MAX Strip Blog: Top 5 Tough Spring Cleaning Tasks

Spring is here and we're all feeling the itch to wipe away the winter dust so to speak. But we all have those tougher clean-up tasks we've been putting on hold. Here are some of the top tough cleaning tasks with some tips to help get the job done this Spring.

1 Oven Cleaning

Oven cleaning falls into the out of sight out of mind category sometimes. Keep in mind a dirty oven can transfer unpleasant odors and flavors to your food so not the best task to put off. If you have a self-cleaning oven, it is perfectly acceptable to use it if the oven is only slightly dirty. After around two hours, you are left with white ash in the bottom of the oven that you must clean away once the oven unlocks and is cool.

If your oven is very dirty with baked-on food, the self-cleaning feature will not work well. Too much grease and food residue can smoke and even catch fire. You should never leave home with the self-cleaning function engaged. The best way to clean an oven for you will depend on the kind of ingredients you'd like to use, and how dirty your oven is to start. Commercial oven cleaners can be quite harsh. Here is our recommendation for a safe removal option: Max Strip All Purpose Remover.

2 Re-Paint the Front Door

If you were to ask any paint manufacturer, "is painting best done when the weather is mild outside, typically above 10°C and not too humid?" They would say "YES!" If your front door has seen better days, it might be a good time to give it a fresh coat of paint. For best results, remove the door from the hinges and remove all of its hardware. Give it a good cleaning to allow the paint to adhere properly, and scrape off any buildups of paint or areas where the old paint is chipping off. For multiple thick/damaged paint layers, try a DIY-friendly paint stripper to give your door a long-lasting paint job.

Please note that traditional paint strippers can be very toxic and require special protective equipment. Our recommendation is Max Strip Paint & Varnish Stripper. If your home was built before 1979, check the paint for lead before you scrape or sand. For more information, go to epa-usa/lead paint

3 Tune-Up Outdoor Gas Grills

No matter what your recipe is, the best burgers are cooked on a clean, well-maintained grill. Before cookout season kicks off, give your grill a once-over. Look for food drippings and grease buildup on the exterior grill. Scrub these spots clean with warm soapy water to avoid attracting pests. Clean the grates and interior thoroughly to remove any drippings and grease. A shop vacuum can work great to remove burnt food from the bottom interior of the BBQ. For very dirty BBQ grates, soak them in Max Strip All Purpose Remover before scrubbing with warm water. Finally, clean the drip pan thoroughly with warm, soapy water.

4 Community Graffiti Removal

You've been looking at the same ugly graffiti every day in your community on your commute to work and it's finally warm enough to do something about it. Leaving graffiti can encourage more property damage. Removing it quickly it can discourage repeat offenders. Getting a few neighbors together for a walk around the neighborhood to clean up graffiti can go a long way. Improve curb/community appeal even increase property values. Some graffiti removers can be very smelly and even cause mild skin burns when used without protective gloves. Max Strip Graffiti Remover offers a safer option for graffiti removal and cleans-up with just water!

5 Repair & Treat Wood Furniture

Is your outdoor wood furniture starting to splinter, fade, or peeling paint? Then it’s time to get those repairs in before the summertime fun begins! If it is not properly treated for water damage prevention, the project will just be more work later. For damaged water sealants or peeling paint, always strip off the damaged coating. This will ensure you are getting the proper coating adhesion to protect your wood from water, weather, pests, and wood rot. It also protects you and your family from splinters ouch! For safe DIY furniture refinishing, we recommend Max Strip Paint & Varnish Stripper.

As the weather starts to warm up, we get more and more distracted with Summer fun! Take this perfect opportunity to clean up winter messes and the tough projects you've been putting off. Save Summer for fun in the sun and use this time to get these Spring clean up projects done before it’s too hot!