What’s that smell? If you found yourself pondering mystery odors upon returning to your dorm room, it may be time to give your place a more thorough cleaning than three squirts of Febreze. Spring might not be around the bend, but those extra hours huddled around the radiator can be a lot more pleasant thanks to a few cleaning hints. We’ll call it “Winter Cleaning.”
Bounce the Dust
No duster or Swiffer sheets lying around? No problem. Fabric softener sheets work just as well for tackling dustmites, according to Good Housekeeping Magazine. Remember to dust from the top of your room to the bottom so that the falling dust doesn’t get your newly cleaned areas dirty again. Electronics are expert dust collectors that students often forget to tackle. Dust itself doesn’t pose a health risk unless you’re prone to asthma, but all the things that are carried in it do. Dust has been known to carry anything from lead to asbestos to microbes. Those microbes often cause allergies and other delightful ailments.
Bake Out the Odor
We’re not talking about THC; a dash of baking soda gets rid of odor. Sprinkle some on the bottom of trashcans and inside the plastic bag you lined it with, according to How Stuff Works. Stash the box of unused baking soda in the fridge to keep the stench from last month’s milk from ruining your appetite. Arm and Hammer even makes packs of baking soda that stick to your refrigerator walls. It works because baking soda is a base and neutralizes those nasty acidic fumes.
Have a Quickie
Tired of doing laundry whenever you spill sauce on your shirt? Travel-sized or compact stain removers are a quick life (and clothing) saver. Tide to Go pens, Shout Wipes and Clorox Bleach pens all do the trick. The longer a stain has to set, the harder it is to get out. But if a shirt has a stain, don’t just throw it into the wash either. Without pre-treatment, many of those stains will never come out, and washing just sets them in, says Sarah Aguirre of About.com.
Two-in-One
Don’t let a single spilled soda turn into a gooey mess. Instead, banish those excuses for not cleaning up after yourself with a soap and towel in one. Lysol and Clorox both make single use wipes that promise to kill 99.9 percent of germs. Paper towels are also handy to wipe up overturned water bottles. Leave sponges in the kitchen, as they tend to collect smells and everything else they’ve wiped up.
Bedtime
According to the Mayo Clinic, 98 percent of dust allergens are inhaled from the bed. Don’t let dust sit around long enough so that the bed bugs, or dust mites can get you—stop coughing and wash your sheets! Get rid of those nasty stains, too. Wash in hot water to kill the most germs and get the best clean.
Happy “Winter Cleaning!”