Spring Cleaning Checklist

With spring selling season arriving, take the time now to help your sellers polish their listings to perfection.

• Let the sun in. Make any room look brighter with clean blinds and windows. Mix a solution of one part white vinegar to eight parts water, plus a drop or two of liquid dishwashing liquid, for a green window cleaner. Spray on and wipe with newspaper to avoid streaks. Washing on a cloudy day also reduces streaking.
• Sniff out smells. Check the drip tray underneath your refrigerator and wash out any standing water from defrosting. Remove inside odors by washing the inside of the fridge with a baking soda and water solution. Boil lemon juice in your microwave and add it to your dishwasher to eliminate bad smells. Also, put the lemon rinds down the disposal. Add activated charcoal in the fridge to keep odors at bay.
• Make your bed better. Vacuum mattresses and box springs, and then rotate and flip over. Do the same for removable furniture cushions. This is also a great time to wash or dry-clean the dust ruffle and mattress pad.
• Clean those coils. Improve energy efficiency by vacuuming grates, coils, and condensers in your furnace, stove, and refrigerator (either underneath or in back). If a vacuum won’t reach, try a rag tied to a yardstick.
• Wash the walls. Grease, smoke, and dust can adhere to walls and make even the best decorating look dingy. Wash walls using a general-purpose cleaner with hot water. Start at the top of the wall to avoid drips and in a corner so that you wash one wall at a time. Rinse the mop head frequently in clean water. And don’t press too hard, because flat latex paint won’t absorb much water.

The Spring Cleaning Checklist is one of dozens available free in our Handouts for Customers section. Download helpful handouts to give to your customers, add your logo, and include them in your marketing materials.

5 Showing Tips

• Replace heavy drapes with lightweight sheers during warmer months to give a room a brighter, lighter feel.
• Make the fridge smell fresh instantly with cotton balls soaked in vanilla extract or orange juice.
• Help the home owner add new fluff to a lumpy comforter by having two people vigorously shake the quilt up and down to redistribute stuffing.
• Shut some air conditioning vents on the first floor or basement so that more air will reach and cool the second floor. Reverse the process in winter for heat vents.
• Resist the temptation to spot-clean walls since it will make the rest of the wall look dingy.

5 Potential Dangers in a Home

Home inspection company Pillar to Post has identified these common dangers. Point out these household hazards to buyers and sellers and advise clients to contact a home inspector to make sure these problems aren’t present.

RADON

This colorless, odorless gas can seep into the home from the ground and has been called the second most common cause of lung cancer.

What to look for: Basements or any protrusions into the ground offer entry points for radon. The Environmental Protection Agency publishes a map of high prevalence areas for radon.A radon test can determine if high levels of radon are present.

ASBESTOS

This fibrous material — once popular in building materials because it provides heat insulation and fire resistance — was banned in 1985. It may still be found in older homes’ insulation materials, floor tiles, roof coverings, and siding. If disturbed or damaged, it can enter the air and cause severe illness.

What to look for: Homes built before 1985 are at risk of having asbestos within construction materials. Home owners should be careful when remodeling because disturbing insulation may cause the asbestos to become airborne.

LEAD

This toxic metal, used in home products for many years, can contribute to several health problems, especially among children. Exposure can occur from deteriorating lead-based paint, lead pipes, or lead-contaminated dust or soil.

What to look for: Homes built prior to 1978 may have lead present. Look for peeling paint and check old pipes. To get a HUD-insured loan, buyers must show a certificate that homes built prior to 1978 are lead-safe.

HAZARDOUS PRODUCTS

Stockpiles of household items — such as paint solvents, pesticides, fertilizers, and motor oils — can create a dangerous situation if not properly stored or disposed. They can cause illness or even death if small amounts are ingested.

What to look for: Make sure these items aren’t tucked away in corners, crawl spaces, garages, or garden sheds. Home owners often don’t realize these products can pose a danger and may forget they’re storing them. But buyers don’t want it to become their problem — and expense — to dispose of. If these products are found, make sure the buyer requires their removal and gets a disposal certificate prior to closing, which proves the products were disposed of properly and not just dumped in the backyard.

GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION

Hazardous chemicals that are illegally disposed of can seep through the soil and enter water supplies. A leaking underground oil tank or faulty septic system can also lead to contamination.

What to look for: Look for any conditions that may be conducive to leakage. Homes near light industrial areas or facilities may be at risk. Also a concern: areas once used for industry that are now residential. Pillar to Post offers a Neighborhood Environmental Report that details any dangers or remedies of environmental incidences and sources of contamination that have occurred at a specified address and within its vicinity.