Spring Cleaning
Posted by Key2See Team on March 17, 2021
Last weekend brought with it one less hour of sleep, a great excuse for late arrivals to Sunday engagements and hallelujah, an extra hour of daylight! Winter days in the Pacific Northwest can seem endless and so very dark, not to mention wet… but wait, fear not! If we can just hold on, wait for that precious weekend when we get to grasp for that extra hour, that soon gives way to hours of light and gradually warmer temperatures, alas redemption! Thankfully Washingtonians tend to have a short-term memory for the cave of winter that we experience, much like childbirth or bringing a puppy home – after a few months pass you think “ah, that wasn’t so bad!” Because when that sun does come out, you would be hard pressed to find a happier people!
Spring is truly days away; refresher, Spring Equinox is the first day of the spring season and occurs when the sun passes the equator moving from the southern to the northern hemisphere. The North Pole begins to lean toward the sun again. Day and night have approximately the same length. The posh name for Spring Equinox is Vernal Equinox, I also know it as my sister’s birthday, March 20th. Vernal equinox, two moments in the year when the sun is exactly above the equator and day and night are of equal length, The word equinox comes from Latin and means “equality of night and day.” If one is to be precise this will take place at 2:37 AM PST on Saturday, but do not go setting your alarm for it – you’ll be sorely disappointed and tired the next morning.
So, aside from the welcomed benefit of added hours of daylight I cannot help but think of another iconic event that is signaled by this time of year, that of a good ‘ol spring cleaning! Spring cleaning has become synonymous with dusting off the old and bringing in the new. Wikipedia would have us know that “Spring cleaning is the practice of thoroughly cleaning a house in the springtime. The practice of spring cleaning is especially prevalent in climates with a cold winter…The term is also used metaphorically for any kind of heavy-duty cleaning or organizing enterprise. A person who gets their affairs in order before an audit or inspection could be said to be doing some spring cleaning.” So as we get our financial affairs in order for the inspection of tax season let’s take this opportunity to do the same for our houses.
For those of us looking to take advantage of this strong seller’s market this task will be a given. But, it’s a great practice for anyone – homeowner and renter alike, by keeping up with the spring cleaning tasks we are keeping our homes and it’s systems in tip-top form, resulting in a home that will be in great shape when the time to sell does arrive.
So, what exactly does a good spring cleaning look like you ask? What all does it entail? Well, I am so glad that you asked! We have put together the ultimate spring cleaning guide for you to refer to. Please open the link and download the handy 9-part guide to getting your home in fighting shape for the coming season. A time of year where you will welcome the sun shining through those clean windows, highlighting the sparkling surfaces!
Learn the 4-bucket method...and then we drill down to specifics...
1. kitchen
2. dining room
3. great room
4. laundry room
5. bathrooms
6. bedrooms
7. kids rooms & playroom
8. stairwells
9. outside
I cannot think of a better way to thank these houses of ours that have been hit hard by this past year of quarantine, never have these kind structures experienced such consistent capacity and wear and tear. If our houses could talk I think they’d say, welcome spring…clean me up and get outside!
and Happy Spring Cleaning!