SAT 2/5 -- Spring Cleaning Ideas?

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

I figured if we talked about SPRING ... it would come that much faster, right?

Does anyone here do "Spring Cleaning?" And does it involve just a lot of hard work and hot soapy water, or do you do something more ... extravagant? Carpets? Moving furniture?

[❤ mollymouser ❤]

Once the weather warms up, we usually tackle Spring cleaning by getting the carpets cleaned.

[chiver78]

I take the blinds down and soak 'em, wash the curtains. I move furniture 3 or 4 times during the year to clean, probably once a season. I'll do that in the spring too.

[Deleted]

I finally get it about spring cleaning. Doing that deep cleaning a couple of times a year makes keeping the house clean the rest of the time waaaaaaaay easier. So for me spring cleaning is the whole thing. Walls, carpet, blinds, curtains, floors, hot soapy water on all the high surfaces you can't see. I love a clean house and I'll do what it takes to have it. Don't get me wrong, my house is lived in. It might be a bit messy sometimes from my painting or sewing or whatever. But it is clean and it feels sooooo good.

[patchwork150]

I'm in the process of spring cleaning my wardrobe. When I'm done, i'll list the nice things on ebay for sale (stuff that doesn't fit, don't want, etc) : )

I DO need to do a deep cleaning in the house, but I can't imagine WHEN between full time work and almost full time college... and I do not trust DH to deep clean- only surface, around the corners, getitdone asquickaspossible cleaning lol!

[patchwork150]

oooh! off topic, but I have 2 karma! Yay me! : )

[Deleted]

For me, "spring cleaning" is closer to home maintenance than actual cleaning. This year, I have grand visions of changing up the pictures that are hanging on my wall. I got a new picture for Christmas and have no idea where to put it, so I may be starting over, patching holes and touching up paint.

I also need to take "cleaning the bathtub" to the "replacing the caulk" stage, but I haven't mustered the energy yet.

[tiredboomer]

I don't do spring cleaning, but summer cleaning. Yeah, it's hot and harder to do then, but that's when I have the time (I'm a teacher). I take one room a week and really do deep cleaning. Then I can pretty much just do surface stuff the rest of the year.

[justwhoever]

Yes I spring clean. I go through the clothes and get rid of everything that is too little, torn or just not us anymore. Go through the kids' toys and throw away any that are broken. Bag up what they have got over. Look at all that "stuff" we kept to see if we really had a need for it last year. If it didn't get used or wasn't missed then it can go to recycle or good will.

I would love to clean the carpets...by ripping them out but that won't happen this year. So I will clean them. Again.

I have kids so walls are washed on a monthly or sooner basis. lol Little fingers will always leave things behind.
I actually kinda started a few days ago. That "storage" room is turning into a monster. It might be summer before I win in there.

[wackyaunt]

I just emptied the dishwasher and thought that my dishes need to have their spring bleaching...my frozen blueberries in my oatmeal seem to make the bowls look blah, and if I just bleach the bowls then the plates look blah--it is a vicious circle!

[rubyslippers]

Like Tiredbloomer, I do mine in the summer too. I hire my nieces to help me so I can get all the main rooms downstairs cleaned in a week. It helps that their mother cleans carpets and we are able to use her machine. I try to do it when it's not humid so I can get the most from airdrying curtains and linens on the line. We keep
up with the weekly cleaning pretty well and I will do my windows a few times a year. Since I got new windows a couple of years ago, cleaning them is a breeze. I also love using Murphy's Soap cloths to clean our wooden mini-blinds. They look and smell nice afterwards.

[stantonjane]

I can't say I do spring cleaning, because I'm rather vague about what exactly I should be doing. I mostly do a quick, wipe everything you can get to in one hour before you get too tired/digusted to do more, type of cleaning. I will tackle larger jobs as I see them and have the time/energy. Like washing windows, wiping baseboards, vacuuming lampshades, washing curtains, etc. Horrible about moving couches, etc, to get the dustbunnies under there.

While we're on the subject tho, how do you clean acoustic (cottage cheese) ceilings? Seriously, anyone?

Only thing I can think of is a broom, which surely will involve lots of drop off onto everything else, or a vacuum brush attachment, which will involve many hours of sucking up dust 2 inches at a time.

[marvholly]

I like to 'think' I do this but it seldom gets completed before life gets in the way.

I like to tackle it by the job:
Vac/wash window coverings
Windows
wash & polish furniture
clean interiors of kitchen cabinets
clean exteriors of kitchen cabinets
wash kitchen & bath walls
interiors of bath cabinets & linen closet
Wash wood floors
Shampoo carpets (I have a shampooer)

[kadee]

While we're on the subject tho, how do you clean acoustic (cottage cheese) ceilings? Seriously, anyone?

I've always used one of those round things that you get for cobwebs. You still get just a tad bit of drop down but lots better than a broom (and lighter)!
When we built our house I made DH do a much smoother ceiling! Seldom have to swipe it now!

[stantonjane]

Thanks for the tip, k66, I'll look for one of those. I'd love to have those ceilings scraped, but we don't really have the time to get to them now. Cleaning is a must at this point.

[montanatransplant]

I like to go south. To clean the cobwebs out of my head, two weeks in Cancun, does it!

[mamasita99]

I have a written list I try to follow four times a year, set around holidays so I remember: around 4th of July, around Halloween, around Valentine's, around Easter/spring break.
I usually dust the blinds monthly but I'm going to have to add actually removing them and soaking them clean these 4 times a year.

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

Feb 5, 2011 13:59:07 GMT -5 patchwork150 said:

I'm in the process of spring cleaning my wardrobe. When I'm done, i'll list the nice things on ebay for sale (stuff that doesn't fit, don't want, etc) : )

I DO need to do a deep cleaning in the house, but I can't imagine WHEN between full time work and almost full time college... and I do not trust DH to deep clean- only surface, around the corners, getitdone asquickaspossible cleaning lol!

oooh! off topic, but I have 2 karma! Yay me! : )

I absolutely have to "karmalize" you too, because I also work full time (a few hours over actually) and am a 3/4 time student!

I did some deep cleaning last weekend when we were preparing for company, but I don't seem to have time this semester to do much more than token cleaning. Our bedroom is in desperate need of a serious cleaning overhaul. It might take a whole weekend to go through everything. It has been a really long time since I have moved dressers and desk, bed etc and cleaned in the nooks and crannies in there.

I need DH to fix some shelves in a closet in a guest bedroom so I can put stuff back in there and clean that room from top to bottom too.

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

Feb 7, 2011 0:44:44 GMT -5 @stantonjane said:

While we're on the subject tho, how do you clean acoustic (cottage cheese) ceilings? Seriously, anyone?

Only thing I can think of is a broom, which surely will involve lots of drop off onto everything else, or a vacuum brush attachment, which will involve many hours of sucking up dust 2 inches at a time.

I have that cottage cheese crap on my ceilings too. I use one of those swiffers. A lot less dropping of stuff on the floor with it.

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

Feb 7, 2011 23:34:02 GMT -5 @stantonjane said:

Thanks for the tip, k66, I'll look for one of those. I'd love to have those ceilings scraped, but we don't really have the time to get to them now. Cleaning is a must at this point.

Depending on when your house was built, up until around 1978 or 79, they were using asbestos in that cottage cheese stuff. You absolutely want to send a sample of it out to be tested before you try to scrape the ceilings yourself.

[oreo]

Apparently we are pigs at our house because I don't do NEAR the cleaning most of you describe here. I just don't have the time. I try to vacuum the most lived in areas every week but it really only happens about every 2 weeks. The other areas don't get vacuumed often at all. We've never cleaned our carpet. It isn't super old yet (5 years). We want to clean it but it just seems like such a huge task to take everything out of a room. Where do you put it? I have a 2 year old and would like to have cleaner carpets.

I don't have much I need to dust at this point (most of it is put away) but I dust after each holiday (I decorate for each holiday--oh, maybe THAT is where my time goes!)

I keep up important things like clean kitchen counters and dishes etc. (I guess maybe we did a "deep clean" of the kitchen when we had an ant invasion a few months ago) I wash the heater filters every month or 2 if we are using the heater/air conditioner.

My curtains are mostly not machine washable. Do you dry clean curtains once a year? I do take some of them down and shake them out to get rid of dust but I don't even do that in every room. My curtains really don't get dirty other than dust at the top.

I'm not going to lie, I have NO idea when the last time I washed some of our windows was (OK, some haven't been washed since they were put in in 2004). The only windows I usually wash are the sliding glass door (dog nose prints/drool/baby hand prints) and maybe the kitchen window.

[Deleted]

oreo where do you live? I have to wash my windows at least every season or I can't see through them. We have every form of precipitation and the dust just clings to wet window. There is no way I could get away with what you describe.

I have area rugs so it is easy to just move things to the side and clean them. When I had carpets I just moved everything to one side of the room, cleaned that carpet, then vice versa.

[oreo]

I live in San Diego so we definitely don't have a lot of precipitation so maybe that is why I don't need to wash them often. I mean, they aren't spotless or anything but honestly they don't look all that dirty either. I can certainly see out of them but I don't usually have the curtains open anyway.

How long does it take the carpet to dry? I mean if you pay someone to clean the carpets, you basically have to get all of the stuff out at once and put it somewhere. Then you have to bring it all back in the house after it dries. I guess you either own something or rent something to clean them. Did you move curio cabinets too (full of stuff) or are those ok to leave?

[Deleted]

I would borrow a friends cleaner. I'd move everything and give it a day to dry. So it would be a 2 day process. But it is not something I would do every year so I don't begrudge the 2 days.

[Artemis Windsong]

I got a list off Martha Stewart site one year that was quick and easy. I use a static duster on the walls, baseboards, and doors and frames regularly. I wash the inside of the windows while the curtains are being washed and dried. All of the bedding and spreads are washed at the same time. The carpeting is last and done all at once. I need to borrow my DS's shampooer.

A pro carpet cleaner told me to clean the carpets when the humidity is low and the house can absorb the humidity. It's a 2 day job. Under the furniture the day or night before, replace everything, then do the rest.

Gone are the days when I moved the furniture to a new location and thoroughly cleaned everything then. I did this quarterly.

I wax/oil the wood as the mood strikes me.

I wash the outside siding and windows with the windex window cleaner. It gets the majority of the house. Last year I didn't do it as there were so many wind/dust storms. If the windows are too clean the birds hit them.

I have used the leaf blower in the house to blow the dust to an overturned vacuum cleaner. All of the furniture and beds have to be covered by plastic so it's labor intensive to prepare (goggles, dust face mask, hair and body covered) and take down so the settled dust on the plastic isn't reintroduced.

This is fast. I use the leaf blower in the garage with the goggles, face mask, hair and body covered. This requires a shower shortly afterward.

I'm tired thinking of cleaning and I haven't even tidied up today. Ugh.

[dogmom]

Does anyone know what to use on light colored lenoleum floor to clean up yellowing? The floor is no wax, so I didn't. It's only three years old. It gets washed regularly, just floor soap and water. I've already tried cream of tartar, hydrogen peroxide, straight vinegar...(all at different times...) I also tried a light bleach solution, soft scrub with bleach...UGH! Help!!

[tcu2003]

We're doing a lot of spring cleaning this weekend (not spring yet at all here, but it did finally get above freezing). We're getting ready to put our house on the market, so it has to get done. In addition to the normal stuff like dusting, vacuuming, etc., we're cleaning the glass shower doors (it's impossible to get the soap scum off so far), cleaning the ceiling fan blades, vents for the heater and A/C system, and cleaning the cabinets. Hopefully tomorrow we'll get all the blinds and windows done - luckily we've washed all the curtains, so we can just put those back up once the windows and blinds are clean.

[Deleted]

The "round thing" for dusting ceilings and getting down cobwebs...the one I'm thinking of is called a Webster. Works great and is also helpful to dust recessed lights. Cobwebs love recessed lights.

I have a long-handled duster that I use to dust the ceiling fans.

Don't forget that cobwebs collect in closets, too.

In short...when you're cleaning, start up and work your way down so that the floors get done last.

You can make short work of soap scum on the tub/shower surround and glass shower doors with Scrubbing Bubbles and a Mr. Clean magic eraser. If your shower door is opaque glass, after you've cleaned and dried it, wipe it with a light coat of lemon oil to help keep the scum from building up again. I use the lemon oil treatment on my own shower door about once a month and every other week for my clients.

If your shower enclosure is clear glass, once you've cleaned and dried it, apply Rain-X (yeah, the stuff for windshields).

I use a bleach pen if one of my clients has caulk in the bathroom that looks like it wants to grow mold or mildew...and even if it doesn't. A quick swipe with the bleach pen helps to ensure that it won't become a failed biology experiment!

Don't forget to dust not just the lampshade, but the bulb and the harp as well.

BTW, that long-handled duster is handy for dusting baseboards, behind things, and underneath furniture that's too heavy or awkward to move and in the space between the fridge or stove and the cabinet.

As for yellowing vinyl...hmmm. I think it's usually caused by either something used in the manufacturing process or by the adhesive used to lay it. Try wetting a small area and sprinkling baking soda over it. Let it set a bit, then wipe it up.

To clean hardwood floors, get wild and crazy with the budget and make room to buy yourself a steam "mop"...two of my clients have them, and I want to tell you that I'm in love! They're easy to use and really clean the floors. No muss, no fuss, no bother, and it beats cleaning them on my hands and knees. Both these clients have the Shark. One bought the $60 version, one bought the $100 version, and I didn't see one bit of difference, so get the less expensive one if you're buying that brand.

If you need to clean them the old-fashioned way, white vinegar and water is the best thing to use. Do a bit about 3ft x 3ft at a time, then dry. Don't leave them wet. About once a month, I use Orange Glo on my clients' hardwoods...when you use it, there's no need to clean them first because the OG cleans and polishes. I never squirt the OG directly on the floor, but rather squirt it on the applicator, then polish the floor.

Let me see...the quickest way to get a deep cleaning done is to gather up everything you'll need and take it all to one room and clean the entire room, including windows and vacuuming before moving on to the next.

Give me a magic eraser, a jug of white vinegar, baking soda, Scrubbing Bubbles, my trusty Ultimate Cloth, and a good vacuum, and I can probably clean anything

Geez, I keep thinking of things...there's a stain remover that's got to be the best-kept secret in the country. It's called Tech, and I use it as a spot remover. I've used in on a velvet boudoir chair, pet stains, wine and grease on carpets. You can order it online or just look online for locations where you are where you can buy it retail.

As for The Ultimate Cloth, I don't think it's sold retail anywhere and got mine online on the recommendation of a cyber pal in Canada. Don't know what I ever did without it. With one of these you can kiss Windex goodbye forever, along with a lot of other cleaners. They last for years and can be washed and bleached, just not dried in the dryer...no problem since they dry very quickly.

One more thing. A magic eraser is good for cleaning stains out of coffee mugs. If you have a lot of stains on a lot of dishes, load up your dishwasher and run a cycle using CLR, LimeAway, or IronOut instead of dishwasher detergent. Besides getting your dishes clean, it'll make the inside of your dishwasher sparkle.

I can't think of anything else off the top of my head, but if you have a specific question about cleaning something, ask away. I might can help because I've probably run into 'em all over the years!


ETA: Sure 'nuff, I thought of something else. If you have curtains or drapes that have to be dry cleaned and you don't want to go to the expense, take them down and toss them in the dryer on "air only" or "fluff" or whatever no-heat setting you have. That will at least remove the dust.

You should do the same with your bed and sofa pillows. Sofa pilows whenever you think of it and bed pillows every six weeks.

[dcmetrocrab]

Wow, I live in a pigsty compared to you guys. I have never done a top bottom spring cleaning, especially things like moving furniture from one side of the room to another in order to vacuum beneath, nor have I ever wiped down the walls in every room. (have only done this for my bathroom). I've also never washed my windows! I live in a high rise, and I don't think maintenance has washed them ever either, at least not in the 10 years I've lived here. I just checked, and they don't look dirty at all, crystal clear.

[dcmetrocrab]

missrigby, could you share your vinegar/water ratio? I eyeball mine as 50/50. Also, I'm curious about not leaving the vingar solution on the floor wet long enough to disinfect. I know it doesn't disinfect anywhere near as well as bleach, but ... how effective has it been in your experience? TIA!