Day 4. Wipe Down Shelves and Surfaces

Day 4 of “A 30 Day Guide to Spring Cleaning“.

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This should not be a long post, as wiping down shelves and surfaces is pretty self explanatory. I know that a lot of us generally dust as a normal cleaning routine, but dusting doesn’t really cover actually wiping down your shelves and surfaces to get all the little spills, grime buildup, or random spots that can accumulate on horizontal surfaces.

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What to Clean:

• Shelves
• Ledges
• Stands/tables
• Décor
• Any surfaces that are horizontal

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Cleaning Supplies:

• Recommended: Envirocloth and dusting mitt
• Alternative: Duster and soap and water with cloth

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Cleaning Shelves and Surfaces

Many of us probably already dust our surfaces quite regularly, but this doesn’t take care of all the issues. Many shelves and horizontal surfaces can get build up of not only dust, but also grime, grease, and spots. This shelf in my dining room area gets a lot of grease buildup from my kitchen, for example!

To remove this grime, grease and spots, you will need to do more than just a dry dusting.

First of all, DO NOT use a dusting and polishing solution such as Pledge. These types of cleaners may get rid of the dust, but they leave a chemical/residue/wax on the surfaces that is actually more prone to accumulating dust and particle. Although furniture polishers and dusters like this to make your furniture look beautiful for a short time, it’s not worth it in the long run.

This task could be done easily with just the dusting mitt, you can use the mitt dry to dust surfaces, and then wet it down to wipe off the build up and spots. If you have time to wipe all your surfaces once and then go back through and wipe them again, more power to you! I am all about doing things as quickly and easily as possible, so I like to use both the dusting mitt dry, and envirocloth wet.

You will get the same effect using a dry duster, and a cloth with soap and water, I just prefer the dusting mitt and envirocloth because the process involves less rinsing and less steps when using these.

Some surfaces are super easy to reach and clean, while some houses have harder areas. One of my harder areas to reach is the ledge between my dining room and my entry way that is the “top” of my coat and shoe closet.

So let’s talk about the best way to clean this!! You will want to remove all the decorations from the ledge to provide a clear surface to clean. Once cleared, you will want to use some type of extension mop to clean off the surface. Or you could climb on top of the buffet and crawl around to clean this, but that is WAY too much for me! I have included an image of what I use to clean this. I know, I know, I said move everything off and then clean, but my ledge didn’t need cleaning currently. I just cleaned it off when I put up my spring decorations.

When I clean my shelves and surfaces, I also clean off my décor. You will want to move and wipe down any items on the surface so you can clean underneath it. I prefer to do this as I wipe down the shelf, and not move all items at once (since I can’t remember how I had them placed if I move them all!). Mom problems…

I took pictures of my desk cleaning as an example, because there are so many spaces on this desk that are a pain in the butt to clean! I was thoroughly disgusted by the amount of little spills and dust build up that I had been missing with my “quick dusting” that I keep doing of this desk.

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If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comments and I would be happy to get back with you.

Check out Day 3. Ceilings and Light Fixtures here.

Check out Day 4. Wiping Down Shelves and Surfaces here.

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