Summer is one of the best times of year – patio parties, pool days, and endless grilling. But, it brings its own set of chores and challenges to the house. There are different messes you experience during the summer that you won’t find at any other time of year. Have you ever wondered how you should store your pool toys for the cooler months? Are you curious about the best way to wash your swimsuits without ruining the color or fit? Or worse, did you get a sunscreen stain on your favorite sundress and don’t know how to remove the stain? We have the answers to all your questions in this Ultimate Summer Cleaning Checklist. Get your home and family ready to make the most out of the last moments of summer.
Outdoors
Pool Toys
The first element of the Summer Checklist to is tackle the outdoors. Before you retire your pool toys for the season, you must make sure they are perfectly clean. First, deflate all the air-filled toys and flatten them out. Inspect the toys to see if they survived the summer without any tears, holes, or rips. Any inflatables that didn’t make it through the season must be thrown out before you start cleaning.
Now that only the in-tact toys remain, get out your dish soap. It is the best solution for cleaning the mold, mildew, and bacteria that can collect on your pool toys. Add a one part dish soap to three parts warm water into a bucket then use a dish sponge and the solution to clean the surface of the floatie. More stubborn spots can be cleaned away by creating a paste of baking soda and water then using the sponge to scrub the areas. Be gentle so you don’t tear into the toy. Once it is clean, use a hose to rinse it clean and leave it in the sun to dry. Spray the cleaned toys with a solution of one part vinegar to two parts water to sanitize them. Again, leave them out in the sun to dry completely before laying flat and storing in an airtight container out of harsh temperatures and direct sunlight.
Patio Round-Up
There comes a point every summer when your patio must turn down for the season. This includes cleaning your grill, collapsing your umbrellas, and wiping down the patio furniture. To get a full rundown of this process, check out our Patio Cleaning Tips, so you don’t miss a step.
Indoors
Sunscreen Stains
There are few things better than sunkissed skin in the summer, but that doesn’t come without a few sunscreen stains. To remove sunscreen stains off clothing, first scrape any excess with a blunt edge, like a butter knife. Then, dab a pre-treater over the mark to remove any oil and grime. Once the pre-treater has set for at least thirty minutes, rinse the stain with cold water and wash on a cold cycle. Avoid tossing the item into the dryer. Lay it flat to air dry instead. Along with the dryer, your sunscreen-stained garment shouldn’t be treated with bleach as it runs the chance of oxidizing the stain and making it appear darker.
Don’t fret if you get sunscreen on your furniture! We have a Summer Checklist solution for that too, but you must act fast. For upholstery, scrape any excess then use a spray of one teaspoon of dish soap, one tablespoon of white vinegar, one tablespoon of baking soda, and one cup of water. Spray the stain and dab gently. Make sure not to rub or use hot water on the stain since it can result in setting the stain deeper into the fabric. All you will need to do to clean sunscreen stains from leather furniture is to gently dab it with a microfibre cloth and a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water. This should erase any oils and residue left by the stain.
Swimsuits
It wouldn’t be a complete summer checklist without swimsuit assistance. Instead of purchasing new bikinis and swim trunks for you and your family every year – because we know this quickly adds up – take care of the suits you have. This starts with rinsing the swimsuits with cold water after every wear. This will help prevent any odors from lingering. To wash the suits, remove any cups and supports, then ensure all the ties are undone so everything gets cleaned evenly. Add your swimsuits to a basin with cool water and mild laundry detergent. Gentle hand wash the garments then leave to soak for thirty minutes. Once the half hour has elapsed, rinse the items with clean, cool water.
To go the extra mile you can soak your swimsuits in a solution of a half cup of baking soda to a gallon of water. This will help clean out any remaining chlorine and help keep the colors bright. Never twist or wring out your swimsuits after washing them since they can ruin the materials and structure. We recommend gently squeezing the items to remove any excess water. To store the suits, wait until they are one hundred percent dry then store them away from direct sunlight.
Fridge and Oven
After hosting BBQs and backyard parties every weekend, your fridge and oven have probably gathered some grease and grime. Thankfully the Cleaning Specialists at Scrubbi are experts in making these high-traffic areas sparkling again. Once you are done with the pool toys, patio, and summertime laundry, call the pros in to get the rest of the house. Be sure to schedule the fridge and oven deep-cleanings to guarantee every step of your summer checklist is crossed off and your home is ready to make the most out of the final days of summer.
Now you are ready to ring in the last of the summer sunshine without the worries of the to-do list looming over you. You deserve a stress-free life, especially when it comes to chores around the home. Let Scrubbi simplify the tasks around your home with our expertise so you are able to enjoy every summer moment.
