As the summer is now right around the corner, it’s the perfect time for us to get our homes and gardens looking as clean and pristine as we possibly can. For those of us lucky enough to own a sunroom, that’s especially true.
Sunrooms, as the name implies, are rooms specially designed for enjoying the warmth of the sun and the beauty of outdoors, in the comfort of your own home. They’re relaxing spaces that offer warmth and shelter, and are particularly popular during the warmer months of the year.
To ensure that our sunrooms not only look the part, but also actually help us to relax and unwind, it’s important that we keep them clean and tidy. A clean and tidy home is a happy home, and that includes sunrooms.
While people often focus on the walls, windows, and furniture when cleaning a sunroom, the ceilings and decorative wooden beams are often overlooked. This doesn’t just leave the rooms looking untidy, it can also be bad for our health as well.
To help you out, here’s a look at deep cleaning sunroom ceilings and beams for dust-free living.
Dust Regularly
Even though we’re looking at deep cleaning today, it’s still very important that you dust your sunroom regularly, and yes, that includes the ceiling, around the ceiling, and any decorative beams you may have installed.
Because of their close proximity to outside, and because the doors and windows are often left open in the warmer months of the year, sunrooms can get very dusty very quickly. If you’re not careful, dust can build up and get on top of you, which means when you do eventually dust, you’ll have a much larger job on your hands.
To help make life easier, and to keep your ceilings and beams dust-free, try to dust them regularly. To make life easier, draw up a dusting schedule and make sure to stick to it. For most people, once a week should be sufficient, as this will help you stay on top of things so when the time does come for a deep clean, you won’t have inches of thick dust to tackle.
Avoid Cleaning in the Sunshine
While the thought of cleaning your sunroom on a nice and sunny day may be appealing, if you want to get the best results from your deep clean, you should ideally avoid cleaning in direct sunlight.
Rather than a sunny day with clear blue skies, experts recommend a cloudy, overcast day, or even the evening proving you have enough lighting in your sunroom to see what you’re doing. The reason for this is that, as sunrooms have so much glass in them, they get warm quickly and the glass magnifies the sun’s rays so any water or droplets on the glass dry much quicker and form unattractive looking streaks.
Even if your sunroom ceiling isn’t made from glass or Perspex, it’s still best to avoid cleaning on a hot and sunny day, as you want any water or cleaning solutions that you use to dry slowly and evenly.
Avoid Harsh Cleaning Chemicals and Solutions
Walk down the cleaning aisle of any hardware or DIY store, and you’ll be met with an endless array of cleaning chemicals and solutions that claim to be designed exclusively for sunrooms and/or decorative wooden beams. Try to read the list of ingredients, and you’ll be there all day.
In truth, all you need for a deep clean is warm water, a little dish soap, some white vinegar, and clean and dry microfiber cloths. Harsh chemicals used on glass sunroom ceilings and windows can affect the protective seal and cause it to weaken and degrade. This in turn can severely affect the structural integrity of the entire sunroom.
As for decorative beams, whether they’re made from wood or another material, harsh chemicals and cleaning solutions can cause them to fade and can damage the overall texture or finish of the beams in general.
A mild dish soap, and/or a white vinegar and water cleaning solution is all you need to clean and sterilize sunroom ceilings, windows, and decorative beams. They’re kinder to your sunroom, kinder to the environment, and even kinder to your bank balance.
Clean Inside and Out
Obviously, the inside of your sunroom is going to be easier to clean than the outside, but in order to reap the benefits of a deep clean, and to really appreciate the results, you’re going to have to clean the outside of your sunroom as well.
Clean and wipe down the windows, the roof (especially if glass or Perspex) and the frames and make sure you wipe away any watermarks, streaks, or smears before they have chance to dry.
Don’t Neglect the Frames
While people often focus on glass windows, ceilings, and doors when cleaning a sunroom, it’s important that you give the frames the same amount of care and attention.
Before you begin using any water or cleaning solutions, use a soft-bristled brush to remove any excess dust, dirt, or debris from the frames and edges of your ceiling. Once you’ve dealt with that, you can then give them a quick dusting, before applying your cleaning solution, and then wiping dry to finish.
Always Use Non-Abrasive Cleaning Tools
When you are cleaning and wiping down your sunroom ceilings, windows, and beams, it’s essential that you use a soft, microfiber cloth, or other non-abrasive cleaning tools and accessories.
As both wood and glass can scratch, the last thing you want is to wipe your sunroom ceiling with an abrasive sponge, only to find once you’ve finished that the glass is now riddled with tiny scratches.
Before you begin cleaning, make sure that the tools and equipment you’re using is non-abrasive and that it won’t scratch the surface of whatever it is that you’re cleaning.
Use a Good Quality Beeswax Polish on Wood
Decorative wooden beams in a sunroom look absolutely gorgeous. They add character and charm, and they just look homely, stylish, and lavish at the same time.
The only real downside with wooden beams, is that overtime they may require a little extra maintenance. Oak for example, is a very popular wood for decorative beams, but it can fade in direct sunlight, and pests may also get to it, especially in the summer when doors and windows are likely to be open more frequently.
After you’ve cleaned, wiped, dusted, and dried your sunroom beams, all that is left is to give them a quick polish. A good quality beeswax polish is nearly always best for wood as it helps to seal it, add a protective coating, and give it a subtle shine that glistens in the sunlight. This coating also makes it much easier to wipe away any dust that may settle or accumulate in the future.
