Spring Cleaning Includes Your Porch Too
The beginning of Spring is upon us and that means it’s time to do some cleaning to get everything ready for the warmer weather and longer hours of daylight! While some people like to deep clean their house and then be done with Spring cleaning, we like to stress the importance of doing the same for your screened porch too. Continue reading to find out our recommendations for how best to clean your screened porch.
Floor Maintenance
No matter what surface your floors are made out of, they will inevitably get dirty. From people and pets walking, to the air blowing in pollen, dust, and debris, your screened porch floors will need a deep cleaning to prepare them for the Spring. We first recommend sweeping your entire floor, making sure that large debris and dust are swept into a dustpan and thrown away. Once swept, if your flooring permits, use something like a Swiffer Wetjet or a plain mop with mild soapy water to get up the remaining dirt and debris. Allow all surfaces to dry before placing furniture and over removed decor back into the screened porch.
Glass and Wood Surface Maintenance
Whether it’s the nose prints from your dog on the glass door, or the dust laying on your wood table, cleaning the hard surfaces in your screened porch is imperative to Spring-cleaning. For glass table-tops, window-panels, or doors, we recommend using a glass cleaner, such as Windex, or any other effective glass cleaner. For finished wood tables, furniture, or door frames, we recommend using a wood cleaner/polisher, such as Pledge, or any other effective wood cleaner/polisher. Cleaning these commonly smudged surfaces will make your screened porch sparkle just-in-time for those lengthening hours of daylight.
Soft Surface Maintenance
Pillows, blankets, and furniture covers are fantastic ways to make any screened porch come to life; they are also frequent absorbers of pollen, dust, and other debris. While you should fluff out your softer surfaces to expel any pollen, dust, or debris from them, it’s also a great idea to wash the soft-surface items that are able to be washed. Things like cushions, pillow covers, and chair covers are often machine-washable (even sometimes the pillows and cushions themselves), so for a deep cleaning in the Spring-time, throwing those items that can be machine-washed safely into the washer is a smart course of action. Once these soft-surface items are deep-cleaned, leave them inside until the rest of your screened porch (and decor) is cleaned before adding them back in.
Dust Maintenance
Whether indoors, outdoors, or anywhere in between, dust will collect. A traditional duster will be great for dusting in the corners of the ceiling, around hanging decor, or reaching those difficult spots all around. Once the hard-to-reach spots are dusted, along with the ceiling corners, we recommend using a slightly damp, microfiber cloth and gently wiping the remaining surfaces within the screened porch that commonly collect dust. Make sure to rinse the cloth frequently, to avoid merely pushing the pollen across the surfaces. If you do feel the need to use chemical cleaners or some form of soap, please ensure that the surfaces you use the chemicals and/or soap on are permitting of that.
Screen Maintenance
In case you were unaware, the actual screen of your screened porch gets dirty and will require cleaning! If your screened porch was supplied by SCREENEZE, our manufacturer that supplies us with our screen fabric recommends cleaning your screens with a mild soapy solution. You should avoid hard scrubbing and rinse well. We do NOT recommend power washing. If your screened porch was supplied by any other manufacturer, we recommend checking with them for their best cleaning practices.
Image by: Loren Wood Builders LLC
Please Note: All of these recommendations are just suggestions - please keep in mind that your screened porch may require altered care and cleaning based on the surfaces and materials you have.
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