Tips and Tools:

Spring Cleaning & Storage

If you pick a time each year to reevaluate your storage needs, you can keep your house or office clutter free all year long. There’s no better time to do this than during the spring. The temperature is comfortable, and it’s time to pack your winter clothing and pull your lightweight clothing out of storage anyway. So go ahead and take this time to look through your house and see what is ready for storage.
Use these tips to make spring cleaning easier.

• Use the principal of starting at the top and working to the bottom. Dusting a ceiling fan after you’ve swept the floor just means you have to sweep the floor over again. When you clean, work around the room from one side to the next so you don’t miss anything. Clean ceiling fans and molding, work down to the walls, then move to window sills. Clean furniture next. Leave the baseboards for last. As you clean, take stock of any redecorating you’d like to do. Perhaps you want to change out your winter draperies for lighter curtains. If so, launder or dry lean the curtains, fold them, wrap them carefully and pack them for storage.
• Clean behind appliances and set bug traps if you suspect a bug infestation.
• Check smoke detectors and replace batteries.
• Clear counters and shelves. Don’t just put items back where you found them! Consider whether you still need the items. If you don’t need them, throw them out, give them to charity or put them in a pile for storage.
• For major redecorating or renovation projects, consider short term storage. Putting valuable furniture in storage keeps it from being damaged during the renovation process.
• Steam clean your couch, upholstered chairs and mattresses.
• Clean the closets. It’s time to pack the coats, sweaters, boots and heavy jackets away. Make sure your clothes are cleaned, pressed and mended before you store them. If you will never wear an item again, now is the time to give it to charity. Throw away articles of clothing that are torn or stained.
• Do any minor repair work your home needs: regrout tubs, replace cracked tiles and repair broken baseboards. Maintaining your home keeps you from having more serious problems down the line.
• Sweep, mop, clean and replace used air vents.
• Check your lights—including the patio lights—for burned out bulbs.
• Is your garage a mess? Now is the time to clean it. Once your spring cleaning is complete, pack any excess outdoor tools and equipment and send them to storage.

Spring cleaning is a lot of work, but taking care of your home on a regular basis keeps you from facing big problems later on. And when you make a date to clean, it’s easy to rotate your stored belongings regularly and efficiently.

Even better? We have locations all over Illinois, so your belongings are never far from home.