Spring Is In The Air

I read somewhere that the best time to do spring cleaning is actually in the fall as you accumulate more dirt and dust over the summer.  The idea is you don’t want to seal your house up for winter when it contains all that summer muck.  While I’m pretty sure it pays to clean year round, there’s something about spring that brings a new energy to my step.  Maybe it’s the extra hours of light during the day or the all those outdoor flowers and trees that suddenly burst forth with blossoms and leaves. One thing: As spring rolls around, I usually find the energy I’ve been lacking all winter to take on new projects like major cleaning chores.

Contrary to popular opinion, JB is not very good at multi-tasking.

Getting Busy

With yet another day without sun here in Seattle (today we’ve got clouds and rain), perhaps I’m overly optimistic about the change in the season.  Either way, the house still needs some clean up so I thought I’d start my spring cleaning this year and write about it at the same time. I can almost picture you thinking I must have a really portable computer to do all that.  Can’t you just see me typing with one hand and vacuuming with the other?

Let’s Start With A List

I’ve got several projects in mind and limited time so I plan to make a list.  Once I’ve got it put together, I’ll spend some time ordering it so at least I’ll get to hose items that seem most important to me.

I walked around the house and here’s what I came up with:

Windows: My windows need cleaning inside and out.  My windowsills are dirty and I’ve got some crud that’s been accumulating in the track of my glass sliding door.  Oh, and what about those skylights?  That could be a project in itself.

Ew, this oven is dirty!

Kitchen: I can see several separate projects in the kitchen.  1) I’ve avoided cleaning my stove, oven and refrigerator for far too long.  2) My cupboards are full.  They need better organization and I’m pretty sure there are some extra dishes or utensils I could do without.  3) I need go through all the food in my refrigerator and cupboards and toss or donate the items we just aren’t going to use.

Clutter: There are lots of magazines, papers, and any number of “piles” that seem to accumulate around here.  I’ll definitely want to recycle and toss some things out.  It would also be nice to find a way to get better organized.

This vac is great for small touch ups, but that's about it.

Thorough Vacuum and Dusting: I run the vacuum around regularly, but I plan a more thorough job every few months in the year.  I don’t know how it gets there, but I’m always amazed at the stuff I find under the couch cushions and behind or under the furniture.

Clothing: I need to make some serious decisions about clothing. I’ve got some spring and summer clothes put away and before I know it the winter items will be too warm.  Plus, a lot of my clothing is past its prime.  It’s time to sort through it.

I'd best gather all my cleaning supplies. I've got work ahead.

The Closet: We moved into our house last year and I painted the closet before we hung our clothes—at least that’s one task I won’t have to do.  Our closet is big, but there’s only one rack to hang all our clothes on.  I’ve been planning to add another shelf and some drawers for storage.  This seems like a pretty major project, but I’m pretty sure it’ll help to stay organized in the long run.

Carpets: Our carpets are due for cleaning.  I need to call the carpet cleaning company or decide if I want to rent one of those carpet cleaning machines and try cleaning myself.

To Be Continued…

I see there is a lot more to do around here—hey, maybe even enough for a new series!  Yes, let’s call it the Home Project Tip series. Now, I don’t want to get overwhelmed so we’ll start small first.  Since I’ve only got so many hours in the day, I’ll plan on tackling one item or so over the next several weeks.  Why don’t you join me?  I’ll let you know how it goes and clue you in on the things that worked, as well as those that didn’t.  Meanwhile, if you’ve got a project you’ve been putting off, we’d love to hear about it.  Why not share a comment below?

Tomorrow’s project:  Home Project Tip 1: Cleaning Windows.

By Bob Anderson
© 2011 Javabird LLC.  All rights reserved.

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