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Spring is here! The grass is green and the tulips are ready to burst into bloom. Too bad you can't see any of it because your windows are so filthy.
Ridding a home of winter's dirt and grime takes a bit of time, a lot of elbow grease and isn't something many people relish.
"Spring cleaning really isn't as a daunting as people think -- especially if you have the right tools," says Danielle Colella, owner of Clean Freaks cleaning service and consultant with Electrolux Home Care Products.
"It's a lot of work but I look forward to the ritual of spring cleaning," says Etobicoke mom Wendy Fester. "The house looks geat when I'm finished!"
April is a good time to tackle the big jobs -- washing windows and walls -- but you should do so over several days rather than trying to get it all done in one weekend. Having the right tools on hand also makes getting down and dirty less of chore.
"You need three things to make your home sparkle and shine -- a natural cleaner, a micro-fibre cloth and a vacuum," adds Colella, whose policy is "clean it like our own."
Her company swoops in with a team of two and tackles all jobs from "top to bottom." They bring their own cleaning products, use a hepa filter vacuum and charge $70 to $150 for one to three hours of work.
Molly Maid, another Canadian success story, also work in teams of two, brings their own equipment and supplies, and says the average house costs approximately $80 for one and one-half-hours of labour.
Regardless of who does the scrubbing, the goal is a spotless, sweet-smelling home. Using air fresheners and harsh cleansers will get the job done, but could also do more harm than good, particulary if anyone in the home is chemically-sensitive.
According to Brian Stocks of The Lung Assocation, using eco-friendly cleaners have two benefits: "They don't put people's respiratory health at risk and they're much kinder to the oudoor environment."
The Healthy Home Audit, a booklet produced by the Ontario Lung Association suggests storing chemical-laden cleaners in a tightly-sealed container if you must use them. The booklet is packed with green cleaning tips and is available by calling 1-888-566-5864, or visiting yourhealthyhome.ca.
Cleaning with baking soda and vinegar are good alternatives, as are natural cleansers such as Method -- a new, biodegradable line of products available at Shoppers Drug Mart. They are beautifully packaged, heavenly-scented and cover all your cleaning needs, from dish and laundry soaps to granite and leather cleaners.
"At Method, we believe the act of cleaning is not just the elimination of dirt, but rather the creation of a beautiful, pure and umcompromised environment," says Lindsay Balton of Method.