Even though this year it might be a little hard to tell, spring is officially sprung. The season of renewal, the season of new love, and, of course, of the spring clean-up. A few tips on getting through the drudgery without losing your smile.

Just for the pleasure of it

Enlist plenty of people to take on this task – the more the merrier. If you live alone, get a group of friends together, instead of each one slaving away on his own. Put on upbeat music in the background and assign jobs according to the aptitudes of those involved. Make sure you leave time for regular breaks and always have a water bottle on hand. Accept that sometimes things won’t be done exactly the way you expected – and bite your tongue a couple of times if you feel the urge to criticize. And in order to keep motivation high, think of an appropriate reward for your labours when the job is done.

Before The Big Day

The first step is clearing out what you no longer need. Haven’t used it in a while? Move it out – for recycling, to give to charitable organizations, into boxes for a garage sale, or as a last resort, straight to the garbage. Very important: medications that are past their expiry date must be returned to the pharmacy, and hazardous household items (batteries, paint, etc.) should be deposited at an ecocentre near you. Then, make a list of the products and accessories you’re going to need and get them well in advance.
Get ahold of several of the most important items you need for your clean-up in order to avoid having to exchange them constantly -- every minute counts.

Go green

There are more and more cleaning products available that are less harmful both to the environment and to human beings. Lemieux, Bio-Vert and Hertel are Québec labels that offer biodegradable, non-toxic and hypoallergenic products. Cascades, another Québec-based company, manufactures paper towels made from 100% recycled fibres, whitened without bleach and even non-whitened products – and Cascades uses 80% less water than the industry average. Recommended by Greenpeace, they’re the next best thing to using good old rags.

Ecological rhymes with economical

Why not use some traditional recipes that are tried and true – and save you money?

• The all-purpose ingredient: white vinegar. It cleans, disinfects, deodourizes, dislodges grease, dissolves mineral deposits and removes mould. Dilute it according to the nature of the task.

• For a gentle abrasive cleaner: use baking soda and a little water to create a thick paste, or even a mixture of salt, vinegar and flour in equal parts.

• To disinfect: add 100 ml of eucalyptus or malaleuca oil for every litre of water and put into a vapourizer

• To dislodge grease: lemon juice also leaves an agreeable scent; for a different texture, make a paste composed of equal parts of corn starch and water.

• To absorb odours, baking soda of course, or put coffee grounds in a bowl to take care of musty and mildewy smells.

• As a carpet deodourizer: corn starch. Sprinkle it on the carpet and vacuum it up a few minutes after.

Cleanliness makes for good neighbours

It’ so much more agreeable to live in a clean and orderly environment. Here’s a reminder of certain rules that are very much to the point during spring clean-up.

If you haven’t already done it, it’s a good time to change the batteries in your smoke detectors. It’s your responsibility. Tenants having a gas furnace inside their dwelling must replace the filter at least once a year: now is an excellent time. When you’re getting rid of garbage, remember that you are not allowed to leave it on the grounds, in alleyways, around garbage chutes, in corridors or common areas of the building. You are not allowed to store anything outside of your dwelling, including boots and shoes.The reason is simple and crucial: people must be allowed to circulate freely at all times, especially in times of emergency, for example, a fire. One exception: seasonal furniture may be placed on balconies. However, if balconies lead to an exit or stairs, a clear path must be maintained at all times

For more on this subject, please refer to paragraphs 7, 8, 14 and 15 of Building Rules in the Additional Clauses and SHDM Building Rules of your lease.

Useful links

Ville de Montréal – écocentres
Nettoyants écolos Lemieux
Hertel
Greenpeace Canada
Guide d’achat de Greenpeace sur les papiers jetables
Cascades
SimpleGreenAction