Spring Cleaning

[koko]

Does anyone have any Spring Cleaning rituals they would like to share? I need all the helpful ideas I can get.....Thanks!

 

[koko]

Ok, the silence is deafening....I think I''ll just put my jewelry into the ultrasonic for a little Spring Cleaning and forget about the house....Ha, Ha. Glad to know I''m not the only one here that has my priorities straight.

 

[msdarlinjoy]

Oh my gosh ... Is it Spring yet???

OK, I''ll be the first.

1. Make all children empty everything out of their closet onto their bed, go thru everything, put stuff back they are keeping, have bag in room ready for give a way, and if they don''t complete by diner time, Mom comes in and will just do a clean sweep ... and depending on if it''s alot of work or not, maybe no dinner

.

Luckily ... it has never came down to not being done by dinner.

Hubby & I go thru closets, cupboards etc ...

Hubby is very neat & organized ... I just don''t understand his sickness myself!

 

[koko]

Thanks, Mrs. Darlin Joy, I''m starting to get inspired. I''ll bet your home is lovely....from your avatar I imagine you live in a quaint, old Victorian on either Elm or Main Street!! And from your friendly responses in these boards, I can just picture you welcoming guests into your parlor and offering them tea....!!!

 

[MissAva]

Fly Lady My mother swears by this site...I am a nutter and cannot stand clutter so I clean out everything even the fridge every other week.

 

[Kaleigh]

Koko,
I start with my closets and then get inspired to do the rest of the house. Just got back from vacation and did a clean sweep of the kitchen throwing out all the junk in the pantry and the fridge. My kids need to clean out their closets too.

Maybe I'll threaten them with no dinner like Miss Darlin Joy

 

[koko]

Thanks for the responses, Matatora and Kaleigh.....I''ll bet the Feng Shui experts would also say to clean the "hidden" spaces first.....it just get''s into your subconscious that dirt is lurking! I''m a really bad procrastinator and I think I will have to first attack the giant dust "rabbit" under my bed. I''m thinking about it right now while I drink my tea and have a few girlscout cafe cookies. I think I''m just needing motivation to start in the morning (Mondays are my day off).....

I''ll be checking out the Flylady website for sure.

 

[jetmal]

this made me chuckle.....I''m in WI, and its not spring around here til almost June, LOL!!

I''m kind of a neat freak, so I try to keep ontop of things constantly....but one thing I always do each season is make the kids try on all their clothes....keep what still fits, the older hands down things that are too small to the younger one, and the younger one put his too small stuff in a box for his little cousin.

 

[gailrmv]

I wish I was a neat freak! I love a clean house, but am messy by nature so I really have to WORK to get the place clean and keep it clean! So I''m not the best to give advice, but 2 things that seem to work for me:

1) Pick an area and set a time, i.e. 15 min to clean one dresser drawer, and finish it on time! then if you have time do another. If you do a little bit every day you''ll eventually get around to all of it.

2) Make sure you keep up with the little things every day, i.e. just like our moms told us, if you take something out, put it back! I tend to multi-task and before long I have created clutter with too many things out of place!

Could any of the really neat people give some more tips? I''m also wondering, how often do you clean and how long does it take?

 

[Blenheim]

I''m a pretty neat person, I suppose. I generally clean my apartment (sweep, clean bathroom, etc.) every weekend, plus if I make a big mess. I try to tidy things up and put them where they''re supposed to be before I get to bed. If I do laundry, I put it away immediately. I try to unpack bags as soon as I get back to my room, so I don''t have things sitting around where they''re not supposed to be. If you make it part of your daily life, it''s not so overwhelming.

My "spring cleaning" habits aren''t realistic for the average person. I''m finishing up my senior year of college, which means that I haven''t lived in one place for more than 9 months ever since I left my parents'' home. When I move, I really try to re-evalute what I still need and should be donated to Goodwill, thrown away, etc.

I''ll occasionally decide to clean out just one drawer, or something along those lines. I dump it out, then figure out what I need to save and what I don''t. I put the things that I need to save in there neatly and deal with the rest accordingly.

 

[MissAva]

Date: 4/2/2006 11:37:04 PM
Author: gailrmv
I wish I was a neat freak! I love a clean house, but am messy by nature so I really have to WORK to get the place clean and keep it clean! So I'm not the best to give advice, but 2 things that seem to work for me:

1) Pick an area and set a time, i.e. 15 min to clean one dresser drawer, and finish it on time! then if you have time do another. If you do a little bit every day you'll eventually get around to all of it.

2) Make sure you keep up with the little things every day, i.e. just like our moms told us, if you take something out, put it back! I tend to multi-task and before long I have created clutter with too many things out of place!

Could any of the really neat people give some more tips? I'm also wondering, how often do you clean and how long does it take?

Glairmv-
Every morning I (about 15 minutes)
Sweep the floors
wipe out the sinks with Clorox wipes and the counters
Any dishes are washed dried and put away (but I am eating a lot of LC’s right now so there really aren’t any)

I always put things in the washing machine as I am taking them off...I don’t color sort and it has never hurt me yet, but if you are worried you could try color catchers.

Every third day I dust my furniture tops

Once a week I scrub down the shower, the toilets and dust the fans and mops the floors.
I change my air filter regularly because it makes a difference in the amount of dust I see, and I wash my windows when ever they bother me with pollen or nose prints.

I live in a small apartment with a single TINY closet and then a small storage cabinet. So I sort my clothes into sections like exercise clothes, polos, socks…whatever and they are in their own clear Tupperware containers. This allows more things to be put away in the same amount of space, a neater feel and easier removal. When things come out of the washer they either get hung up to dry or put in the dryer. When they come out of the drier they are pulled out one piece at a time, and either folded (divided by where they go) or are put on hangers.

I put things away when I am done with them this goes for Drinks, toothpaste, my dogs toys everything.

I have a set place for everything, I pay bills the day they come in and then file it. I do not keep junk mail or mail order catalogs. I do not buy in bulk it makes things harder to keep neat and typically goes bad, but I live alone so this might be different if you had a pantry or a large family.

This may sound odd but my cleaning time is my time, and I enjoy listening to my “awful music” or a book while I do it.
It gets easier as time goes by, if you keep up with it then there is never a point where it is overwhelming and hard to deal with. I get like that during finals…and usually end up throwing everything in the trash.

 

[dani13]

I am a total neat freak, and I am embarassed in a way to say that I clean everyday...I do a "full" cleaning once a week (mop all floors, vacuum, dust, etc) And then in between, it is all about maintenance...I put everything away, laundry every few days...Almost everyday for a fw mins I clean something, and I wipe down all the counters in the kitchen and bathroom on a daily basis...If something is out of place or not clean, it really bothers me....ITS A SICKNESS!

 

[just_looking!]

Thanks for the flylady link! Some good ideas in there for making good habits stick..........

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/3/2006 7:47:53 AM
Author: just_looking!
Thanks for the flylady link! Some good ideas in there for making good habits stick..........

Ditto JL, that is a great link Mat - I have just waxed my kitchen sink!

 

[koko]

Date: 4/3/2006 5:21:21 AM
Author: Dani
I am a total neat freak, and I am embarassed in a way to say that I clean everyday...I do a ''full'' cleaning once a week (mop all floors, vacuum, dust, etc) And then in between, it is all about maintenance...I put everything away, laundry every few days...Almost everyday for a fw mins I clean something, and I wipe down all the counters in the kitchen and bathroom on a daily basis...If something is out of place or not clean, it really bothers me....ITS A SICKNESS!

I wish I had this "sickness"....I couldn''t stay on top of the cleaning at all, so I finally hired a friend of mine, she comes in twice a month and does "routine" cleaning, but no deep cleaning (hence the Spring Cleaning question).....My husband enjoys laundry and likes to cook, so I''m really blessed there (although he gets "burnt out" on cooking sometimes). He has his whole laundry routine which he finds relaxing. It''s so good to know what & how often others do things....I''m not very good about maintenance in between "Denise" visits. I suspected, as Dani said, I should be re-doing what she''s done (scrubbing tubs, mopping, etc.) every other week when she doesn''t come! And Matatora, I''m definitely going to wipe down all my sinks with Lysol wipes today! I visited the Flylady site and she said all it takes is 5 min. daily in each room. I think what I''m dreading most is cleaning my windows, and getting to the bathroom drawers/ cabinets. I really wish I could "get in the zone" and enjoy all this like Matatora does!! Thanks all for the helpful suggestions.

 

[MissAva]

Koko- You will get there, just give it time!

Code Red Housecleaning: Emergency Shortcuts I thought this was cute!

 

[koko]

Date: 4/3/2006 12:47:21 PM
Author: Matatora
Koko- You will get there, just give it time!

Code Red Housecleaning: Emergency Shortcuts I thought this was cute!

Matatora: You find the most perfect links! This is just what I needed, will print it out and keep for future ref.

 

[Lorelei]

I have joined up and am in action already with my spring cleaning! It does get you motivated - give it a try Koko!

I also love the timer tips, for example I think ugh - have to dust the lounge, there is half an hour shot, but I actually got through it in 8 minutes as a quick dust through, when you actually see how fast it can be it makes you feel better.

Thanks Mat!

 

[gailrmv]

Oh, Mat and Dani and everyone, thanks for the great hints. I don''t want you to think I live in a messy place, I really don''t, it''s just that is is a constant battle! I think your idea is great Mat to make the cleaning time "my" time and listen to good music, etc. In my mind it is separated into the organization/straightening, and then the actual cleaning tasks. I sort of enjoy the actual cleaning, as it is a great feeling for something to go from dirty to clean. I have trouble with the organization bit because it is not as natural to me, it is hard for me to throw things away, and I have very limited storage space in my house! I think we will be moving next year, so I''m thinking ahead about getting rid of a bunch of stuff so we don''t have to move it!!

 

[koko]

Date: 4/3/2006 1:05:37 PM
Author: Lorelei
I have joined up and am in action already with my spring cleaning! It does get you motivated - give it a try Koko!

I also love the timer tips, for example I think ugh - have to dust the lounge, there is half an hour shot, but I actually got through it in 8 minutes as a quick dust through, when you actually see how fast it can be it makes you feel better.

Thanks Mat!

You Go Girl.....I''m signing off now and getting my feather duster and vacuum out!

 

[koko]

Date: 4/3/2006 1:11:59 PM
Author: gailrmv
Oh, Mat and Dani and everyone, thanks for the great hints. I don''t want you to think I live in a messy place, I really don''t, it''s just that is is a constant battle! I think your idea is great Mat to make the cleaning time ''my'' time and listen to good music, etc. In my mind it is separated into the organization/straightening, and then the actual cleaning tasks. I sort of enjoy the actual cleaning, as it is a great feeling for something to go from dirty to clean. I have trouble with the organization bit because it is not as natural to me, it is hard for me to throw things away, and I have very limited storage space in my house! I think we will be moving next year, so I''m thinking ahead about getting rid of a bunch of stuff so we don''t have to move it!!

Gail: Moving is a great motivator to organize/ declutter. I''ve lived in the same house since 1992, whereas both of my sisters have moved several times since then. They have virtually no clutter in their homes! I think most people either fall under "O.C.D." or "A.D.D." when it comes to cleaning/organization, and sad to say I tend toward the latter.....

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/3/2006 1:31:58 PM
Author: koko

Date: 4/3/2006 1:05:37 PM
Author: Lorelei
I have joined up and am in action already with my spring cleaning! It does get you motivated - give it a try Koko!

I also love the timer tips, for example I think ugh - have to dust the lounge, there is half an hour shot, but I actually got through it in 8 minutes as a quick dust through, when you actually see how fast it can be it makes you feel better.

Thanks Mat!

You Go Girl.....I'm signing off now and getting my feather duster and vacuum out!

I'm well away now Koko with my cleaning!

I am also throwing things away which is difficult as I am such a pack rat , but I am feeling very virtuous now I have begun

Good for you Koko!