The Art of Spring Cleaning

  

It’s that time of year isn’t it? Blossoms, birds, bees…and the lovely smell of fresh clean air when the windows are open wide…

I just know the first thing that enters your mind is…. spring cleaning! Right?  Well..maybe not the first thing. But I must say that when the sun moves over to that ‘spring’ position in the sky…it throws into stark relief a myriad of little dust bunnies that have been hiding in my house all winter.

I’ve been having that “Oh the weather’s lovely—let’s clean!” feeling for two weeks now. After keeping the house closed up all winter, it’s great to throw open the doors and windows and pull out the mop buckets! “Let the sunshine in..is my motto!” Of course, if you clean your windows it can shine in a lot better. LoL!

Spring cleaning used to be a job that took a week of non-stop work from sun up to sun down, but most of us just don’t have time for that. I sure don’t.   

It’s fine to top clean most of the time, but deep cleaning has to be done eventually. I have heard lots of approaches the best being clean one room a day from top to bottom..or even one room a week for two months.  But my favorite way to ‘spring clean’ is to do one big cleaning task per day or week.  

Spring cleaning is different from regular cleaning because you clean every nook and cranny, knowing you won’t clean it this hard again until late summer. It means focusing on details and being just a little bit picky.  I’m not referring here to kitchen appliances or even bathrooms here because most of us tackle these rooms thoroughly on a weekly  or monthly basis.

Here are the tasks that I’m tackling over the next week or two:

Dusting…high and low since dust falls down. Start with ceilings (looking for cobwebs), then hit the ceiling fans and a/c vents. Then get your dusting cloth out and a good step ladder and dust the picture frames, and anything else up high in the room.

Check the tops of kitchen cabinets, bookshelves, and refrigerator. They may be pretty bad if you are as short as I am and ‘out of sight is out of mind’.

Then vacuum the lamp shades and furniture because  a lot of dust collects in them. I get   my little vacuum cleaner out and vacuum my laminate wood floors. Dust bunnies travel a lot when there is no carpet to catch them.

Sigh..so for me, dusting requires a lot of sweeping under furniture and hard to get places. 

Dust and wipe with a damp cloth all of your collectibles too.

Anything on a shelf..books, antiques etc. is going to get pretty dusty over time.

Cleaning and polishing wood. I use Don Aslett’s wood to wood to polish my furniture, but first I use some Murphy’s oil soap to give all of my wooden things a good cleaning. 

Tables and chairs especially need this thorough cleaning.

  Bookshelves, pianos, desks, coffee tables..anything with a horizontal surface that is made of wood are the main things needing to be polished.

 

Now think GLASS. My favorite way to clean glass is to use plain old Windex (or in a pinch alcohol and water) and paper towels. I go out ‘hunting’ for glass all around the house…with my trigger ready!  I usually hit everything plastic or electronic at the same time. From one end of the house to the other, clean glass.

For the outside of windows, simple dishsoap and a bucket of water and good squeegee works great.    You can also clean ceramics and other glass objects d’art while on this ‘mission’. :o)

By the way, I would never use 409 on a piece of hand-blown glass from Italy...just mild soap and water.

 

Don’t forget lamp bowls and light diffusing bowls!

Next comes fingerprints on doors, walls, and other surfaces. For wall paper, the best cleaning tool is a dry sponge or magic eraser. I was amazed how subtly dirty a papered wall can get without you realizing it. Doors and door knobs, cabinet doors, and walls near tables or beds need special attention. I use 409 or some other all purpose cleaner for doing this job.

Mini-blinds will need to be washed too.  Sometimes it’s best just to take them down and wash them in a tub of warm soapy water.  But at least give them special attention rather than a quick dusting.

After that, wash fabric things if needed…curtains, floor rugs, shower curtain, throws, even some pillows. If necessary, you may want to see about carpet or furniture cleaning. I have to say that’s one thing I don’t miss…cleaning carpet!

I really dislike constant sweeping..but hardwood floors are easy to clean compared to carpet. Blankets and comforters may need to be taken into town and dry cleaned or washed in a supersized washer.

      

The last major task is floors…vacuuming, scrubbing, mopping, spot cleaning, carpet cleaning and perhaps waxing. I would start with floors because they give the biggest sense of ‘reward’ over anything else just because they take up so much visual space. But it seems a pity to go mopping only to cover the floors with dust during the other steps.  

This is the perfect time to pull out the stove and refrigerator and clean underneath. They really do need it!

Like windows, clean floors have the biggest VISUAL impact because they are so BIG. I’ve been remiss about floors because laminate wood floors just don’t show messy like some other floors do. But I’m getting a lot better about it. 

I must say I was amazed that it took most of a day just to clean ‘half’ the floors in our house!  There is just so much dust! Of course, my hubby and sons track in a LOT of ‘the great outdoors’ and then the pets like to shed a little..and the bird spills seeds and occasionally molts..so I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised.

There’s lots more that COULD be done..but these tasks are the most important. Just take it easy and focus on one task at a time. If you focus on even one of these jobs per week, in a month or so you could have your house completely spring cleaned. And you can probably skip the gym this month if you decide to work at your spring cleaning. :o) Spring cleaning can be a real workout!

How about you? Are you getting that ‘fresh air’ feeling? Ready to roll your sleeves up and get some serious cleaning done ?

Linking with

Friday Show and Tell at My Romantic Home
Raising Homemakers Wednesday Link Up

and

Metamorphosis Monday at BTNOP

Comin' up this week....

Tuesday Tea..Prayer..A Mother's Calling and a Special Song by a Reader's daughter
Three Tried and True Crockpot Recipes..Yummy!
A Darling Spring Cake with Iced Cookies and Candy Melt Daisies
The Countryside in Bloom
How to Sew a Computer Cord Sling

Check Comin' Home's Facebook Page for sneak peeks

Overwhelmed? Get Started Using FlyLady's Baby Steps to a Beautiful Home

Some of you who read my post last week about working in a beautiful home, may have felt a little overwhelmed at the thought of tackling the mess in your home. Or you may have no idea how to even get started! I sure don't want to leave you hanging like that! There was a time when I was completely buried and had gotten so discouraged that I had given up trying to get on top of things.

That was eight years ago, when my oldest was still a senior and I was homeschooling five kids.  We had also moved to the largest home I had ever lived in and I was still trying to clean the whole house, top to bottom, in one day. Honestly, it just wasn't possible! And we had so much stuff! Add some teenager/parent conflict to the mix and I was as close to burnout as I had ever been in my life.

Basically, I was just depressed..period. I don't remember feeling any hope at all.  We had TEN black bags of giveaway clothes that a good friend had given me with the prerequisite that I promise to pass the bags on to another friend rather than put them in the Goodwill pile. We had to climb over the bags, just to get to the bed. But I couldn't just get rid of the bags...like I really wanted to do.

I remember the day I finally read one of FlyLady's email and instead of deleting the email reminder, I actually decided to DO the job. My normal response after signing up with FlyLady was to delete all the emails after arguing with them. "Where are my shoes?" FlyLady would ask. And I would sarcastically reply, "Not on my feet Lady! I like going barefoot!". Yep, I was pretty depressed.  It's hard to believe now, after teaching so many FlyLady workshops, that I was ever in such a down state.

That first time that I actually did one of her email tasks, I had made a bargain with the Lord, that I would do the very next email task that popped up. I was feeling so guilty that I knew I had to do something--anything to get going on life again!  So with fear and trepidation, I got up my email client. I will never forget that task. 

"You are special. Take some time today to pamper yourself. Take a bubble bath. Do a pedicure!"  

I was thinking, "Lord, are you sure THIS is the task you wanted me to do?"  He was.  I did the job. I felt so special!  I decided to do the next one and it's one of my favorites....

It read..."Re-boot Your Laundry".  Where is your laundry? Crumpled in the dryer, molding in the washer? Take a few minutes to start a load of laundry. I remember being amazed! How did she know exactly where my laundry was? 

The answer to both questions was a resounding YES! So I got up and re-washed the sour load, and stuck a damp clean towel in the crumpled load and got it going. So I only did one load. That was more than I was doing at the moment. I celebrated the progress! Hurrah! I got up from my chair that was parked in front of the computer and finally did SOMETHING!  For the next week, I started doing the tasks mentioned in her email reminders. Not all of them, but whatever I thought I could handle.

If you are in a similar state, why not just start where FlyLady suggested...the kitchen sink. The beauty of this approach is not only that having clean dishes is the bare minimum functioning of a happy home, but learning to keep two by four feet of house clean..."all the time'..will teach you self-discipline in a small bite.  Before you know it, you'll be keeping the whole house clean! It took me a good month or two to start being more disciplined but it was the beginning of a happier life for me and for my whole family.  I learned how to clean in baby steps instead of trying to do the whole thing at once, which was just too overwhelming. It got me moving! And that is the main idea.

Photo of House after Taking Care of My Father This January

If you are bogged down and discouraged by the state of your home, just know that you are not alone. There are lots of other ladies going through the same thing and many of us have been in your shoes. Just because you are having trouble doing cleaning tasks, and perhaps struggling with wanting to do projects and fun instead, doesn't make you a bad person! You just need to learn some discipline. We all need to do that regardless of the area of life we may be struggling with.  Click here for a link to 30 days of Baby Steps at the FlyLady website.

Let me know if you decide to work on keeping your kitchen sink clean this week. I'll be praying for each of you. If you are struggling with some other area, pop me an email at homemaking@eastex.net. I'd love to be there for you!

Happy Homemaking!

FlyLady Tips: What is the Secret to Making Your House feel like a Home? Home Blessing!

You may be surprised when you find out the answer to this question! It's not having a dear hubby or children. It's not canning, sewing, decorating cookies..or other nostalgic past times. And amazingly enough, it's not even interior decorating as important as that is.

 photo credit 

Cherl Mendelson, author of Home Comforts, says

"In fact, too much attention to the looks of a home can backfire  if it creates a stage-set feeling instead of the authenticity of a genuinely homey place."

(Sheesh...I guess I can quit worrying about that now!) Surprisingly, she also says, "I know from experience that you cannot make a home by imitating the household chores and crafts of the past era.  Ironically, people are led into the error of 'playing house' instead of keeping house by a genuine desire for a home and its comforts.

Nostalgia means, literally, "home-sickness".

So are you ready to hear her answer for the secret to making a house really feel like a home? I can tell you right now...you may not like her answer!! (I like it though! Tee-hee!)

photo credit

HOUSE CLEANING!!! Imagine that!

Here's what Cheryl has to say about it... "What really does work to increase the feeling of having a home and its comforts....is housekeeping!  Housekeeping creates cleanliness, order, regularity, beauty, the conditions for health and safety, and a good place to do and feel all the things you wish and need to do and feel in your home. Whether you live alone, or with a spouse, parents, and ten children, it is your housekeeping that makes your home alive, that turns it into a small society in its own right, a vital place with its own ways and rhythms, the place where you can be more yourself than you can be anywhere else."

Having moved 23 TIMES! (Count 'em!), I think I can safely claim to be an expert on this particular topic!  Truly, it is as you LIVE in your home that it BECOMES your home.  It is  in the process of cleaning, washing, cooking, shopping, dusting and going through all the other normal routines of home life, that a brand new house, begins to finally feel like home.  For us, it takes about a month to feel like we really belong and aren't just living in a hotel.

You want to know another strange thing? I've noticed that it is the driving back and forth from the new house, to the new post office, bank,  grocery store, library and church, and back again that finally ingrains in our brains that the building we are now living is our home and not just a house.

Coming home is your major restorative in life!

Housekeeping...is the source of most of the good things things that make a place homelike--fresh sheets, good meals, airy, clean, orderly rooms, and so forth.

1920’s Reproduction Quilt…made by me

Other good things include fresh flowers, good books, half finished projects to work on in spare moments...It is a cliché, but true, that a room that looks lived in looks more homey. This implies not that you should be less neat but that you should actually live in the rooms! 

Faked signs of life make the room feel desolate and lonely. Signs of real life make the room feel comforting and warm.

We will talk more about decorating and other fun things...but it is important that we keep in mind that cleaning is  important...and not secondary to the beauty of our homes. I love the fact that FlyLady calls the Monday Morning Routine a "Home Blessing".  Cleaning is a way to bless not only your home, but everyone in it!

photo credit

Now that you are ALL inspired...Here's my "Home Blessing" list...

Weekly Home Blessing Hour

• Cull/toss old magazines.
• Change sheets.
• Empty all the trash.
• Vacuum all rooms.
• Mop kitchen and bath.
• Clean mirrors and doors.
• Feather Dust furniture.

Just 10 minutes each so you can spend the rest of the time de-cluttering or deep cleaning your zone for the week!

 photo credit

Here's our deep cleaning plan for this week. We are in Zone 4: The Master Bedroom!


Week 4 - Master Bedrooom and bathroom 
O Launder: Wash area rugs, curtains, (shower curtain if necessary), Bedspread, mattress pad, and dust ruffle (turn mattress)
O Floors: Vacuum, sweep, scrub and/ or wax floors
O Scrub toilet, shower door, tub (use Bathroom cleaner for water deposits and scum)
O Dust high and low, (ceiling fans, floorboards,) cobwebs, polish furniture and wood
O Clean windows, mirrors, switchplates, walls and doors, medicine cabinet, dresser tops (409/ Windex)



 
Habit for This Week...Let's Spend 30 Minutes a Day DeCluttering our Master Bedroom!!


What do you believe makes a house feel truly homey?

Happy Homemaking!


Donna

Check back tomorrow for our Menu Plan and Recipes....

Monday's Challenge: Master Bedroom, Menu Ideas, New Budget Form and Give Away!

It’s another glorious Monday! The weather is beautiful here and everything is green, green, green! Rebekah and I had a lovely lunch out on the patio.  However, we couldn’t afford to lounge around all day…after all it’s the start of a new week and there’s always lots to do!

How did it go last week? Did anyone get their bathroom and one other room decluttered and sparkling? I know I worked on mine and I was glad too! The sewing room is in pretty good shape now, in spite of all the sewing I had to do.

This week, we are working on the Master Bedroom

and bathroom.

 

As it turns out, I got on a roll and already got a lot done there last week, but I will be  decluttering the closet and hutch this week. And the bathroom needs a good thorough scrubbing too.

Here is this week’s cleaning assignment from my

30 min.-a-day Monthly Cleaning Chart:

Week 4 - Master Bedrooom and bathroom 
O Launder: Wash area rugs, curtains, (shower curtain if necessary), Bedspread, mattress pad, and dust ruffle (turn mattress)
O Floors: Vacuum, sweep, scrub and/ or wax floors
O Scrub toilet, shower door, tub (use Bathroom cleaner for water deposits and scum)
O Dust high and low, (ceiling fans, floorboards,) cobwebs, polish furniture and wood
O Clean windows, mirrors, switchplates, walls and doors, medicine cabinet, dresser tops (409/ Windex)

Do You have a spending plan?

I want to talk for just a minute about budgeting. I’m assuming all of you know how much you make, and how much you spend.  To not know that would be the same as driving down a country road at night with the lights off…a little dangerous!  My favorite author on this subject is Dave Ramsey! He has written a life changing book on this topic, The Total Money Makeover

     and a book for Teaching Kids About Money too!  My husband, kids and I took this course together at church. The kids said they were so grateful. It’s so good that a friend, Beverly, gave the ‘course’ by paying their tuition at a local church to my son, Andrew and his wife, as a wedding gift. It’s my favorite gift to give to graduates…before the head off to college and get head over heels in debt! Afterwards, is too late.You can learn a lot just from visiting Dave’s website, so if you are having any trouble getting your finances in order, be sure to visit!

The budget form you see was designed by me to allow me to fill in all the blanks and end up with no money left over. The idea behind Dave’s way of budgeting is to allocate money to every category so that we have control over our money and can decide ahead of time, where every penny should be spent.  Dave has some forms on his website too.

Note: Be sure not to type in the Totals fields because I have already programmed them to add up the totals for you. There is room to add your own categories, or you can change the ones that are already there.  Both my adult sons, used this form when they first left home to help them keep track of their money. If you have any questions, please email me! I’m the budget queen and would be glad to help. :o)

 Click here for Budget Form Preview   Click here for Budget Form spreadsheet

Gloria’s Quesadillas

Menu Ideas for This Week

Week 2

• Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup and Cheese Biscuits
• Collard Green Chili Quesadillas, Black Beans, Corn
• BBQ Brisket Sandwiches and Donna's Famous Potato Salad, Carrot Sticks
• Real Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad, Garlic Toast
• Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry, Egg Rolls, Wild Rice

 Sunday Dinners:

• Brisket, Southern Style Greenbeans and Whipped Potatoes
• Chicken Pot Pie and Tossed Salad, Cantaloupe spears
• Grilled Steaks w/ Sauteed Mushrooms, Baked Potatoes, Asparagus, Fruit Salad

and Last but not least…don’t forget to enter my 

Followers Are Special Give Away!

 

The winners will be chosen by Random.Org and will be announced on May 1st, in the morning. Click here for guidelines and post to leave comments on.

What are your WIP’s? 

Be sure to make a TO DO list and let me know what your big project is for the week.  I’m still sewing but also will be cooking King’s Ranch Chicken Enchiladas and Beef Bonaparte casseroles as a fund raiser for our Logos kids to go to the National Speech and Debate tournament. I will sure be cooking on Saturday!

Have a great week!

Donna