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7 Spring Cleaning Hacks for Chinese New Year

A Step-by-Step Instructional for the Clueless

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It’s Chinese New Year! Before ushering in the festivities, a thorough cleaning is needed. Naturally, you’ll want a spotless home if you are inviting friends and family over to celebrate.

The Chinese believe spring cleaning before the Lunar New Year helps sweep away the previous year’s bad luck. Starting the New Year in a clean house prepares homeowners for a great year ahead.

Here are 7 tips to help you get started.

  1. Make a Cleaning Schedule

calender

Having a cleaning schedule is not at all enticing to get started.

But tackling a task as big as this requires working on sections of the home in a single time. Don’t be tricked by the size of your HDB. A small floor area does not quicken the cleaning process. Think about the hidden corners and hard to reach areas you’d typically miss out during your normal cleaning routine.

We suggest having organizing the schedule based on the sections in the house. The cleaning schedule should also have an orderly flow. Hence, it makes more sense to start with the bedrooms, kitchen, and living room before tackling the storeroom.

Remember, process matters!

  1. The Necessary Tools

There’s a saying in Chinese, ‘工欲善其事,必先利其器’. Translation: if you are to do a job well, have the best tools first.

Apart from cleaning equipment and bottles of cleaning products, opt for more natural ingredients such as lemon and vinegar. Not only are they safe, they’re good for the environment and cost less.

  1. Set your mind –

    The ‘useless’ stuff needs to GO

boxes

There are definitely many unwanted things to clear although you may be reluctant. Why not try this strategy to get things moving?

Start by having 3 huge boxes indicating ‘MUST GO’, ‘TO CONSIDER’ and ‘TO KEEP’. Sort your items accordingly.

The ‘TO CONSIDER’ box is most likely to be full first. Be resolute and sort through this box again. A good litmus test of whether you should keep an item is to reflect how often you reach for the item. Do you remember having the item in the first place? How about its condition? Is it still usable?

Remind yourself that if you hold on to the item, it will most likely be taking up valuable space in your house. Worse yet, its depreciated value over time most likely also reduces its efficacy and resale value.

To make it easier on yourself, divide the ‘MUST GO’ pile into things which can be recycled or donated. And for those scummy things that should never again see the light of day, trash it.

  1. Kitchen

a. Clean your microwave

Fill a microwave-safe bowl with water, two tablespoons of white vinegar and a few drops of fresh lemon juice/few slices of lemon (to counter the smell of vinegar). On high heat, microwave this for 5 minutes.

Do not open the door immediately! Let the steam loosen any gunk inside for at least an additional 5 minutes.

After which, remove the bowl (be careful it is HOT!) and wipe the inside of the microwave with a dishtowel. If there are any stubborn spots, dip the dishtowel into the microwaved solution and scrub.

microwave
(Photo credit: https://www.thekitchn.com/)

b. Remove the odor smell in the refrigerator

Bacteria might not be able to thrive in temperatures below zero, but you still need to keep your refrigerator clean.

Unfortunately, not many people have the habit of cleaning the refrigerator regularly. Every day, things go in and out of the refrigerator. Many of us are guilty of hoarding more food than we can consume. Apart from the waste generated, the accumulated food can often go bad without us realizing, reeking a stale stench.

Begin by removing everything from the refrigerator. Have a large cooler box prepared to store these items. The refrigerator is going to be unplugged for some time.

Next, check all the food for expiry dates. Toss out spoiled food. For food that you know you won’t be able to consume before its expiry, donate the extra food to a local food bank.

In atonement for your over-consumption, label expiration dates on food before you store them away. Keep any opened food items in airtight containers and be sure to consume them quickly.

Now for the fun part, cleaning the refrigerator. Use a soapy wet cloth to wipe the insides. Don’t forget the space underneath the drawers, handles and the outside surface.

Although a mild detergent works well, a concoction of baking soda and vinegar is a great natural alternative. Powder baking soda or dried coffee grounds onto the fridge trays and let it air out. Any foul odors will be soaked up.

fridge
(Photo credit: https://www.rubbermaid.com/)

c. Cleaning kitchen stainless steel sink

         

sink
(Photo credit: https://www.domesticserenity.org/)

 

Sprinkle a thick layer of baking soda generously at the base of the sink and squeeze lemon juice over it. Let it sit for a few minutes.

Then go in with a sponge to scrub the sink. You may add a few drops of water to keep the mixture pasty. Once again, let this sit for a few minutes.

End of with a dash of vinegar. Let the fizzle fuzz out before rinsing off with water. You may also add more lemon juice on your clean sink for a refreshing smell.

  1. Living room

a. Dust removal

You’ve seen it and probably have used it. The Magiclean Wiper is great for picking up dust on the floor. For best results, rub 2 dry sheets together to produce static, to pick up finer particles.

magiclean
(Photo credit: www.martkplace.com.sg)

Another place to note is dust accumulated on ceiling fans.

Conceal a fan blade with an old pillowcase, as you would a pillow. Pull the pillowcase back slowly to wipe the blade. The dust will be trapped inside instead of falling all over the floor and on your face.

  1. Bedroom

a. Wardrobe

Wardrobe space will never be enough unless you clear unwanted contents.

Reuse the ‘MUST GO’, ‘TO CONSIDER’ and ‘TO KEEP’ method we discussed above. Think about the peace you’ll feel when your wardrobe is neatly arranged.

By the end of this process, if you still lack storage space, consider this storage hack.

hanger
(Photo credit: https://www.decoist.com)

Thread a can tab through a hanger. At the other end of the tab, hook another hanger. This way, you’ll be able to store more clothes or arrange them in sets.

Once the wardrobe’s been arranged, place dehumidifiers inside to protect your clothes against a damp smell.

b. Windows
window
(Photo credit: https://www.care2.com)

Not a fan of toxic window cleaners? Try a homemade solution. Mix white vinegar; detergent or liquid soap with plain water in a spray bottle. Clean as usual with newspaper.

Expect an even better result than commercial window cleaners.

c. Mattress

Now’s no time to sleep on it. Clean your mattress. For an item we spend a good 8 hours on, there’s bound to be a host of hair, germs, dust, odours and drool.

Begin by spreading a layer of baking soda over the mattress. Leave it on for a few hours before sucking it up with a vacuum cleane. Any trace of dirt and odours will disappear

mattress
(Photo credit: https://diyjoy.com/)

  1. Toilet

a. Stainless steel tap
tap
(Photo credit: https://www.creeklinehouse.com)

If you’ve been using lemon to clean thus far, you probably have a ton of lemon rinds left. Use the fleshy side to wipe down the tap. This will help remove water stains and dissolve any built up residue around the base of the tap.

To end off, use a piece of wax paper to polish off the remaining water marks. The wax is great also to repel water for a while.

b. Shower head
shower-head
(Photo credit: https://lifehacker.com/)

Pour distilled white vinegar in a bag and wrap it around the shower head with a rubber band or twist-tie. Leave it for a few hours or even overnight. End off by turning on the tap to let water run through for a few minutes. Any residue on the showerhead will be removed.

c. Shower Tiles and Grout

In between shower tiles on the floor or walls, you will find built up mould. This is rather inevitable.

Instead of using bleach, try using natural ingredients. Mix baking soda with water, then scrub the paste with a used toothbrush. For tougher stains, use a baking soda with vinegar paste. Leave to sit before scrubbing off.

tiles
(Photo credit: https://www.naturallivingideas.com)

With these tips on hand, get cleaning! Here’s wishing you a prosperous new year!