Spring Cleaning Tips
Posted: Wednesday, April 06, 2005
by Helpful Home Ideas
Helpful Home Ideas
When we think of spring-cleaning, we see our mothers draped in a ratty apron, hair tied back with an old bandana up to her elbows in cleaning gloves. Interestingly, history tells us spring-cleaning was born thanks to old wood burning stoves or oil furnaces. The arrival of spring signaled warmer temperatures, no longer requiring home heating and the need to clean the ash and soot left behind on all household surfaces, including draperies and exposed surfaces. Thankfully, most of us have modern heating and cooling systems eliminating such mess.
Creating Your Own Spring-Cleaning Project Plan
Tackling your spring-cleaning project is simple. First, determine if you'll have any help. If yes, your helpers can assist with creating your Spring-Cleaning Project Plan to include the rooms, tasks and tools you'll need to get the job done. (If you'll be tackling spring-cleaning alone, you might want to consider scheduling your project tasks over a few weeks to avoid burnout and back aches.) Use your spring-cleaning project to help your children get excited about pitching in and helping around the house. A one-time event is far less likely to get rebuttal than a weekly chore of recycling toys or organizing a messy closet.
Pick a day, or a series of days or weekends when you'll complete your spring-cleaning tasks. If possible, don't bleach floors or bathroom surfaces on a day when you can't open windows and properly ventilate the area. Also consider completing any outdoor spring-cleaning projects first to avoid staining freshly cleaned walls or carpets with outside debris.
Armed with paper and a pencil, create a page for each room of your house, i.e. kitchen, master bathroom, child's bedroom. (Be sure to ask yourself important questions such as, will you tackle the indoor rooms only, or will you also include outdoor areas like the garage and porches?) Next, using your room task sheets, create four column headings - task / item, name of the person responsible for completing the task, tools needed to complete the task, and the date each task should be completed.
On these individual room pages, itemize each task associated with the particular room. The key is to be specific and detailed nothing is too trivial when creating your task sheet. Be sure you leave potentially dangerous tasks to the adults. Don't assign tasks like cleaning the ceiling fan blades or disposing of chemicals or pesticides to a younger child. Once all of your tasks are defined, you'll need to think about what tools and cleaners will help you get the job done.
The most common items you will need are rags and cleaning cloths. Consider recycling old t-shirts with holes or stains and dingy bath towels for dusting and heavy-duty surface cleaning. Spring-cleaning isn't the time to use expensive paper towels or specialty cleaning cloths. When purchasing cleaners and cleansers, make sure you buy an ample supply for each room. Inspect your vacuum cleaner, and if necessary, have it serviced. Make sure brooms and mops are in good condition. If not, use this opportunity to purchase new ones.
Once your begin your spring-cleaning project, take the time to organize as you complete each task. Use shelf and cabinet organizers to neatly store cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink, shampoo and lotion under your bathroom sink, and laundry supplies in the washroom. Use old wallpaper samples or shelf paper to line bathroom and kitchen drawers. Store magazines in periodical racks, or better yet, get rid of them. Consider buying some inexpensive bookcases to store books and games in your kids' rooms or play room. Don't take smaller stacks of items and create larger ones. That's not cleaning that's reorganizing existing clutter.
Don't forget to make a list of items to be repaired as you discover them for each room. If you need to replace a light bulb or caulk the bathroom shower, make a note on the appropriate room task sheet. It's not necessary to repair right away, but you'll want to be sure you complete the repair in a timely manner.
Here are a few of the most critical items you will want to either complete or consider completing during your spring-cleaning:
- Get rid of items you no longer need or use!
- Change your furnace filter (try and do this monthly).
- Wipe down baseboards, molding, air vents, furnace return, window and doorframes, windowsills, door and room thresholds.
- Clean every lamp, ceiling fan and light fixture, inside and outside.
- Launder or dry clean all drapes and linens. (If possible, hire a cleaning company to come in and steam clean your furniture.)
- Wash the windows, inside and outside.
- Inspect and clean under all raised furniture and beds.
- Thoroughly clean all art, pictures or décor on the walls and all decorative items on furniture or shelves.
- Clean your fireplace inside and out. Consider hiring a chimney sweep if you use your fireplace frequently.
And finally, try to enjoy your spring-cleaning project. Most of us find pleasure in standing back to see a job well done and complete. For more House Cleaning Tips please visit us at Helpful Home Ideas.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Great information on the history of spring cleaning in para 1. Thank you!
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