Working/Schooling from Home? Get Your House Ready.

Many of us are facing a “work from home” environment right now, and that can make us more aware of the spring cleaning that needs to be done around the house. If you’ve been looking around and are feeling a little overwhelmed by trying to juggle working from home, possibly home-schooling your children, and getting your home cleaned up for the warmer weather to come, we have a few tips to share with you that can help.

5 Ways to Improve Your Home Environment this Spring

1. Make a Schedule: Gather the whole family, and make a schedule of hours that will be devoted to adult work, school work, and tidying the house. Develop an age-appropriate chore list to tackle the cleaning. Divide the chores among each family member (as appropriate). This is a great time to sort through clothing, toys, the pantry, and to make donations, as there are many people facing need right now.
2. Focus on Most-Used Areas: For a lot of us, we’ve had to create makeshift office and classroom spaces in our homes. Focus your spring cleaning on those areas first. Sort through any items in those areas that could be discarded or donated. Thoroughly clean all surfaces and try to eliminate as much clutter as possible, as it’s much more difficult to focus on work in a cluttered, messy environment.
3. Use Non-Toxic Cleaning Products: Wherever possible, use green or non-toxic cleaning products. Many people are sensitive to scents and chemicals used in many cleaners, and this can be especially irritating if you’re going to be in the environment you cleaned for a prolonged period of time. The best course of action, if you have allergy sufferers or people who are sensitive, is to use cleaners that don’t contain a lot of artificial scents and heavy chemicals.
4. Dust Thoroughly. During the winter, forced-air heating systems can stir up a lot of dust in the home, so this is the perfect time to make sure you get rid of it! Dust settles everywhere, so wipe down all furniture surfaces, as well as baseboards, window sills, blinds and windows. Make sure you vacuum any carpeting, and sweep and mop floors thoroughly. If you have an abnormally high amount of dust in your home, you probably also need to check out your furnace filter. It could be dirty from heavy winter use.
5. Consider Your Home’s Air Quality. You’re likely spending more time in your home than you have in a while. If your allergies seem to be worse, you notice any musty odors, you have a large amount of dust, or if the air you breathe is simply uncomfortable (too dry and/or too humid, smelly, etc.), you might need advanced indoor air quality (IAQ) products. There are many IAQ products available that can help improve the air you and your family breathe, such as purifiers, filters and more.

John Betlem can help you with your indoor air quality concerns.

At John Betlem, we know this is an unusual time for everyone, and we want you to feel comfortable. That’s always our priority, and right now, we want to help you breathe a bit easier. If you have any concerns about your indoor air quality, call us. We have a number of products available that can help.

Just give us a call at 585.326.4767, and we will be more than happy to assist you.