It's spring and what does that mean besides the
start of the garden season? (Three cheers for
spring flowers!) It's time to start spring cleaning.
You can actually turn down the heat, open those
doors and maybe even the windows if you are
lucky and go to work! Your spring cleaning may
take you a couple minutes or longer depending
on how long it's been and how many kids or
grandkids have been messing up your house!
Remember to involve the entire family, order in
pizza for supper and put on your most comfortable
grubby work clothing! Where do you start?
The Laundry Room: Wash the outside of the
washer and dryer until it sparkles. Vacuum out
the back of the dryer, clean the lint trap and the
area in the back and around both appliances.
Consider a fun repainting of your laundry room.
Do you have extra paint from other projects?
Leftover paint from kid's rooms is great for this.
Practice some new texture techniques you've
been afraid to do elsewhere. Think bright and
cheery! It's the laundry room and a fun look can
be a good thing. I've set aside leftover green, yellow
and light blue paint for my basement laundry room.
I'm having visions of grass, sky and sunshine... Oh,
and while in the laundry room don't forget to pack
away the winter clothing-making sure it's all washed
and repaired, if need be, before storing.
Appliances: Clean your humidifier before storing
or turning off for the season. Change the filters
in the furnace and any cooling systems. Clean
the refrigerator and freezer-vacuum the coils and
clean behind and underneath! Wipe down the stove
till it shines and clean the oven as well. The appliance
cleaning can be something you delegate to each
family member depending on their age. Start after
breakfast and make the goal for each person to be
done by a morning break time that you set. Reward
everyone with a fun snack and drink!
Windows and Doors: How do they look from the
outside? Is the glass and screen in good shape?
If not, decide what you can fix, what needs to be
replaced and make a budget with a time frame for
doing this. Example: We need a new back door,
two screen doors and a replacement storm window
on the front window of the house. We're watching
the sales and replacing them one at a time. We
decided to repair the storm window with new glass,
and new screen. This was cheaper than a new
storm window which would have had to be ordered.
Check your locks and the door knobs too, again
fixing or replacing as needed. It's also a good time
to scrape and paint if they look rough. Doors can
get beat up pretty quickly if you have kids!
Now it's time to clean the windows! Wipe any dust
or dirt (outside especially) off with a rag or a clean
broom, then wash. Try this solution for the glass
and use old socks for rags.
1/4 cup white distilled vinegar
1/2 teaspoon liquid dish soap
2 cups water
Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle. Use
as you would commercial window cleaner. If
you grow your own herbs you can fill a jar
with lavender leaves and flowers almost to the
top and pour the white vinegar over it. Allow to
sit for 4 weeks, then use in this recipe. The smell
is a lot nicer!
About the Author:
Brenda Hyde is a wife, mom to three kids and a freelance
writer. She is the editor/owner of Old Fashioned Living and sends out
two free email newsletters. You can sign up for them HERE
