Spring Cleaning Essentials: Tips to Help Tidy Up for the Season

NARI, March 2017
By Lance Allen, Cleaning Merchant, The Home Depot

Spring kicks off the busy season for remodelers, and cleaning projects are great transition jobs as clients dig out from the snow and get their outdoor areas ready for the warm weather. In addition, now is a good time to make sure your team’s cleaning supplies are in good shape. It’s easy to overlook, but every project begins and ends with cleaning. Just as you and your team need advanced, heavy-duty tools to perform their daily jobs, you likewise need state-of-the-art equipment to ensure a fast and comprehensive cleaning before and after major projects. The following products and techniques will ensure your team is well-equipped for any seasonal project.

Exterior Cleaning Jobs

Any spring cleanup around a property’s exterior should begin with a thorough inspection and walkthrough to ensure everything is both clean and structurally sound, especially for homes in areas that experienced harsh winter weather. This includes a check of common exterior areas such as the roof, irrigation system and landscaping for any fallen leaves, branches and trees.

For large cleanup jobs, equip yourself and your team with stronger cleaning tools like Demobags, which are a great way to centralize and remove debris. These tear-resistant bags feature a tarp-like composition that can handle up to 110 pounds of loose materials to minimize cleanup time and effort. They can also be re-used up to five times.



Spring also provides a great opportunity to touch up and improve the curb appeal of your property. The Home Depot offers a wide variety of such professional-grade products to help you get the job done without any chemical smell or effects. Consider using an eco-friendly, two-in-one multi-purpose cleaner and degreaser, such as Simple Green, for a variety of jobs.



Purchasing concentrated cleaning solutions in large quantities is a great tip to save time, money and space. For example, ZEP’s 3.5 gallon Citrus Degreaser can be diluted with water to make up to 56 gallons. Keep it in a central location and use it to repeatedly fill a few good spray bottles. You can save hundreds purchasing this way.



Keep Messes Contained

A good rule of thumb with cleaning on jobsites is to always remember to leave your workspace cleaner than you found it. Upgrading your cleaning tools can make the process easier and faster, just like a new power tool gets the job done more quickly.

One of the more tedious cleanup tasks is clearing after construction and improvement projects. Thankfully, heavy-duty cleaning tools are getting lighter and stronger. Rubbermaid’s Commercial Products Maximizer Mop, for example, provides 30 percent more floor coverage and weighs 25 percent less when wet. Likewise, the Quickie Jobsite Fiberglass Push Broom is lightweight but strong, with a steel brace for reinforcement.

  

Spring is coming sooner than later. Verify that you have the right tools and techniques now to ensure an efficient cleanup process for the rest of the season.

By Lance Allen, Cleaning Merchant, The Home Depot
Lance joined The Home Depot in 2014 in product development and is currently the national Cleaning Merchant. With ample experience and background working with tools, hardware and paint, Lance has the knowledge to help the consumer and PRO meet all their product needs.