House clean tips

More ways to reduce dust and make the indoors smell fresh:

1. Change air filters at the start of spring and at least every three to six months. High-efficiency particular air filters, also known as HEPA filters, absorb more airborne particles but often are twice as expensive.

2. Put out a bowel of vinegar for 24 hours or less to absorb odors, tobacco smoke and cooking smells.

3. Look at your broom and mop. Have they outlived their cleanliness? If they’re just pushing more grime and dust into the air, buy new ones.

4. A good rule is to vacuum once a week for every person who lives in the house.

5. Pass on cleaning the air ducts in your air-conditioning system unless you suffer from allergies or a doctor recommends it. The process can unleash more pollutants into the air.

6. Buy an English ivy plant to absorb toxic tobacco smoke and a lady palm plants to clear the air of household-cleaner toxins.

7. Ceiling fans. Ditch the teetering ladder and grab a telescoping fan ducter to grip blade dust. If your fan blades are dirty with oil and grit, use a damp cloth and spot of vinegar to wipe them down. But be careful, different finishes may require a different method. After cleaning, lightly dust fan blades with furniture polish that contains beeswax, which reduces the amount of static. Less static, less dust.

8. Windows and screens. Try to use outdoor window-cleaning solutions that attach to a garden hose. Blast the outside window through the screen and both will come clean. The windows dry streak-free and the power from the hose makes it easy to clean—even second-story windows come out looking great. If you’re looking for perfection, then Brasso metal polish will camouflage scratches and get rid of water-deposit stain. Use a soft cloth to scrub the spots with the solution, then let it dry. Wipe away the powder and finish the cleaning spots. Wash outside windows on a cool, cloudy day to prevent glass cleaner from drying too quickly and leaving streaks.

9. For indoor windows, spray with mixture of 3 teaspoons vinegar to 1 quart water and wipe with newspaper.

10. Curtains and blinds. For curtains, remove dust by vacuuming with a small brush attachment. Many curtain fabrics may be put in the dryer on low heat with a fibric-softener sheet for a quick clean. The dryer draws out the dust and the fabric softener freshens the curtains. The handy cloths make cleaning blinds a swipejob. For dirty blinds, take them down and spray them, slots open, in the tub with warm water, or soak them in soapy water, hang to dry putside. Lining the tub with a towel keeps the blinds from scuffing the tub’s finish.

11. Carpet. Hire a professional cleaning service in spring. Prices start at about $25 a room. You can consider upgrading to a vacuum with a high-efficiency particulate air filters system. They cost more. However, some HEPA vacuums pick up allergens and pollutants no better than cheaper vacuums. A quick way to spot-clean a stain is to use 3% hydrogen peroxide, pour or spray the peroxide onto the stain and blot with a white towel until the stain is gone.