9 Things You're Forgetting to Spring Clean

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Anyone else organized and reorganized their closets more than once? *Raises hand*. Seriously – spring cleaning is in full force around here and my label maker has been getting more use than normal. But we all know the typical ways to spring clean your home: organizing closets, cupboards and deep cleaning the house. But once you’re done with the full Marie Kondo, it’s time to tackle the stuff you’re forgetting the spring clean…or avoiding depending on your level of resistance! So if you’ve run out of tasks on your cleaning to-do list and you’ve already procrastibaked brownies, cookies and cupcakes, I present to you a list of all the stuff you’ve forgotten to spring clean…a list that would make Mama Maven proud! Read on…

1. Season Cast Iron – If you take good care of your cast iron you rarely have to re-season them but if yours get a lot of use like mine do you occasionally need to give em a touch up. Here’s how:

Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Scrub your skillet with a stiff brush or sponge and soapy water (note – never use soap on already seasoned cast iron but if you’re preparing to season it, it’s totally fine!). Rinse well and dry completely with a towel. Pour 1-2 tablespoons oil (I prefer olive or avocado oil) in the skillet and use a clean cloth or paper towel to rub the oil over the entire skillet (including the handle and the bottom of the pan!). Place the oiled pan upside down in the oven with a baking sheet or tin foil below to catch any drips and bake for an hour. After an hour, turn off the oven and let the skillet cool in the oven. Once completely cool you can remove and use as usual!

2. Clean Makeup Brushes – Let’s all admit we don’t clean our makeup brushes enough. You don’t need a fancy makeup brush cleaner you can simply use face wash or a gentle hand soap. I like to get my brushes a little damp, swirl in soap and then rinse until the water runs clear and all of my makeup has been washed off the brushes. Let the brushes dry completely before using again!

3. Wipe Down Plants – When’s the last time you wiped the dust off your plants? Dust blocks photosynthesis from happening in a plant which is how plants feed themselves! Simply take a damp cloth and gently wipe the leaves (I like to get both top and bottom!).

4. Digital Clean Out (phone, computer, hard drive) – Surprisingly extremely refreshing to go through your phone, computer, external hard drives, etc. and clear out what you don’t need. I recently found papers from college saved on an external hard drive… don’t need those anymore thankfully! For a quick and satisfying boost of productivity, unsubscribe from all those spam emails you get.

5. Tackle the Junk Drawer – We all have one… and believe it or not, these junk drawers could be impacting your mental health without even knowing it! I like to empty out my junk drawer completely and then sort through what I need to keep and what I don’t. From there, I try to create or find a place for everything in the drawer.

6. Deep Clean the Fridge – I know, I know, this feels like such a big task! Pro tip: clean your fridge right before you go grocery shopping so you’re the least stocked up! I like to work in sections so first I’ll empty out the doors, wipe down the shelves, make sure I don’t have any expired products in my fridge and then replace the items. Next I’ll do the shelves and lastly the drawers. A sparkly clean, organized fridge is 100% worth the effort!

7. Microwave Away Grime – My microwave has been in different states of disgust over the years… don’t act like you’ve never had a soup explosion in your microwave! Instead of taking the time to scrape and scrub the inside, you can simple microwave a cup of vinegar + a cup of water for 5-10 minutes in a microwave-safe bowl. This mixture works it’s magic and all you have to do is wipe down the sides with a damp cloth.

8. Mama Maven Your Oven – You may remember from way back when but my mom was visiting us in SF and appalled at the state of our oven. No I had never cleaned it… I didn’t know I needed to! Turns out it’s super simple to make it sparkling clean. Start by making a baking soda paste out of 1/2 cup of baking soda and 2-3 tablespoons of water. Spread this paste all over your oven avoiding the heating elements and let sit for multiple hours – up to overnight! After letting the paste sit in your oven all you have to do is take a damp cloth and wipe out the oven. You may want to use a spoon or spatula to gently scrape off any areas that need extra attention. Finish it off by spraying a little vinegar in the oven – the combination of baking soda and vinegar will foam up. Gently wipe everything one last time with a damp cloth and voila! Shiny oven.

9. Wipe Down Air Ducts – Did you know it’s recommended to replace your HVAC filter every 6 months?! We definitely don’t do that eek! But I recently gave all the air vents a good wipe down with a damp cloth just to get any dust or grime that may have collected there. This is especially true if you have a pet that sheds (or a human like me who sheds more than a pet!).

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