1. Dust light fixtures and ceiling fans--microfiber dampened with vinegar is good.
3. Dust all horizontal surfaces—tops of doors, picture frames, shelves, baseboards, counters...
Um, you should probably be doing this at least once a month anyway so there's not a huge amount of dust. Great way to clean ceiling fans is to use an old pillow case, put it over each blade, then wipe. Super easy and no mess. Another reason why this doesn't work is because if you are only doing one item a day and supposed to be starting with number one, then, by the end of week three when you're supposed to be done, you've got a dusty house again
.4. Magic Eraser or spot-clean the walls.
5. Wipe down circulating fans, wall, and floor vents with a cloth dampened with vinegar.
Being as I have two small children and a messy dog, I spot clean my walls ALL the time. For a good deep clean, I take vinegar, water and essential oil, and wipe down all the walls. This takes hardly any time because the regular maintenance makes so you don't have to scrub. A quick wipe and you're done. You can do a room a day, but I like to just get it done. My whole house takes about an hour (and that's with the kids up and running around). I wipe down my vents every time I vacuum, which is every day. I also clean my baseboards at the very least once a month. By clean I mean wipe down with Murphy's Oil Soap. Monster actually loves this task, so I leave it up to him. He also does the door frames with Murphy's, at least what he can reach.
7. Take everything off the bed and launder, including things you might wash less often like comforters or bedskirts.
Please tell me you wash your sheets and other bedding more than once year. I do comforters every two weeks and bedskirts once a month.
10. Take rugs and mats outside and beat with a broom handle
I shake my rugs out each time I vacuum. I wash them about once a month. We really only have one at the moment, so I'll let this one go.
11. Vacuum the floor REALLY thoroughly before you put the rugs back down.
As opposed to doing a half-assed job? I know I'm a little crazier about vacuuming than most people, but come on, if you're really cleaning, then not only are you going to vacuum floors thoroughly before putting rugs back, but you're also going to mop or scrub. About 3 times a year, I get on my hands and knees and really scrub all my floors. The rest of the time, I used a steam mop or quickly wipe down vinegar and essential oil.
12. Spot-clean the carpet
Spot cleaning for Spring Cleaning? Just get your carpets cleaned.
13. Give the kitchen a deep clean, especially the parts you usually skip (drip-pans, anyone?)
Am I the only person who does this several times a week? Even my cabinets gets Murphy's Oil Soap once a month. Oh, and when I did live someplace with drip pans, I cleaned those daily and shined them weekly.
14. Check expiration dates in your fridge, pantry, and medicine cabinet, and bring things to the front—or to the garbage!—accordingly.
I do this at least once a month. It helps that when I stock my pantry, I rotate older stuff to the front. This saves time in the long run and doesn't take but 10 seconds longer. The fridge is rough because we are constantly going through condiment spurts. We buy a bunch because we're trying new recipes, then, we fizzle out. Fridge clean out day is every Tuesday night though since Wednesdays are garbage days.
15. Give the bathroom(s) a deep clean, especially the parts you usually skip.
I have one bathroom for 4 people.. I'm always doing a deep clean or else it's just gross.
19. Go through your wardrobe and if there's things you never wear or haveworn out either donate them or put them in a rag-bag
I am constantly doing this. Unfortunately, it's not for cleaning purposes. It's just because I've gained so much weight, nothing fits. Last spring, I did go through my clothes and donated a ton of clothes that I had when I worked. I realized that if I get a job outside of the house again, my clothes would be seriously outdated.
23. Polish and condition wood—anybody know a good green way to do this and nix the orange-glo?
Again, I do this at least once a month, including my window frames. I use Old English, but I don't really like it. I am looking for something better, but still have a lot of Old English left.
Now, obviously these aren't all the ideas. She did have some really good ones.
2. Sweep cobwebs in corners and along the ceiling.
I hate that job. Really hate that job. Maybe it's because I'm only 5'2" so I actually have to get a chair for this task.
6. Get a new vacuum filter (seriously, when's the last time you did it?)
Great idea for people who aren't me. I do my filters a lot. I vacuum a lot.
8. Sprinkle the mattress with baking soda and let sit for at least an hour, then vacuum it all up with the brush attachment. You can do this while your bedclothes are in the wash to save steps!
I do this about 4 times a year. A lot of people don't think of it though.
9. Vacuum all upholstered furniture and vacuum or launder curtains.
Again, I do this way more, but I know I'm weird that way. However, nothing beats freshly cleaned curtains on a warm, breezy day!
16. Go through your make-up and throw out anything that smells funny or you never use.
If I wore make-up, I'd do this.
17.Wash windows inside and out. A mix of water and vinegar with a microfiber cloth work great!
18. Scrub out all window tracks with soapy water and an old toothbrush.
This needs to be done at least twice a year, Spring and Fall. I use vinegar and Purification oil. Screens should also be washed. In fact, those things will probably be this weekend's project.
20. Bring summer clothes to the front and hide winter clothes in the back.
I do this for my kids. I'm constantly rotating their clothes out. I'd do it for me if I had seasonal clothes.
21. If you have a wool coat, bring it to the dry-cleaner's—I know, not cheap, but it's only once a year!
I do it with all my coats. I dry clean the wool ones and wash the others. In Ohio though, this is a May project because you never know when you'll gets snow in April.
And lastly....
22. Treat any dingy whites to a soak in vinegar or borax. Might be a good time to do the dishcloths, too!
I have wanted to try this. I've just been putting it off because I'm embarrassed to take pictures of my "befores".
Some good ideas. Some stuff I do, but mostly this is not just Spring Cleaning. I believe that all of this needs to be done either all the time, or at least in the spring and fall.
So what have I done so far to "Spring Clean"?
- A lot of yard work: dug up garden, cleaned out flower beds, re-landscaped the front flower bed and side flower beds, dug out railroad ties and filled back in, planted in grass, fertilized, mowed (or rather hired the neighbor kids to mow)
- Washed and changed all bedding
- Changed out kids clothes
- Used Restore -A -Floor on my hardwood
To me, Spring Cleaning is about starting fresh. Lots of purging. Lots of fresh air. Windows washed. Floors cleaned. Things put in their places. I still have a lot left to do, but, since I do most things routinely, I'm not too worried. Hardest thing is getting the windows done. I need a warm enough day to be able to take the windows out, but not too hot so the house isn't unbearable. I also need a day where Husband is home because, even though I'm doing better, lifting out all the windows is extremely hard on my back. I also need to steam clean my carpets. That's easy since the kids like doing it. Other stuff that needs to be done includes power washing the porch, scrubbing paw prints off the siding by the mailbox, and getting new welcome mats. Maybe I'll scrub the siding right now since I have a moment...