor.
Music: Studies show that for most of us, the songs we love most are from when we were in our twenties. Dive into a whole album, or find an Apple or Spotify mix based on your decade of choice.
3. Deep clean appliances
Appliances accumulate grime and dust that are easy to overlook. They'll be run more efficiently, and last longer, when their cleaned regularly
Start with your oven, refrigerator, and microwave. For the oven, use a good degreaser and let it sit before scrubbing. In the fridge, discard expired food and clean shelves with warm soapy water. Don't forget to check your fridge and freezer temperature, and also test the quality of the seal around the fridge door.
Clean your dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer. Run cleaning cycles and wipe down parts.
Pro tip: If you have an Instant Pot, use one silicone sealing ring for mild dishes and another when you're going big with garlic or spice. But they will pick up odors, so steam clean them with white vinegar or lemon.
Podcast: The co-hosts of A Hot Dog is a Sandwich (available on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube) tackle the really big food questions, including Should You Wash Your Cast Iron Skillet?, Is Grocery Store Sushi Underrated?, What's the Best Way to Cook Bacon?, and What Your Coffee Order Says About You.
4. Tune your heating/cooling to the season
As the weather warms and you adjust your schedule to spend more time away from home, tune your thermostats to reflect that new schedule. If they're programmable, set them to 16°C overnight or when no one's likely to be home. If not, do it manually to save money.
Dust fans and baseboard heaters, change the direction of your ceiling fan (clockwise in cool months, counter-clockwise in summer), and use your window coverings strategically.
Pro tip: Turn your heating off in unused rooms. We hear from customers who can't figure out why their spring or summer bill is so high… only to discover that they've left on a baseboard heater.
Music: If you're a fan of alternative or indie music, try Spotify's Spring Mix playlist. Want something more mainstream? Apple Music's Spring playlist, updated each Friday, is a whole lot of fun.
5. Fix water and air leaks
That drip-drip-drip may seem inconsequential, but it can add up to 11,350 litres of water each year, and if it's hot water that's leaking, fixing it can save on your electricity costs. Go a step further and install tap and shower aerators to reduce your water use.
It doesn't just make sense to draftproof before the winter season. Your home will stay cooler and more comfortable on hot days if your doors and windows don't leak. Learn how to check for drafts and fix them.
Pro tip: Spend less time in the shower and/or switch to invigorating cold showers. You'll save big on your water heating bills.
Podcast: CBC Ideas podcast host Nahlah Ayed sat down last October with Robert McFarland – one of the world's leading writers on natural history and landscapes – to talk about 'How the anthropocene is changing the elements and us'
6. Clean windows and blinds
Clear windows and clean blinds let more natural light in. And if you leave those blinds too long… they'll need to be replaced at a high cost.
Use a streak-free window cleaner, and don't forget to clean the window sills and tracks. For blinds, use a microfibre cloth to dust each slat or clean them with a specialized cleaner.
Pro tip: Clean your windows on a cloudy day. Avoid sunny day cleaning – your cleaner will dry on a hot window before you have time to wipe it off – and go for a walk, run, or bike ride instead.
Music: Energize with a playlist such as Spotify's Feel Good Cleaning Mix that features everything from Prince, to The Killers, to Michael Jackson, and Aretha Fran7. klin, or Apple Music's Cleaning The House.
7. Tackle closets and wardrobes
This is a three-part play that really pays off when done right. First, get rid of (donate, sell, recycle) anything you haven't worn in the past year. Second, do a seasonal switch of your wardrobe. Third, organize with bins and dividers.
Pro tip: Launder any items that need it before you sort them. That includes items you intend to donate or sell.
Podcast: What started out as a popular Instagram account @everyoutfitonsatc became the podcast Every Outfit. Which investigates the likes of Sharon Stone's fashion choices on Basic Instinct. If that's a tad too spicy for you, try 99% Invisible's fascinating Articles of Interest series on the history of clothing items.
8. Declutter your paperwork
You work hard to digitize everything, but you still have files and piles of paper. Clutter crushes our souls, especially when futilely searching for a document in a cluttered drawer.
Go through old mail, bills, and papers. Shred what you don't need, organize the rest into folders or files, and create a system to prevent paper clutter in the future.
Pro tip: Cut down on paper in your home by spending the time to transfer all your bills, statements and payments online. Do it immediately upon receiving a paper statement you don't need, or organize those in a "go paperless" file so you can tackle everything at once on a rainy day.
Music: You'll be at it for awhile, so discover some of the best new music of 2024, a year when the girls ruled: from Waxahatchee's 'Tigers Blood', to Ariana Grande's 'Eternal Sunshine', Billie Eilish's 'Hit Me Hard and Soft', Sabrina Carpenter's 'Short ‘n Sweet', Beyonce's 'Cowboy Carter', and Charlie XCX's 'Brat'.
9. Discard expired prescriptions, update your emergency/first aid kits
Grab a baggie and do a major uncluttering of your bathrooms drawers, discarding all expired medications and over-the-counter drugs, cosmetics, vitamins, and natural health products. Never dump medications down the drain – take the bag to your local drug store, which will safely dispose of the meds.
Give your first aid kit some TLC, along with any grab-and-go or other emergency kits you have on hand. Is your emergency bottled water or food supply expired? Check those supplies too. Spring cleaning is the perfect time to refresh your wardrobe and make room for new items.
Pro tip: Build a 72-hour emergency kit and make sure everyone in the household knows what's in it and where to find it. We don't just have occasional power outages in B.C. We're also in an earthquake zone, and floods and wildfires are becoming more frequent as the climate changes.
Podcast: Psychotherapist Esther Perel's Where Should We Begin? is one of the world's most popular podcasts for a reason. Intimate and essential insights into a wide variety of subjects that focus on relationships, from dating, to marriage, to the workplace.
10. Focus on air quality
Spring can bring in allergens and dust, so it's important to ensure your home's air is fresh.
Change air filters in your heating and cooling systems. Consider using air purifiers, and clean any vents or fans. Wash bedding and curtains to reduce dust buildup.
Pro tip: Jump on any condensation issues you have in your home before you build a costly and risky mould problem. Clean your bathroom and kitchen fans and use them regularly. Replace them if they're not doing the job or are so noisy you seldom turn them on.
Podcast: Treat yourself to Dr. Brian Goldman's CBC Radio series White Coat, Black Art. Recent episodes pondered the question of How does chocolate make me healthier?, What do I need to know about HPV and the HPV vaccine?, and How do I cut back or even quit alcohol?