Spring Cleaning

This article was featured in the April 2002 issue of Proverbs 31 e-Newsletter from A Virtuous Woman.

by Melissa Ringstaff, Director
Ah... spring. Fresh, clean air, green grass, blooming flowers. Just the thought of springtime conjuers feelings of renewal. Traditionally spring cleaning has been done at the end of March to the middle of April. It is a time when families clean out all the built up clutter and grime. Years ago it was difficult for homemakers to keep their houses sparkling during the winter. The house was closed up to keep the cold out. The oil, coal, or fire burning left a residue on everything from the walls to the furniture. When the weather began to warm everything was pulled out and cleaned room by room. Such problems with cleanliness are rare today. But even so, it is a pleasant feeling to begin the new season fresh with an organized, sparkling clean home.

If you do not have a regular routine for spring cleaning, decide what needs to be done. Make a list in order of priority. Clean from top to bottom and from inside to ouside. Begin those jobs that have a wait period first so that you may continue with other tasks while waiting. Consider the following (you may add or take away to this list):

1. Wash windows inside and out, wash screens, and remove storm windows.
2. Vacuum or dry clean your curtains and valances. Dust blinds.
3. Room by room, dust tops of woodwork on doors, around windows, and baseboards. Scrub all baseboards if this is not part of your weekly or monthly routine.
4. If your hardwood floors have a waxed finish rather than a polyurethane finish, purchase a container of paste wax with mineral spirits and rewax your floors, following the directions on the package. Open windows to ventilate the fumes.
5. Clean outdoor furniture.
6. Repaint your house if needed.
7. Open windows in attic and basement to ventilate and freshen.
8. Clean all trash from yard.
9. Replace air conditioner filter.
10. Oil or wax wood furniture.
11. Inventory winter clothes, get rid of what you no longer wear. Unpack spring / summer clothes.
12. Wash and store winter blankets.
13. Place all items you no longer want into a box for a yard sale or for the goodwill.
14. Vacuum beneath heavy furniture.
15. Clean behind the refrigerator.
16. Polish silver and brass.
17. Wipe walls down with a mop covered with soft flannel.
18. Reorganize your closets. Enlist the kids to help. Or do it while they are at school and make final judgements on what has to go.
19. Have your chimney cleaned.
20. Have your roof and gutters checked for damage from winter.

When deciding what to do when, be realistic about how ,uch you can accomplish in a given amount of time. Biting off more than you can chew will leave you feeling frustrated. Deciding to do one closet a day, for instance, is better than doing all the closets in one day.

Make a note of how well your spring cleaning went. Write down what changes you should make to your schedule next year. When you have completed your list, your satisfaction will be great. For me just knowing all I have accomplished is reward enough. My husband is so happy when our home is clean and fresh. And that makes me happy.