Spring Cleaning: 11 Tips To Keep Your Home Looking Beautiful Part Two

As the temperatures start to rise and the leaves start to sprout on trees, one thing is evidently clear: Spring is here! And with the Spring comes the chore of cleaning your home! But where do you start? What needs to be cleaned? To get you headed into the right direction, we would like to share House Beautiful's top spring cleaning tips:

8. Removing Stains from Countertops
Getting rid of stains on granite can be tricky, but the key, according to kitchen designer Florence Perchuk, is to wipe up stains ASAP. Also have your countertop sealed a few times as soon as it's installed. You'll know it's sealed properly when water beads and forms droplets on the surface. Then have it sealed again a year later. You can poultice away rust, and you can remove soap scum or mildew with a solution of 1/2 cup ammonia in a gallon of water. For most coffee or juice stains, you can use a little hydrogen peroxide in water, plus a few drops of ammonia.

9. Reorganize Bookshelves
Sort book by size and subject. Remove and discard any ripped dust jackets (unless you think they may have value). Line books some vertically, some horizontally, in a rhythmic pattern. This will relieve the monotony of rows.

10. Caring for Your Area Rugs:
Phillip Costikyan of Restoration by Costikyan says you should clean your area rugs every four or five years- or every 10 years if a rug in not walked on much. Overcleaning contributes to wear and tear. Really fine silk rugs need to be cleaned only every 20 or 30 years. For treating stains at home, keep a bottle of club soda on hand. Stains caused by pets, coffee, orange soda, red wine, and anything with dye or an acid base are the hardest to remove, and the key is to act quickly. Pour club soda directly onto the area, let the soda absorb into the yarn, and the salt in the soda will neutralize the acid. Blot again and again, until the residue is gone. For bloodstains, you should use milk instead, and for soil and grease-based stains, mix one part Ivory soap detergent with 16 parts water.

11. Caring for Wood Floors:
The keys to keeping your wood floors looking new are to avoid oversanding, use trivets or saucers under plants to avoid water damage, use furniture protectors to avoid scratches, and damp-mop once a week with a mild soap like Murphy Oil Soap
*To keep hardwood floors looking great, try mopping with the Hurricane Spin Mop. The Hurricane Spin Mop cleans floors in, under, around, and through your house without harsh detergents! It reaches under tables, behind toilets, in closet corners, and around cabinets with no problem. Thousands of microfiber mop strands attract dirt, grime, and liquids without drips or leaks. Floors are clean and dry in half the time with the Hurricane Spin Mop.