Getting Ready for Spring Cleaning

Spring is always a time of year when there is a sense of newness. The days will be getting longer. The temperatures are rising. Birds are coming home and singing their early  morning songs. Flowers will begin to display their beautiful colors. Trees will start to bud. And it's time to start thinking about Spring Cleaning!

With only so much time in the day and week, I only bite off small chunks at a time. I don't try to do an entire room in one day, sometimes not even complete a room in a week. Take the kitchen for example. This is a room that requires much more work and attention. It is impossible to complete the tasks that are needed in a day.

I'm going to try something a little different this year. This will take me a few weeks to complete, hopefully without putting too much stress on myself.

Rather than concentrate on a specific room, I'm going to work on the entire house. What do I mean by this? If cleaning is to be done properly, we should always clean from the top, down.

Day 1: I will begin my cleaning by wiping down all my ceilings (I have 14 different ceiling surfaces, not counting closets - won't do those just yet.) Because I have forced hot air heat in my house, and unfortunately that can create dust in the house, I do try to dust my ceilings a few times throughout the winter. Because this is Spring Cleaning, I will do a more thorough cleaning of my ceilings. First, using my duster, I will work in all the corners to dust out any cobwebs that may have formed.

Then, I will wipe down all the ceilings using my very favorite cleaning tool - Swiffer Sweeper - using dry cloths!!!

Since most ceilings simply need a dusting, I won't "wash" them all. The only one that really needs to be "washed" is the one in the kitchen since this is the one where there can be a build-up of grease and grime from cooking. I will simply mix a mild solution of all-purpose cleaner in a bucket of hot water and using my clean microfiber cloths, I will wash down my kitchen ceiling, drying as I go. If I feel that any of the other ceilings need a little more attention than a dry dusting, I will use a wet swiffer cloth and wipe them with that attached to my Sweeper. I will start my ceilings on Saturday.

Day 2 & 3: Since I don't have full days these days, I will spread this out over these two days. I will now move onto my ceiling fans and light fixtures. Again, I will use a mild solution of all-purpose cleaner mixed in a bucket of hot water as well as glass cleaner for the glass fixtures. I have 7 ceiling fans and loads of light fixtures in all the rooms. I will focus on this task on Monday and Tuesday.

Want to follow along? Grab your cleaning supplies, tools and rubber gloves (let's take care of our nails as we go!).  Let me know how you do!

(Will post the next steps after I finish the above.)