Thanks to our Awesome friends at Raise for these Spring Cleaning Home & Wallet Tips!

1. Give special attention to large appliances. The kitchen houses many of the large appliances in your home: stove, oven and refrigerator. You can prevent oven fires in your home by scrubbing the inside of your oven. Also make sure to dust your refrigerator coils and defrost your freezer, but first turn off power at your circuit breaker or fuse box.
2. Update the necessities. A first aid kit is one of the most important items in your house. When cleaning your bathroom, make sure the essentials are updated: bandages, ointments and emergency numbers for poison control and your family doctor.

While in your bathroom, comb through your makeup and discard any expired products:

• Mascara is good for three to six months
• Eyeliner lasts six months to a year
• Powder cosmetics, one to two years
• Foundation for six months to two years
• Lipstick is good for two years
• Natural products expire after three to six months

1. Rotate and wash. Over time, mattresses become worn. Either flip or rotate yours every spring to help the mattress wear more evenly. Take this chance to swap your winter bedding for lightweight sheets and blankets. One last thing: wash your pillows. Most pillows, whether made with down or polyester, are machine washable.
2. Organize based on season. Make your life easier as the seasons change with an organized closet. Order your clothes so winter sweaters and coats are in the back, or stored away in vacuum bags, and your spring and summer tanks, shorts, and shirts are easily accessible.

The best part about spring cleaning? Redecorating. Spruce up your home with a splash of color!

1. The great outdoors. Cleaning the outside of your house is one of the largest undertakings for spring cleaning. Around 72% of Americans pay special attention to just their windows. Make sure you clean window screens too. All you need is warm water and a small amount of dish soap.

All your outdoor furniture has endured snow, ice and rain for the past several months so be sure to wash it off before lounging on it. You might need to use a soft bristle brush on some items to scrub off dirt. Treat your decks, patios, driveways and walkways if need be. And replace any light fixtures damaged by winter storms.

1. Re-clean, rewax, reseal. Grout between tiles on your bathroom and kitchen floors stains easily, but you can protect it with grout sealer. For carpeted floors, be sure to shampoo and vacuum them. You can save on carpet-cleaning costs by renting tools like rotary shampoo and hot-water extraction machines.

For your wood floors, once you have finished cleaning them, use a light wax to protect against liquids and wear. Water-based silicone polishes can be used on most styles of wood flooring and are applied with a damp, clean mop head.

1. Freshen up and redecorate. The best part about spring cleaning? Redecorating. Spruce up your home with a splash of color! Instantly brighten up every room with a new set of bedding, towels, table linens, throw pillows and decor. Or, if you are up for a bit of extra work, add a fresh coat of paint to your walls, or plant new beautiful blooms in your garden.
2. Establish a filing system. To start your financial cleaning, organize all your documents. The IRS advises that you keep all records, including tax documents, for six years. Anything older than this, or those you do not need, you can shred. However, it’s always better to err on the side of caution.
3. Make a little, save a little. Before throwing out or donating unused items, sell what you can. There are buy-back locations for books, movies and records, such as Half Price Books. If you come across any gift cards or store credit in your junk drawers, sell those for cash too.
4. Update your policies. Because you’re already sorting through possessions as a part of spring cleaning, this is also the perfect time to update your homeowners insurance inventory. Go through your current insurance policies to see if there is anything you no longer need or wish to change. Need a great local agent! Call Andy Roethele State Farm, Highland Village!

Be Clean, Be Happy, Be Healthy

-CC