Spring Cleaning 101: How to Get Through the Cleaning Season

Perhaps it’s different in other parts of the world, I honestly couldn’t say, but I somehow doubt it. Here in Colorado, the first chirping bird is a beautiful sound. On the heels of that sound are breezes pregnant with the promise of warmer weather, the cautious opening of windows, and the first curious buds peeping out of the ground.

And then we throw our doors open and start getting rid of the winter’s accumulated must, dust, and general dirt.

Spring cleaning is a chore, make no mistake. It’s an ornerous, tiresome, often body-wracking chore. But it should be done every year, not just for the health of your family but for the maintenance of your home, protecting the investment you’ve put into it and everything that furnishes it.

Now let’s get something clear from the start – I’m not a good housekeeper. In fact, I suck at it. I don’t like cleaning, doing dishes, and would much rather bury my head in the most difficult of work than shampoo carpets. But if I’m going to do something, especially something I hate, I’m going to get it done super-well and do it super-fast.

With all this in mind, let’s hit a crash course on a few things that will make your spring cleaning experience a bit less horrible.

Guide to Spring Cleaning

I’m no Martha Stewart, and don’t really think cleaning is a “good thing”. Living in a clean place is another matter. So I tackle the awfulness of the task with the beauty of the reward in mind.

That’s my first tip: remember the goal. As you’re going about the chore, burn a couple of candles and use pleasantly scented cleansers (one of my favorites at the moment is lavender scented, anti-bacterial, and by a big-brand that you can find in any store). Both these things will make the work seem to go by a little easier.

General Tips

* Preparation: Before you start cleaning, take a quick walk through the rooms of your house and take notes as you go. List the tasks you’ll need to perform, and note any special supplies you’ll need to do it. Then you can have everything ready all at once.
* Carry Along: Bring all your cleaning supplies with you when you enter a room. It’s easier to just keep going than it is to pick up a job half-done, and having your tools all together will prevent running around (avoiding the work).
* Pick up, Shampoo, Then Clean: If you try to clean everything down before you shampoo carpets, you’ll wind up having to do it all over again. Instead, concentrate on picking things up so that you can shampoo carpets, and do the down-n-dirty cleaning after they’re dry.

The Kitchen

* Go through all your cupboards before you start washing things down. Not only can you weed out the “junk” that’s accumulated, but you can take the empty-cupboard opportunity to wash them down inside and out. If you haven’t lined your shelves, you can do that at this time and have a clean new touch to your kitchen as a reward.
* Have a lot of stainless steel? Don’t use an ordinary cleaner, which can scratch the expensive material, but go for something simple – club soda. Use a standard spray cleanser first for disinfecting, then spray it down with club soda to shine the stainless steel easily.
* In addition to the standard box of baking soda in your fridge, wipe it down with vinegar when you clean it out. This prevents mildew, which is the most common cause of odor and “off” flavor in your food.

The Bathroom

* Bathroom stains are annoying – but fixable. After all the cleaning and disinfecting is done, remove water spots from metal using lemon furniture oil. Spots on fixtures are easily removed with simple rubbing alcohol, and rusty tile marks can be removed with kerosene. Finally, make your bathroom mirror shine again with – again – rubbing alcohol.
* Have a linen closet in or beside your bathroom? All the humidity can make the towels start to smell mildewy after just a couple of days. Try placing a dryer sheet on one or two of the shelves to keep things smelling fresh.

The Walls

* If you have painted walls, make a wall cleaner by mixing 1/2 cup ammonia, 1/4 cup white vinegar, and 1/4 cup baking soda per gallon of hot water. This disinfects and makes the surface shine.
* Wall paper can be dusted easily by tying a duscloth over your broom and working from the top down.

The Windows

* You can make a very good, very inexpensive window cleaner yourself that has no dyes. Just add 3 tablespoons of ammonia to a spray bottle, place in 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, and top it off with water.
* Want shiny clean windows? Use old newspaper instead of a cloth or papertowel – it leaves no lint behind, and polishes the surface at the same time.