Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Coastal Home

Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Coastal Home

We’re sharing some of our favorite tips for Spring cleaning your coastal home to help you get organized, de-clutter, and refresh!

Start From the Outside and Work Your Way In

You’re ready to begin Spring cleaning your coastal home. But, whether you’re planning on selling your home soon or keeping it forever, you probably want it to be as clean on the outside as it is on the inside. Everyone loves a home with great curb appeal. Try and keep the next few weekends open so that when the sunshine and 65° temperatures arrive, you’ll be fully prepared for yard work.

Focus on the big things first, like any trees or bushes that need to be trimmed (or removed if hazardous), then move on to the leaf raking process and finish up with that first cut of the year. Picking up an edger might be worth the cost from Ace Hardware, Lowe’s, or Home Depot, especially if you’ve got a paved driveway and an abundance of road frontage (You can pick one up that runs on a rechargeable battery). Be sure to blow or sweep all the dirt off after to keep your driveway looking clean. (But don’t blow them into our waterways or drainage grates)

 

Tackle Weeds

Next, tackle any weeds you may have sprouted up over the wintertime. A garden stool (or 5 Gallon Bucket turned upside down) can save your knees from the harsh surface of pine needles or mulch. Consider consulting with a landscaping professional if you’ve got an abundance of undesired plants in your yard. Moles have been especially present on island properties and the surrounding areas the last few years. Your local hardware store should have some treatment remedies for these pesky critters.

Finally, turn to focus on your flower beds and pots. You might have to decide what to keep and try to revive versus what just to give up and start over with. Here in Carteret County, we are blessed with an abundance of garden centers with a helpful staff dedicated to helping you find the right plants for your home.

Once you’re all done, make sure to set a regular schedule for routine maintenance. Setting aside a few hours a week to dedicate to your yard will give you an excuse to get outside and keep things looking great throughout the year! You’ll be in awe of your hard work every time you pull into your driveway, which will motivate you to keep the inside of your house clean and looking good, too.

Focusing on small victories is critical to Spring cleaning your coastal home. By starting at the top, you can concentrate on some of the particularly tricky aspects of de-cluttering and move to the typically more accessible elements as you go.

The Kids’ Rooms

Most two-story homes have kids’ rooms and playrooms on the top floor. These tend to be the parts of your house that gather the most ‘stuff’ and never seem organized. Purging gifts, toys, and clothes can be tricky for most, but if you go about it in the right way, it can be satisfying for everyone. Start by gathering a few large boxes and label them ‘Keep’, ‘Yard Sale/Donate’, and ‘Trash.’ Make it a game with your kids to decide which objects will go in which bin, and let them drop the items in themselves.

Depending on how much stuff you’ve accumulated in these areas, you might want to try and focus on spreading the load out equally, or for every one item kept, two will go in the Yard Sale box. If your kids are fighting you on letting go, tell them that the money you raise from their items can go towards something big they’ve been dreaming of – a basketball hoop, vacation, or even into their college fund.

When you’re all done, find a home for everything in the keep pile, and maybe invest in some shelving units to help clean things up a bit. Decide whether or not you are willing to host a Yard Sale, and if not, consider donating the items to a local non-profit and reap the tax benefits. Saying your going to host a Yard Sale later in the year is easy, but will just add more clutter to some of your spaces- make the decision to try and sell everything or give it all away within the next few weeks!

TIP: Keep an Eye out for Community Yard Sale Days and Pages

Community Yard Sales

• Emerald Isle always has one around the beginning of April. You can send a list of items you’ll have, and the group will share it with their followers. It’s a totally free way to spread the word and clear some stuff out! Find more information on the Emerald Isle City Wide Yard Sale Facebook Page
• Swansboro usually hosts theirs at the Municipal Park in May. There may be limited spots available so don’t wait to register! For more info visit the Town of Swansboro’s Facebook Page and check their events tab.
• Search for a community Yard Sale Page in your neighborhood and post the items that you have for sale, just be sure to use caution if you plan on meeting anyone or having them at your house. Many local Police Stations have designated & monitored areas for internet sale exchanges.

Picking out an outfit for the day can feel like one of the most difficult daily chores, but if your closet is clean and organized, the perfect pieces will pop up right in front of your face! Even if you’re not in your dream closet (yet), there are some simple and easy tricks to maximizing space and finding a place for everything.

Where to Start?

Start by removing all the items you know you’ll never wear and pass them off to a friend or colleague who may enjoy them. (Or even a local domestic violence shelter) An easy way to figure out what you don’t wear is to start with all your clothes hangers facing the same way. Every time you wear something, turn the hanger the opposite way when you put it back. Everything that’s facing the original way after a few months may need to go. Color coordinating can go a long way in stimulating your visual triggers – and is highly recommended if your home is listed for sale. More often than not, a potential buyer will look and see what the closet space looks like, and if your clothes are neatly hung in light to dark- the space will feel much larger, and they will want to do the same if they decide to purchase. Using the same style and colored hangers can also go a long way in creating an aesthetic that is sure to please everyone.

TIP: Place a soda can tab over the hook of a hanger, and you’ll be able to hook another hanger onto the other hole. This way you can hang more clothes within the same amount of space.

What’s Next?

Next, focus on the shoes- and throw out any pairs that might be damaged beyond repair (especially with kids!). When you’ve narrowed it down to what you plan on wearing, find an easy storage solution like bookshelves or a basket.

TIP: Use wine bottle box dividers to separate each shoe, so you don’t have to dig to the bottom every time you are looking for that perfect pair.

Scarves, ties, and belts can be stored efficiently by securing plastic shower curtain hooks onto a hanger. Loop the items through the hook, and you can fit multiple items in the same space as a shirt or pair of pants.

TIP: A belt rod on the back of a door, or secured to a small wall is a great way to store those accessories as well.

No Closet? No Problem!

Even rooms without closets can be clutter-free! Assign everything a place, and make sure everything is where it should be before you leave the room. If you assign everything its own space and not everything fits flush against the walls, you might have too many things, and it might be time to catch up on the Marie Kondo method. (Thanks, Netflix!)

Lastly, if you’ve got any extra storage space for clothes, jackets, or other accessories that might not be in season, moving them there would be in your best interest. Knowing North Carolina weather and the erratic temperatures it brings, you might want to keep a few things on hand close by for those abnormal days we all love so much.

Take on the Kitchen

Aside from the daily dish duties and spoiled food purges, you should pay close attention to the cleaning detail of your kitchen. It’s arguably where you spend a lot of your time at home- and it’s sure to be a gathering place when family and friends visit you.

Depending on the size and layout of your kitchen, it might not be a bad idea to spend a day cleaning out all of the cabinets. Try to gather everything on your dining room table and wipe the inside of all your cabinets out, then turn the focus to the cabinet doors and drawer handles. 

TIP: Mr. Clean Magic Erasers might be the best trick if you have all white materials.

While cleaning out your cabinets, take a second to think about the layout of what’s in each nook and the size of the materials going in it. If you’re constantly cramming dishes into a single drawer or fighting to remove the Crock-Pot from a corner cabinet- there might be better locations for bulky items. It might also be time to eliminate some things that aren’t used.

TIP: Try to give everything a specific place, and leave the countertops clear of everything except the essentials (Paper towels, soap, and a coffee maker- because that should always be handy and will probably help you clean the rest of the house).

Moving on to the Pantry

You should once again take everything out to inspect expiration dates, clean shelves, and make the decision to decide which items should be placed where. While everything is out, consider re-painting or touching up some scuff marks as necessary. Definitely don’t forget to sweep or vacuum those hard-to-reach areas, which are sure to gather crumbs from the cookie monster in your house. Consider purchasing plastic containers or glass jars to hold awkwardly shaped and small items, especially if they’re going to be stored in a place where everyone can see. If there’s plenty of room to spare after organizing your food items, consider making a space for bulkier kitchen appliances like Crock-Pots, Mixers, Air-Fryers, etc.

Cleaning the refrigerator out is undoubtedly a chore, but one that might make the most impact in presenting your home. Once again, take everything out and place them in coolers if possible. Most of the racks and drawers are removable, so take those out and put them in the sink. Windex and paper towels or disinfectant wipes will be best for scrubbing those sticky messes and cleaning up the occasional crumb. Just make sure to dry everything off, so the moisture doesn’t build up over time.

TIP: Keep an opened box of Baking Soda in the fridge to help eliminate odors and replace it with a new package every 3 months.

The freezer is a bit trickier, but the biggest thing is to ensure all items with freezer burn are thrown away and space is adequately occupied.

Microwave and Stove Top Cleaning Tips

Finally, turn your focus to the microwave, oven, and stovetop. Since these are the areas that get the most use, they are going to need the most attention. Starting with your microwave, wipe the outside off with a mild cleaning solution, and make sure to scrub the buttons and handle since they are constantly touched – and usually not with clean hands. One of the easiest tricks to cleaning the inside of your microwave is to cut a lemon in half, squeeze the juice into a small glass bowl and add about a 1/2 cup of water. Place the lemons into the bowl and put them in the microwave for 3 minutes. Let the mixture stand for another 5 minutes, then pull it out and wipe all the walls with a rag or sponge. Always cover items like soup with a wet paper towel to avoid messes the next time.

Once the microwave is cleaned up, move down to the stovetop. If you’ve got a traditional stove top with coiled burners, replacing the metal bowls underneath might be easier than scrubbing them out. For those with the more modern glass-top stove, visit your local hardware store for some Weiman Glass Cook Top Cleaner. Follow the instructions on the bottle and watch your stove return to that like-new stage once again. Wipe off all the outside edges, which may have collected grease or dust over the last few months, and then open up the oven and get ready.

Most newer overs have a self-clean mode which will burn most of the gunk inside away. It’s a bit of a lengthy process, but you’ll want to ensure you’re around if anything happens. Fair warning – This process tends to produce a strong odor; make sure to keep your windows open if the weather permits, and put a few drops of Purification in your diffuser.  Once the cleaning is done, and the oven has cooled off, remove the racks and scrape any leftover residue off. Wipe the glass off with a wet sponge or paper towel, and avoid using Windex on the inside (instead, you can use a combo of vinegar and water), but feel free to use it on the outside. If your oven has a storage space underneath for pots and pans, remove them, clean them, and organize them.

Clean and wipe out the sink, make yourself a nice drink, and warn the rest of the household members that the kitchen is cleaned, and they don’t want to see how mad you can get if they mess it up right after.

Scrub the Bathrooms

Often the shared bathroom, mainly for guests, will stay relatively clean, but the ones most used and usually connected to bedrooms tend to get neglected. As is the case with almost everything else, it’s so easy to keep the room tidy once it’s that way already. Products tend to accumulate over time and can sometimes get overwhelming. Start with a purge of what you don’t use, and find an appropriate place for all the products you do use.

TIP: There are plenty of useful makeup holders available at local retailers and across the internet.

Start with the shower and scrub off all the soap scum with a half vinegar & water solution in a spray bottle. Allow the mixture to sit on the affected areas for about 15 minutes, then use a soft-bristle brush to wipe off and rinse with hot water. You can use the same method for your glass shower door (if you have one), but make sure you dry it completely after.

TIP: Keep this area looking spotless, spray with Rain-x and rub in with a paper towel.

After each use, be sure to squeegee all the remaining water down to the shower floor. Wipe off all of the products you keep in the shower before placing them back on the shelf.

Then, move your focus to the toilet and take care of that. Consider that the outside of the bowl can also use a wipe-down. Once that area is conquered, wipe out the sinks and apply your favorite glass cleaner to all the mirrors. Finally, sweep or vacuum the floors, fill up your diffuser for a little aromatherapy, and enjoy the environment the next time you go to use the restroom.

Grab a Drink and Call it a Day

When you’re finally done Spring cleaning your coastal home, it’s time to have some fun in the sun! Spend the rest of your day/evening enjoying some of the Crystal Coast’s awesome restaurants, or hit the beach for a family picnic. Just make sure to wipe your feet before you come back into the house!

Did we miss any tips? Let us know in the comments!