Time to Sparkle and Shine

With everything outside in bloom and many of us spending more time in our homes spring cleaning has taken on a whole new meaning this year. Below are some tips on how to get your car looking like new and your house smelling good all the time.

First the car or truck since many of you are on the road keeping America running (thank you for that). I have recently learned that not everybody likes that new car smell…to say I was shocked would be an understatement. So, let’s just say to get that vehicle looking brand new here are some tips from the experts.

1. Make sure you clean the outside about every two weeks. This helps protect the paint and everything from dirt and other grime you may encounter on your adventures.
2. Clean those floor mats! Remove them and shake off the crumbs and use a brush to breakup the stuff left behind and vacuum that up. For stains, use carpet cleaner like Resolve to spot clean and get those floor mats looking fresh. While we are on the topic of Vacuuming…just vacuum the whole thing. Make sure you get those carpets really good and in between the cupholders and the floor.
3. Not for the seats. This will all come down to what kind of seats you have in your car.

1. Leather…Use special wipes or a mild soap and a cloth to clean the leather. If your seats have perforations, use as little liquid as possible.
2. Vinyl Upholstery…Use your standard all-purpose cleaner for these.
3. Cloth…Treat these like the carpet. Using a brush and spot treatment.  

1. Front / Dash / Center Console…these are the focal point of the car and where dust and dirt like to hangout. Use a microfiber cloth to get rid of the dust. After that use an all-purpose cleaner on a soft cloth to clean the areas. With everything that is going on it is good to make sure all of the areas are also sanitized…doors, windows, steering wheel, seatbelts ect. That is important to do once a week or more depending on your situation. Use just a normal disinfectant wipe for that.
2. Finally…you can flush out those air vents with some compressed air and I like to spray a little Febreze to get things smelling off the lot new.

Next let’s look at the house. Not really cleaning trips some ideas on how to make things a little neater and smell awesome!

1. Organize your closets. How many times have you looked and looked and could not find a thing? Well if you are me, like every day. One big tip to keep like more efficient and save time when getting ready is to organize your closets. Use shoe racks or holders for shoes and bags. Storage totes and shower curtain rings on a hanger can be used to store accessories and use clothing dividers to separate shirts, pants, summer or winter clothing.  
2. Clean your couch!!! Those fabrics hold a lot and a lot of it does not smell good. Most fabrics can be cleaned with just using a simple mixture of mild dish soap and warm water. Be sure to check the labels on your furniture before you start cleaning to ensure it is safe to use those products.
3. And finally…let’s talk about getting that house smelling good all the time.

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1. Clean the garbage disposal. This can be done by using lemon-scented dish soap and running water while you run this disposal.
2. Clean your vacuum before using it. This will keep all of the yucky stuff you already got rid of from getting back onto your floors.
3. Spray your trash can with Lysol…this will not only kill any germs that could be there but will also leave it smelling fresh. If it is really bad…just get a new one.
4. Bring indoor plants in your house (if you can) that give off pleasant fragrances like eucalyptus to naturally add that fresh smell to your house.

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Please make sure you read all the labels before doing any of these things so nothing gets ruined. These tips may not work for all, but if nothing else hopefully I got you thinking about cleaning 😊

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