It is traditional Chinese customs that spring cleaning must be done before our Chinese New Year. Cleaning is to remove dust from every corner of your house. Chinese believe that this will drive away bad luck, welcome new things and luck into your house.
Below are some simple tips for Chinese New year spring cleaning:
- Window Cleaning – Glass windows are usually filled with dust, dirt, fingerprint and stains. We don’t clean the glass windows regularly, most of us clean it during spring cleaning or before festive periods. An easy way to remove dust and dirt is too wet the old newspaper with a wet cloth. Use the wet newspaper to line it to the glass window leaving it for 5 minutes. Then remove the newspaper from the glass screen. You will see that the newspaper is covered with dust stains. If you are still not satisfied, mix vinegar and water 1:4 proportion in a spray bottle. Shake well and spray the solution onto the glass. Use a crumpled newspaper to clean it dry.
- Cleaning Corners – Corners of the house are the most difficult to clean. Be it wall seams, carpet corners, floor corners and so on. These corners accumulate and trap dirt and mold easily. Use a toothbrush to clean. For more stubborn dirt, you can use a toothbrush dipped in detergent to brush these corners and then wipe it clean and dry.
- Removing Stains on Table – Place salt and a few drops of salad oil onto the stain. Use a soft brush to brush the stain off. If this does not do the trick, use a cleaning agent.
- Removing Brown Dirt from Ceramic Enamel Containers – Squeeze some toothpaste onto a cleaning cloth and gently scrub the brown stains and wash the containers. The brown stains will be gone.
- Clean Furniture – Using a pair of old socks as gloves, wipe the furniture. This will easily clean away any dust from your furniture.
- Clean White Furniture – White furniture is easily stained and dirty. Once it gets dirty, it is difficult to clean off. Squeeze a little toothpaste onto a damp cloth, gently rub the stains. Do not use too much force as not to damage the white paint of the furniture. Clean it with a damp cloth and the wipe dry.
- Remove Dust and Dirt from Ceiling Fans – Using an old pillow case, cover the fan blade with the pillow case. Slowly using the pillow case to clean the fan blade by moving outwards to the end of the blade. The dust will be collected in the pillow case. Use a damp cloth to wipe it clean.
- Remove Hard Water Stains on Faucets – Mix vinegar and water in 1:1 proportion in a spray bottle. Spray the solution onto the hard water spots. Leave it for about 5 and use a clean cloth to wipe it dry. Do not leave the solution to dry on the surface as it will create more stains.
- Clean Tile Grout – Tile joints tend to get dirty easily. Use a toothbrush with toothpaste to brush off the dirt from the grout. Use a damp cloth to wipe followed by a dry cloth. Try not to leave any residue behind.
- Cleaning Metal Pots and Pans – Pots and pans tend to get brown inside the cooking pot and it is difficult to get such stains off the pot. Mix baking powder with some water to for a paste and with the use of a sponge, scrub the pot. Your pots and pans will be shiny again.