26 March . 2025
Spring Cleaning Step Up
Spring cleaning season is sneaking up! After tackling your usual chores, make sure your home is truly refreshed by tackling these often forgotten household tasks.
Replacing Air Duct Filters
You should be replacing your HVAC filters every three months. If you’re looking at your calendar realizing you may be a little past due for this household task, there is no need to fret. This is the easiest task on the list! In order to change this filter, you need to start by turning off your heating/cooling system. Unscrew or unhook the latches on the cover grill. Wipe the cover clean and remove the old filter. Replace with a fresh filter and relatch the cover grill. Be sure to check your house for multiple air ducts!
Cleaning Dryer Vents
In a similar sense, it is also important to clean out your dryer vents. Cleaning out your dryer vents allows your dryer to work at full efficiency while also helping keep your home safe. The process to clean out these vents is a bit more complex but was explained in depth in this video!
Cleaning dish washer
You may be surprised to find out that the machine we trust to wash our dishes needs a washing of its own, but alas, it does! Cleaning the dish washer regularly helps prevent grime buildup and unpleasant smells.
Start cleaning your washing machine by removing the filter at the bottom of the machine and scrub it clean with soap and hot water in the sink. Place the filter back in your empty washing machine. Place a dishwasher safe container holding a cup of white vinegar on the top rack and run a cycle on the hottest water or sanitization cycle your dishwasher has. Once that is done, remove the container and any liquid in it. Sprinkle baking soda on the bottom of the dishwasher and run another cycle with the hottest settings your dishwasher is capable of. Finally, wipe the inside of the machine, including the spray arms, with a warm damp rag.
Cleaning washing machine
Much like a dish washer, you may be shocked to find out you’re supposed to be cleaning your washing machine as well! Unlike dishwashers, however, all washing machines look and work a little bit differently. The process of cleaning a top-load vs front-load washer have a few different steps. Luckily, this post by Home Depot explains everything you need to know about caring for these appliances!
Sealing grout
A surprising household task that is often overlooked is resealing the grout. Grout, especially the grout with a concrete texture often found between shower and backsplash tiles, is extremely absorbent. Because of this, it is important to seal it and create a waterproof barrier. If you don’t, it will be easy for moisture to permeate this absorbent material and create issues with mold, mildew or staining. Fortunately, sealing your grout is not a difficult task.
The first step is to deep clean your grout. It would be counterproductive to seal in the stains, mold and mildew we are trying to prevent. The best way to do this is to dip a toothbrush into a mixture of warm water, vinegar and dish soap. While the small scrubber may make the task feel daunting, just tackle it one grout line at a time.
While that is drying and your arms are resting, determine the type of sealer and applicator that is best for your project. These will depend on grout location, such as shower vs. backsplash, width between tiles and grout texture. There are plenty of good guides on how to make these decisions online!
After allowing the grout to dry for at least an hour and preparing the method you have chosen to apply the sealer with, you’re ready to seal! Use your brush or applicator to apply the sealer to the grout lines and be sure to make sure grout is covered evenly and completely. This will make sure it looks nice and creates the waterproof barrier you are looking for! Allow the sealer to sit for 10-15 minutes and use a dry cloth or paper towel to wipe any sealer that happened to get on the surrounding tile. Be sure to not let any excess sealer sit on the tile for any longer than this or you’ll end up with a visible film on the tile that is almost impossible to remove.
Allow your sealer to dry for another hour and repeat the sealing process. For high moisture areas, such as your shower, you may need to apply a third coat as well.
Give your final coat another hour to dry before testing to see if your grout is fully sealed. Splash a few drops of water on the grout lines. If the water beads up into small water droplets, your grout is sealed successfully. If not, apply another coat.
After sealing your grout, you need to let your grout cure completely before you put it to the test. The curing time is not universal, so be sure to check the specific sealer you used.
We know you love your Wendell Falls home (we love it too!), so it is important to take care of it! Many of these household tasks are easy enough to take care of, but equally as easily forgotten. Give your home the pampering it deserves this spring!
Wendell Falls is located just 15 miles from downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the U.S. Explore artfully crafted new homes and townhomes from the low $300,000s – $900,000s+.