5 Tips for Summer Cleaning

Spring has passed, but that doesn’t mean that the opportunity to cleanse your home has!

The change of seasons is always an opportunity to renew and refresh your environment, just as the flora and fauna change around your home.

Spring is coming to an end, and summer colors are beginning to appear. Whether you never got around to your spring cleaning, or if you want to get your home ready for the summer months, here are 5 tips for summer cleaning to keep the good vibrations going.

1. Open Your Windows
When summer is just beginning, before it gets too hot, turn off the A/C and open all of your windows. Let fresh air circulate around the home regularly. For the hot months, when you have the A/C cranked up, and the cold months, when you have the heater cranked up, most of the air we breathe goes through a machine before we breathe it in. As long as you don’t live in a very smoggy city, take advantage of the cooler summer days to breathe in the fresh air and let it refresh your home.

2. Deep Clean Your Carpets
When the home is closed up due to cold or rainy weather, you’d be surprised at how much stuff we bring in from the outside gets stuck in our carpets. You can buy natural home products to clean your carpets yourself, but if you have large carpet spaces, you might want to hire a professional service instead.

3. Check the Cabinets – All of Them
Go through the kitchen and bathroom cabinets and your vanity or dresser to look through all foods, medicines, and beauty and health products. Check for expiration dates and set aside all of the products that are expired or empty. Check your local regulations about tossing medicines and certain beauty products, since many of them will seep into the water supply if they aren’t handled correctly.

4. Use a Natural All-Purpose Cleaner On all Surfaces
You likely have tons of cleaning products for all different surfaces of your home. The switching of specialized products can actually make us forget to clean certain surfaces. Take some time to use a natural all-purpose cleaner, like diluted castile soap, to clean the floors, tables, high and low surfaces, doorknobs, desks, and bathroom. Castile soap is a very gentle cleaner and it will be fine to use on most surfaces. You can continue with your regular routine after this, but you can make sure that even the most forgettable nooks and crannies are taken care of.

5. Use Essential Oils Throughout the House
Once you have gotten rid of the dust, packed away the cold weather clothes, and deep-cleaned your home’s surfaces, it’s time to create an environment that will promote mental and physical health while also making it smell divine.
You can use an essential oil diffuser to have a continuous scent circulate in different rooms. Different essential oils can be used depending on the time of day, health needs, and general mood. Here are a few ideas:
• Lavender: boosts energy and helps you adapt to stressful situations (like when you need to clean!).
• Lemon: supports general health and is uplifting for the mind and body.
• Peppermint: soothing, boosts mental sharpness and supports the respiratory system.
• Frankincense: stimulating and elevating.
• Tea tree oil: supports the immune system – perfect for when someone in your family feels a cold coming on.

Just because spring is over doesn’t mean you have missed your chance to do a deep cleaning. Start off the summer right by cleaning out your home and getting ready for the second half of the year to come.