Cleaning out your clothes closet - packing away warm clothing and hanging up spring and summer items - is one of those must-do chores at this time of year. The cleaning experts at MOLLY MAID recommend this simple way to streamline the process. Get three containers (bins or bags) and label them: 'Keep', 'Donate' and 'Toss'.  Then, follow these rules of thumb to help you decide where each piece of clothing belongs:

1. Keep

• Keep all 'favourite' items of clothing that you've recently worn within the last few months.
• Keep items from last spring and summer that are in good shape and that you look forward to wearing.
• If any of the clothes have been hanging in the closet unworn for a long time (they may even still have price tags but have passed the return/exchange date at the store), maybe it's time to reconsider keeping them. Perhaps they should be put into the 'donate' container.

2. Donate

• Donate clothes that you didn't wear last year. 
• If you keep the same clothes in your closet year-round (regardless of the season) then shorten this to a six month rule. If an article of clothing hasn't been worn in six months, it's time to let someone else enjoy it instead.

3.    Toss

• Toss any items that are full of rips, holes or stains.
• Consider re-using some of the tossed pieces of clothing as rags for cleaning. Examine the pile and consider if any items would work cut up as cleaning rags, especially for those outdoor projects that include dirt or grease (think: cleaning the BBQ or lawn mower).

As winter slowly turns into spring, the dust in your home seems to become more obvious. The fact there is more sunlight is one reason (sun seems to make dust shine too!). The other reason may be that your home is becoming a little cluttered; with the weather lately we don't know if we should have winter boots and coats or running shoes and sweaters, so everything is being pulled out of the closet frequently!

How can you keep things more pristine? 

It's almost time for your spring cleaning, so tackling the clutter is going to make a huge difference. Regular cleaning and light surface dusting will also help maintain a dust-free, beautiful home. You can even ask kids to help out; suggest they dust their own rooms and turn it into a game.) 

Here are other tips that will help keep your home dust-free:

• Use door mats to prevent dust and dirt from entering your home.
• Brush your pets because they bring in a lot of dirt and debris too.  Brushing them regularly will minimise the amount of dander and pet hair in your home.
• Use a microfibre cloth. MOLLY MAID cleaners use microfibre cloths because they work so well and capture even the tiniest dust particles.
• Go over dusted areas with fabric softener sheets. The anti-static component in the sheets helps prevent further dust build-up and can easily take the place of more expensive electrostatic cloths. But be careful not to use these on sensitive electronic items such as televisions and computers.
• Don't forget windows and blinds - close all of your blinds and briskly dust them off all at once.
• Always dust top to bottom, left to right. This ensures that you won't go over surfaces multiple times and the dust won't fall onto a surface you've already cleaned.

Spring cleaning is not just for your home anymore - you can spring clean your community too!  Is there a park near your neighbourhood that is often littered with garbage?  Wouldn't you like to see it cleaned up?  In honour of Earth Day, organize a community cleanup!  Working together for a healthy environment is a great opportunity to further develop relationships with your neighbours.  Here are some ideas to help share your love of a cleaner and greener environment:

 Rally your Neighbours

• Talk to your neighbours and post signs (on recycled paper) letting your community know you'd like to organize a cleanup of the local park, school, community centre, etc. 
• Consider putting a notice on your local town or community's website requesting volunteers - be sure to include the date and time of the cleanup. 

 Add some extra Fun

• Make the cleanup into a fun scavenger hunt for the children who are participating; who can find a banana peel or a pop can? 
• Add a bit of competition to the mix for the adults; who can fill their bag with garbage first or who can collect the most bags of garbage?  

 Sort your Goodies

• Did you know that your local recycling driver could add up to three extra hours to their regular route because of improperly sorted recyclables? 
• Set up containers labelled "garbage", "recycle" and "compost" and be sure to properly sort the items you collect - sorting could be a great way to get the children involved and to teach them about the importance of recycling.

 Enjoy a Potluck Lunch

• You'll build up an appetite after all the great work you've done, so celebrate your success by asking everyone to bring their favourite appetizer... you might want to wash your hands first!
• Mix and mingle with your neighbours and gain a stronger sense of community - and a greener earth!

 Why not turn this into a pledge to make 'spring cleaning your community' an annual event!

Dogs and cats make a wonderful addition to the family, but they don't help the germ situation in the home - especially when it comes to their food and water bowls!

As part of your spring cleaning this year, why not initiate this new cleaning ritual: wash your pet's food and water bowls every time you fill up the water bowl with fresh water. 

Hand-wash the dishes each time you refill them - MOLLY MAID recommends using regular dish detergent if you wash them by hand - then put the dishes into the dishwasher once a week.

Many people use the same cloth in different rooms when they are doing their spring cleaning, and regular cleaning. But MOLLY MAID recommends using separate microfibre cloths when cleaning the kitchen and bathroom specifically, to avoid cross contamination.

Germs love the kitchen and bathroom - because of food preparation, damp surfaces and dark moist corners. When you use the same cloth in these rooms, you may be transporting germs from one room to the other.

How to avoid this? MOLLY MAID recommends using a different colour cloth in each room (so pink for the kitchen, for example, and blue for the bathroom).

When you have to wipe up a spill on the floor in either room, use a paper towel (not a dish towel) and recycle it when you're done.

Watch for more great tips from MOLLY MAID on how to reduce germs in your home.