Spring Cleaning 101

The snow has finally melted at my house, and although it is cold, rainy, and dreary, there is hope that Spring is on the way…and I can hardly wait!!

The occasional peek of sunshine is revealing a Winter-long layer of dust and cobwebs on just about everything.  YUCK!

So, Spring cleaning has begun at my house and things are looking better everyday!  Today, I’m going to share with you how I do this kind of cleaning.

1.  First of all, I enter the room and pick up all the clutter laying around.  I’ve been combining my Spring cleaning with the 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge, so not only am I picking up the clutter, I’m purging it too.

2.  Take down the curtains and wash them or send them to the dry cleaners.

3.  Remove pictures and decor from the walls, then, using a broom, start in the corner of the room and sweep the “stuff” off the ceiling, corners of the room, and walls.  Remember, when cleaning, always start at the top of the room and work your way down to the floor.

3.  With warm water and a mild detergent, wipe down the ceiling and walls.  Start with the ceiling, of course.

4.  Wipe down ceiling fans, light fixtures, and lamps.  If light fixtures can be removed, the best way to wash them is to fill your sink full of water and wash them thoroughly.  Wipe down any light fixtures (that cant be removed) and lamps.  To remove dust from fabric lamp shades, I use a lint brush.

5.  Dust furniture.  I like to do more than dust, I wipe down all the furniture with a wet rag…coffee tables, end tables, mirrors, tables, chairs, bookshelves, benches, desks, and anything else in the room.

6.   Scrub window frames thoroughly. (I use a mild detergent and warm water) Be sure to wipe down the top of the window frame first.  Many people recommend the squeegee method of washing the window panes but for the inside of the windows, I just use window cleaner and paper towels and it works just fine for me.

7.  If you’re cleaning a living room, remove cushions from the couch, love seat, and chairs and sweep under them.  If you’re cleaning a bedroom, remove and wash sheets, flip and vacuum mattress.

8.  Wipe down baseboards and everything you took down from the walls.

9.  Wash or vacuum the floor.  If you can remove the furniture from the room before cleaning the floor, that is best.  But if not, be sure to move the furniture to get everything cleaned underneath.

10.  Hang the curtains and everything that your took down from the walls.  Put the room back together.

Then, just enjoy the clean room and start again tomorrow, on the next one!