I'm guessing you can see my smile from where you're sitting. OK, I'm not THAT excited about spring cleaning, but I'm not NOT excited. To be fair (for my Letterkenny friends) it's not so much that I love cleaning. It is mostly the fact that we can open the windows and doors and refresh the stale air we have been stuck with all winter. Combine that with a healthy dose of cleaning and decluttering and you have the makings of a happy author. Today I'd like to talk a bit about some of the cleaning tasks that are better left to the pros. Just like roofing, sheetrock and insulation when building a home; these tasks are "possible" for you and I but will have a much better result if we let the smarty-pantses do what they do best.

First out of the gate is upholstery. We recently had a guest staying with us that owned a dog. He was a lovable dog, but horribly trained. Outside of that he spent most of his time pooping in the back yard and sleeping on the couch. (Needless to say, I was not a fan.) Literally the day they moved out, I removed every cover from every couch cushion (thankfully they zipped off) and threw them in the washer. I also rented a rug shampooer and cleaned the carpets, but that's another story.

In our case, the couch is a bit "long in the tooth" and we are not concerned about the fabric fading or being damaged. Let's be honest, we allowed a dog to sleep there for a few months! In the case where you are more careful about your upholstery, bring in the pros. "Professional cleaners will use the appropriate cleaning solutions to protect your fabrics while getting them clean and refreshed," notes Badger Peabody & Smith Realty (formerly Badger Realty) agent, Nubian Duncan. "For folks with antique furniture or fabrics, this really is the only option," he continued".

While we are still indoors and talking about valuable items let's focus on hardwood floors. Regular mopping and sweeping (or "Swiffering" if you prefer) can do wonders to keep the floors grit-free and shiny-clean. But even with weekly cleaning they can still develop a dull appearance and start to show scratches and blemishes. Of course re-finishing them makes them "good as new", but that's fairly costly and (for our purposes today) unnecessary. Hiring professional flooring cleaners can solve the problem and provide us with clean, protected floors with lasting shine.

OK, that sounded a bit like an info-mercial but they really do help. The professionals will know what materials to use to remove any sort of build-up on the floor (both from the cleaning products you are using as well as the daily "ick" that tends to get layered on). They will also (depending on the actual surface) add some protective coating that helps your regular cleaning be more effective and makes the "clean" last longer.

Sliding (on our clean floors) over to the bathroom, it is now time to address that tile. We just had some professionals provide an estimate to clean the grout in our two bathrooms as well as repair the grout in the front entryway. Never mind that this is something the pros will certainly be good at, it is also something I have zero interest in tackling myself. They noted that the grout in the downstairs shower was not intended for shower use and were unable to tackle that part of the project. A misstep by the previous owners, for sure. The other grout is now sparkling clean and honestly makes the shower feel brand new.

The grout in the entryway had started to crack and break up into small pieces. Since this area obviously gets loads of daily abuse, it is no surprise that it was overdue for some maintenance. The professionals removed and replaced the grout and now that area boasts a "brand new" feel as well. After seeing the work it took to remove what was there, I was very happy with our decision to not tackle this on our own. Certainly possible, but in no way desirable. I'd much rather spend a few bucks and spend my weekend in the woods! I can't stress enough the value of your time and happiness combined with a job best left to professionals.

The last item we'll cover today is windows. If you are fortunate enough to have the "newer" style windows that tilt-in for easy cleaning, you can ignore this part. Just put down the paper, finish your coffee and get started! For the rest of us, this job is likely best (at least half of it) left for the experts. My dad has a window cleaning business down in Florida. He decided to pursue it after her retired because (for some inexplicable reason) he enjoys cleaning windows and all of the homes are single-story. He uses a 4 foot ladder and can do any house in The Villages. I cleaned our windows once and had to rent one of those 30 foot ladders from the home improvement store. I think I lost a year of my life being up that high, white knuckles and all.

Feel free to tackle the inside windows of your home, but I strongly recommend hiring the pros for the exterior. They will have a small team of folks that are used to being up that high and know how to handle a big ladder. Not only will your windows be clean but you (and your family) will be thrilled to have survived the weekend without a big fall. I promise it makes the notion of spring cleaning your windows that much more palatable.

I get a bit of a charge with spring cleaning. I love the fresh air and love the smell of a clean home. I would be remiss if I didn't encourage you to choose "safe" options with your cleaning products. You can certainly have a clean home and not have to deal with the toxic chemicals in most cleaning products. Just do some homework and choose wisely. Your kids and pets (and your lungs!) will appreciate it.