Spring Cleaning?

AbbysMom

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...or Fall cleaning, depending on your season. ;)

Do you do any Spring Cleaning? Any tips or hints? :lol3:


I always say I will do a good cleaning, but with allergy season also approaching it seems to never really happen.
 

angels mommy

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Okay, so here is my response I copy & pasted from the other thread ("Is it just me?") & added to it,  where we were talking cleaning tips.

 I like to try & use natural cleaning stuff, (I make vinegar, lemon juice, & water spray),

 but sometimes, you just have to use the other stuff! (Awesome cleaner from the Dollar Tree works great!! BTW) 

You are supposed to dilute the Awesome cleaner. It is strong, but works great! It really shines up chrome like a charm!!

I have used it straight for tough jobs.

I should start wearing a mask when I clean w/ these chemicals, but the strap on them is latex, (I'm latex sensitive), &

your face gets all sweaty! I tried one, but it was more a pain in the butt. I just try to hold my breath when I am spraying it, & then walk away for a minute

while it settles & sets.  Once the tougher cleaning is done, I can probably use my natural stuff for maintenance. 

I also like the disinfecting wipes, like the Clorox ones. Instead of spraying & using up paper towels, they get it all done in one step.

What I have done in my bathroom to make quick frequent clean ups between cleaning is, I keep one of those eraser sponges in the bathroom, along w/ a tub of Clorox wipes, & I also keep a microfiber cloth hanging on the inside of the closet door to use on the glass shelf & mirror. 
 
 

natalie_ca

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To me spring cleaning is going through drawers, closets and cupboards getting rid of stuff.

Now that I have someone doing my cleaning for me, I can concentrate on more of the above. I hate clutter and have gotten to a point in my life that if I haven't used something since the last time I went through and cleaned out that space, it goes in the trash.  I've stopped boxing stuff up for charity because that means the stuff hangs around my place for weeks until the next charity pick-up, and gives me a chance to change my mind.  So now basically it's out of the closet, into a trash bag and then to the trash.
 

furmonster mom

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I rarely buy commercial cleaners.

I mix my own bleach cleaner (for bathroom and kitchen counters); 10% solution with water and a drop of liquid laundry detergent.

Baby wipes!  they are awesome for quick clean-ups.

I also use vinegar solution for general wipe downs and glass. 

My trick for streak free glass is to use a paper towel dampened with plain ol' water, then dry quickly with a dry paper towel.  If the glass is super dirty, then yes, use the vinegar or whatever cleaner you prefer.  Then "rinse" & dry with your water towel and dry towel.  Might sound like more work, but it's really not too bad.

For normal dusting I used a swiffer duster, sometimes misted slightly with water.  Getting the dust off the fan blades is another story altogether, as is getting the bugs out of the torchiere lamps (eww).

Every once in a while, I'll break out the lemon oil or Howard's re-finisher and give my woods a good rub down.  I love the smell afterwards.

Speaking of smell... I do not use Pine Sol, in any way, shape, or form.  Ugh!  I can't stand it.

I rarely need to clean out the refrigerator, because I keep it pretty spare in the first place, and I clean up even little spills when I see them.

I'm really in the "need to clear the clutter" boat. 

I have a table full of the year's bills and reciepts that need to be organized and filed away. 

As well as a table in the loft full of extra miscellaneous documents that should be weeded through. 

Also a bunch of stuff in the actual office. 

And my craft stuff should get weeded out.

And my actual closet should also get weeded out.

And the garage....

erm... anyone in the market for a '89 Caddy that has had a broken fuel pump since '09?   
 
 
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stewball

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Gosh you're all so good. I wouldn't know where to start and I'm sooooooo very untidy. 50 odd years ago my dad used to tell me my room looks like a bomb had hit it.
He should know. He saw London bombed!
 

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I will do my spring cleaning the first weekend in April (Rick is bowling at States and is leaving that Friday afternoon.) I will start early Saturday morning and will probably finish sometime Sunday afternoon. Yeah, it takes me a while. And I prefer to do as much as I can by myself because it's just easier that way...there's not as much complaining
. (I usually pick the week that he goes to Oregon in the spring but I was sick that week, so am doing it when he leaves for States.)

Vacuum the entire house, moving the living room furniture around, taking the mattress and box springs off the bed for a good vacuum, vacuuming the couch and chair in the living room, vacuuming the drapes that won't come down, chair pads on the chairs at the kitchen table, vacuuming everything I can think of.

Dust the entire house, starting in the kitchen and working my way back to the bedroom. When I dust in the kitchen, I will clean all the furniture (cabinets, hutch, table, etc) with Murphy's Oil Soap, then give it all a rub down with lemon oil. Wash the kitchen, bathroom, and the wooden floor in the computer room with Bona. As I dust, I take everything off surfaces (pictures, knick knacks, etc), dust and clean, then put everything back on. I take pictures off the walls to clean them, too. I have a dust mop that I use to dust corners of walls up at the ceilings, down the walls, and along the baseboards. (I'm not washing walls that weekend because I'm still hoping that we can paint the living room and our bedroom this spring and I'll have to wash those walls then. I will wash down the walls in the kitchen and in the bathroom though....I think they get icky, no matter how careful I try to be.) Back in the computer room, I'll clean all wooden surfaces with the oil soap, then rub them all down with lemon oil. That includes the desks, book cases, and filing cabinet. Everything wooden in the house gets clean and rubbed. Yes, even the doors....do you know how dusty doors can get??? Don't forget closet doors, too. And door knobs. And the door jambs....they can get covered with dust quickly.

Kitchen counter tops and appliances will get a good cleaning.

All lights and fans.

I go around and clean electrical socket covers, especially in the kitchen and the bathroom.

Take the covers off the electrical registers and vacuum around them....dust bunnies and cat fur love to hide out in there.

Wash all the windows in the house, inside and outside. Most of our windows come out for cleaning. I'll have to go outside to wash the outside of the French door and the kitchen window. Rick will have to get the outside of the bedroom windows and the bay window in the living room; they're up off the ground, so the ladder is needed....I am not safe on a ladder. He needs to paint the white trim at the basement windows, so he can get it all then. We have railing at our living room steps, so I'll clean those off when I wash the foyer floor.

I want to take the bedroom curtains down and throw them in the washer and dryer. Same with the bathroom curtains and the shower curtain (I do those about four times a year because they are in the bathroom and I think they need cleaned more often.) While the curtains are being washed, I'll clean the shower curtain rods, too. And the towel rods. All that good stuff.

Basically, I start in the kitchen, go to the living room, back the hallway into the bathroom, hit our bedroom, then go into the computer room. Room by room as much as I can. Then go outside for the windows I can't remove inside the house.

It usually takes me two days. And til I'm done, I feel like I'll never be able to move again. But the house is spotless.

I have a spray bottle of vinegar and water that I use for everyday stuff; it's easier for the cats.

Mr. Clean Erasers everywhere (those things just rock)

Lysol products in the bathroom

Granite cleaner in the kitchen

Orange Glo for my stainless appliances (works beautifully!)

Murphy's Oil Soap

Lemon oil for wood

Windex window cleaner and all-purpose cleaner

Fantastik all-purpose cleaner

Pledge dusting polish and Pledge electronic cleaner (for monitors, my stereo stuff, etc.)

Bona for kitchen floor, foyer floor, bathroom floor, and computer room floor

Soft Scrub for the bath tub

We have a Bissell steam cleaner and Rick really needs to do a good cleaning in the living room. It will take a good day or so, but it needs to be done. He'll clean the chair and couch and then clean the carpet, down the steps and back the hallway to the bedrooms. At that time, he'll steam clean the kitchen floor and the bathroom floor, too. We'll have to pen the cats up in the bedroom til the stuff dries. And Rick hates to do it, so there's always a lot of complaining. It can wait until it's warm enough to open windows, but he needs to get this done.

I do a lot of this stuff myself though. It's easier that way and since I'm the one who is bothered most by the clutter, I'm the one who cleans it up. Rick can walk by a stack of magazines and seriously, he doesn't see it. Stuff does not bother him. His desk usually looks like a hurricane hit it and it's nothing to him. His bureau in the bedroom is the same way....doesn't bother him at all. I am not allowed to touch his stuff. At all. On penalty of death. It's a law or something.
 
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jcat

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"Spring" cleaning gets done in late May - early June here, because there doesn't seem to be much sense in doing it while there's a lot of pollen floating around. If I do it around Easter, I just end up doing everything all over again a couple of weeks later.
 

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"Spring" cleaning gets done in late May - early June here, because there doesn't seem to be much sense in doing it while there's a lot of pollen floating around. If I do it around Easter, I just end up doing everything all over again a couple of weeks later.
OMiGosh pollen...it's BAD here right now.  I only do standard cleaning until that mess is over. 

I appreciate everyone's tips though!  I'll be incorporating them after I graduate!
 
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mservant

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I'm not the best at house cleaning if I'm honest, most of the time I manage to keep the dust and dander down and avoid waste pile ups but corners and crevices gather dust most of the year.  My curtains are in serious need of a wash or replacement (and on my new budget that means wash and hope they don't shrink), and the kitchen needs a good going over.  I tend to have a pretty good clean on new year's eve, and then maybe April time as the mornings are getting brighter which is when the sun comes in my windows so I can see they need cleaning.

I avoid chemicals when I can in the interests of our environment, and figure it's also healthy for me and my cat's bodies.

The bathroom is kept pretty clean and dusted down as it is fully tiled other than the ceiling and I have an extendable microfibre pad to wipe the walls with.  I keep a microfibre cloth at the shower over the bath so everything gets wiped down after each use to keep down moisture and any deposits on the tiles or bath.  A vinegar solution is used to wipe down the sink, and stronger for the toilet.  The occasional bicarbonate of soda scrub works well for cleaning up the grout and tiles if it's needed.

I have moulded cornellian kitchen worktops and sink which I clean with something called Bar Keeper's friend which I also use to clean up the outside of my gas hob kettle.  Grease and splashes on tiles and kitchen units are cleaned off with microfibre cloth again.  The units are a lacquer paint finish so limited what I want to clean them with to prevent scratching.  I tend to let stuff build up on the bit of worktop I have and what I need to be better at is cleaning behind the microwave and where I have the pots of tea and coffee etc (and folder full of papers).  I had a good clean out of my food cupboard earlier this week when I bought some additional storage containers.  That was quite satisfying.  I use bicarbonate of soda for washing out the fridge too, what I do need to do is de-frost the small freezer compartment I have in there.

I use a citrus floor cleaner when needed throughout the apartment as there are no carpets.  Mostly I swiff or vacuum and spot clean for spills.  All but the rug in my sitting room are washable and I had that rug professionally cleaned a year ago. Nice, it was done in traditional, non chemical ways using vinegar.

My windows need a serious wash which is a real pain because Mouse has to be kept out of each room in turn due to the serious risk of him taking a dive on to the spiked railings in front of the apartment block down at ground floor level....  I'm working up to it though as I can hardly see daylight at this point. :-( Knowing what I'm like I had one of the bathroom window pains replaced with 'self-cleaning' glass a few years back but there isn't enough rain that hits the windows for it to work well.  I use water and vinegar to wash the windows and then dry with microfibre cloth / pad.

I know I need to to some furniture moving and dusting / hoovering out all the corners and edges of the rooms but never seem to quite make it beyond the basic hoover and laundry. 
   I made a start today by replacing the bag in the vacuum cleaner. 
 
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AbbysMom

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I did a major clean on two rooms yesterday - the living room and the downstairs bath. I may do another room today. As was mentioned before, I will probably do a decent cleaning now and then not clean much until after the pollen is done. We haven't gotten much yet, but I know it's coming.

When I am in "cleaning mode" I like to have a basket with all of my cleaning supplies in it. It's easy to grab it and have everything in one spot.

I am also a huge fan of Swiffer, magic erasers and clorox/lysol wipes.

When the house gets really messy and it is overwhelming what I try to do is every time I go into a room I put five things back in place. It doesn't take long and it is less overwhelming that way. I spent a good amount of time doing this yesterday. My husband had been home sick for a little less than a week. When he finally went to work yesterday, the house was basically trashed. :lol3: I was walking into every room and saying "Uh, what a mess". I started to just put a few things right every time I walked into a room and it is already a million times better than what it was.
 

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@MServant
What on earth are self cleaning windows?
For those who spring clean here it is done before the passover. They clean from top to bottom. Left to right. Corners everywhere.
I don't. I'll do my cupboards but nothing extra. It's cleaned weekly by my cleaner.
 

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I like the idea of putting 5 things away.  I'm making progress on straightening my house out after last week's sickness.  DH played "mean daddy" (normally "mean mommy" is my job) and got the kids to pick up ALL of the toys while I grocery shopped Sunday night.  I deep cleaned the bathrooms except for the floors on Sunday morning.  Yesterday we had DD's dental cleaning and I did some shopping so not much got done around the house.  I did a good vacuuming today.  I wish I could have done the edging; but that will have to wait.  My dishes are 93% done.  I just need to finish what wouldn't fit in the dishwasher or needs hand washing.  I've got laundry going and high hopes of steam cleaning the kitchen, foyer and bathroom floors today.  I used a clorox wipe on the trash can lid last night when I took that out and did the litter box.  I normally do that at the same time I steam mop.

My kitchen table is buried under piles of coats, sweaters and miscelaneous items.  My house is not that big; but apparently it's difficult for us to hang things up when we are done.  And since our weather can't decide if it's spring or winter we've got 2 seasons worth of items out. 

I'm itching to do the windows too; inside and out.  My kitchen window is the kind on a crank that opens outward with the screens on the inside.  It makes it difficult to do inside and you need a ladder outside  Just using the hose or pressure washer out there leaves spots and doesn't get the inside at all.  Maybe DH will do that this weekend!  The cars still need baths too.  I think dusting and washing the woodwork will be the last things done this year.  Then maybe we can get to new toy storage/organization for DD's room.  It's never ending isn't it?
 

mservant

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....

My kitchen table is buried under piles of coats, sweaters and miscelaneous items.  My house is not that big; but apparently it's difficult for us to hang things up when we are done.  And since our weather can't decide if it's spring or winter we've got 2 seasons worth of items out. 

...
 Now THAT sounds like my place. 
  
 

Winchester

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I am also a huge fan of Swiffer, magic erasers and clorox/lysol wipes.

When the house gets really messy and it is overwhelming what I try to do is every time I go into a room I put five things back in place. It doesn't take long and it is less overwhelming that way. I spent a good amount of time doing this yesterday. My husband had been home sick for a little less than a week. When he finally went to work yesterday, the house was basically trashed.
I was walking into every room and saying "Uh, what a mess". I started to just put a few things right every time I walked into a room and it is already a million times better than what it was.
I like Swiffer for a quick dusting throughout the living room, but it doesn't get rid of paw prints and our cats walk across the piano often. Does a great job on dust, but not prints. So when I really want to clean, I have to get the dust spray out. The Swiffer is great for ceiling fans.

As for husbands being home, yeah, that happens here, too. While Rick was gone, I cleaned. When he came home, the house was in pretty good shape. 30 minutes after he came home, his cap was on the kitchen table, there were two suitcases in the hallway, his coat was on a kitchen chair and there were papers and folders all over the kitchen table. His briefcase was on the kitchen floor by the table. And there were two sweatshirts flopped over the piano in the living room. I honestly don't know how he does it. (The suitcases were cleaned out, but he still hasn't put them away; they're behind the door in the bedroom. He said he doesn't see the need to put them away because he's leaving again the first weekend in April.)

I try to do stuff during the week at night after dinner. Even if it's just sorting through the mail or getting recyclables into the their bins in the basement. I try to clean up the kitchen after dinner, so that around 10:00 when the cats have had their bedtime snack, all we have to do is hit the button to turn on the dishwasher. Counters are clean, sink is clean (and dry, because Muffin likes to sleep in the sink sometimes). I try to do a quick vacuum about the living room and kitchen every other night or so, just to stay ahead of the dirt we're dragging into the house with the snow. A quick Swiffer, too. Some nights are better than others. There are nights, too, when all I want to do is make a quick dinner and then go to bed.
 

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Back in the day, I used to be able to tear through the entire house in a Saturday. That was pre-arthritis and I've always been a wee on the lazy side, so I have always been a "defensive" house manager. That is to say, every time I was tempted to leave a pile of stuff or schmutz somewhere, my Mother's voice always rang in my head, saying, "Do it easy now or hard later." LOL! So I never let it get too piled up anywhere.

I bought a Roomba a few months ago. Finally got to the point where the doctor said enough's enough, stop shoving that tank of a Hoover around before you lose complete use of your arm and hand. The Roomba does an ok job. I just can't be in the same room and watch it work. It is so random and erratic when it runs, it drives me bananas, but it gets the job done in the end.

Bought a Litter Maid for the same reasons and... well, THAT is a whole 'nother story. omg.

Love Swiffers and can handle those pretty well.

Just had all the windows and screens done.

Just had the carpets all steam cleaned. The cats are loving that. Must have been stinkier down there than I thought. Haha!

Next chores are the refrigerator and washing out the bottoms of the cabinets. I should probably pay someone to come in and clean the cabinets, but if my china's going to get broken, I'd rather be the one to do it.

Other than that, I pretty much keep up with the rest on a weekly basis.
 

cat nap

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..... every time I was tempted to leave a pile of stuff or schmutz somewhere, my Mother's voice always rang in my head, saying, "Do it easy now or hard later." LOL! So I never let it get too piled up anywhere.

I bought a Roomba a few months ago. Finally got to the point where the doctor said enough's enough, stop shoving that tank of a Hoover around before you lose complete use of your arm and hand. The Roomba does an ok job. I just can't be in the same room and watch it work. It is so random and erratic when it runs, it drives me bananas, but it gets the job done in the end.

.....

Other than that, I pretty much keep up with the rest on a weekly basis."
"Do it easy now or hard later."......lol.....I think I hear mom's voice too, but I just don't listen.

 I end up dropping off books, magazines, cd's , dvd's on any table or horizontal surface.  But the worst is my bedroom where clothes worn are placed over a chair, and not hung up. I may wear pants or sweaters more than one day, and I change clothes to wear when going out shopping, to clothes I wear only in the house.

 These clothes tend to pile up and then I forget if I wore them one or two or three days, so they all get thrown back into the laundry pile, which just creates more work.  I mean, all I had to do was hang them,  and then at least they wouldn't get mixed up.  lol.


@San Tan, I was just wondering  how good your Roomba is at suctioning in cat fur or dog fur?.  And does it run for an hour or shorter on one charge?

Second question:  How do you maintain the areas where things have already been cleaned?  I mean, do you just avoid putting things in the wrong location?  Or are you constantly moving items back to  their proper places?
 

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Years ago, when our son was small, he was in charge of keeping his room clean. He had to make the bed, straighten up the clutter, little things. Then I'd vacuum and dust. Well, one time his room looked like a tornado went through it. It was just a mess, stuff everywhere, clean clothing on the chairs, on the floor, books strewn about, toys all over the place. I told him he had one hour to straighten his room, then I was coming in....and it wouldn't be pretty.

About 20 minutes later, he came out and said, "OK, you can vacuum now." I went in and, the room was spotless. Now, I knew, I just knew that that room had not been cleaned. Not as bad as it was and as quickly as it was. No way. But it looked wonderful.

And then it hit the fan. Honestly, it was like something out of a sitcom. I opened the closet door. And everything came tumbling out of the closet. There was stuff everywhere. I looked at him. And he said, "You told me to straighten my room! You didn't tell me to clean it!"
 

cat nap

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Years ago, when our son was small, he was in charge of keeping his room clean. He had to make the bed, straighten up the clutter, little things.

.....

I opened the closet door. And everything came tumbling out of the closet. There was stuff everywhere. I looked at him. And he said, "You told me to straighten my room! You didn't tell me to clean it!"
lol.....what an absolutely smart guy.  He saw the problem and took care of it fast. lol    

But since you said that you can actually clean your house in 2 days, I am thinking he got his speed from you and not his dad.  I am pretty sure of it.
  lol
 
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