Monday, March 19, 2012

Are you a spring cleaner?


Every spring, my mom and I had a standing joke between us. When she'd see me paint a new wall, she'd always say, "Oh, spring cleaning again?" Which REALLY meant, she knew I'd rather wash cobwebs away with a new paint colour rather than slide a rag all over my walls. :)

I'm not a big spring cleaner as you've probably gathered. I tend to just let it go until I can't handle a given closet or dirty window any longer, then just do that area and move on.

So when Blogher asked me the below question, I had to think. :)


What are your favorite spring cleaning tips? 
Do you have any to add to Alicia's 10-minutes-or-less list?

Well, I actually do have some tips! This is what I do when I'm inclined to clean:


- have cleaning supplies simplified.

I use one bottle of concentrate mixed with water for ALL my surfaces. When I found one cleaner that did it all and did it well, cleaning became a whole lot easier. From floors to windows, one cleaner makes the task so much easier!


- pick ONE room and do it right, top to bottom.

The only way I seem to notice any cleaning is if I gut a room and do it right. This way I get immediate satisfaction and am inclined to do more. The bathroom gets targeted a lot because it's the smallest room in the house. :)




- involve decorating with it.

I'll gut a room, then clean it right, then make an effort to leave it nicely staged. That way, when the rest of the house is a fiasco, I can slip back into that one room and appreciate my efforts. :)





- up the ante on storage ideas

Once a given area is clean, I'm more inclined to experiment with new storage ideas, making restocking just that much easier and more fun to look at! I just find better solutions keep the house cleaner longer.

Are you a regular spring cleaner or tend to wing it like me? :)
Got any fav spring cleaning tips?

Visit the Main Post on BlogHer.com and join in with your own spring cleaning tips.


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22 comments:

  1. Brian GadgetSpongeMarch 19, 2012 at 7:32 PM

    Love the toilet paper crate storage. I'm a sucker for old license plates anyway!

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  2. Patricia @ 9th and DenverMarch 19, 2012 at 7:41 PM

    Ha!
    Yes, I'm a spring cleaner...that is because I don't do it the rest of the year!
    I'd rather be outside than inside cleaning. (really this is a new trend I've just noticed) I used to not be this way... What happened?
    But, I tell you the truth...I'd rather spring clean...than De-clutter... I'm just opposed to that word!
    I don't know why!

    My fav cleaning tip... would be pay someone else to do it...but that isn't feasible, really!

    I'll tell you-- My Home Ec. Teacher gave everyone an "A" and said...it was our job to keep it. She of course gave certain criteria...like turning in assignments and class participation, etc.
    She told us it is the same way with Keeping House. You start out with a clean house and keep it that way. It is easier to clean a 'clean' house that to clean a dirty one!

    strange, but it makes sense.
    If my home ec teacher could see me now... I'd barely get a passing grade.

    take care, Pat

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  3. Rosemary@villabarnesMarch 19, 2012 at 8:14 PM

    I just wing it. Whatever needs to be done, whenever it needs it. I'm in the midst of spring cleaning right now, because my whole house "needs it". lol

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  4. Shari @ turnstylevogue.comMarch 19, 2012 at 8:51 PM

    I am a regular spring cleaner. I go room to room, top to bottom, inside and out. I spend one week going through every cabinet, closet and drawer and purging. The next week is cleaning. I even have a spring clean notebook with all tasks "itemized." One of my tips would be to use vinegar for almost everything you do. I have been using it for years.

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  5. Sonny GMarch 20, 2012 at 3:01 AM

    Love your bathroom. Wish I had that tile floor you have.

    Like Shari- I purge first, then 1 day is given to each room, top to bottom.

    I am hiring someone else to do all the windows and to pressure wash the house and all concrete surfaces.

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  6. heather @ new house, new home, new lifeMarch 20, 2012 at 4:49 AM

    Love the idea of spring cleaning in 10 minutes. What I try to do is tidy/clean one room every day - that way by the time I've circled through the house, the first room needs doing again. Every two months or so, I move all the furniture and really gut a room. Staging along the way is a good excuse to get the dustcloth out - a trick I use all the time.

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  7. betina lunaMarch 20, 2012 at 5:42 AM

    Spring cleaning is a new trend! Good thing you and your mom does that.

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  8. LisaMarch 20, 2012 at 6:52 AM

    I totally wing it just like you Donna! When I can't stand something I gut it and clean the heck out of it. When I put things back, I tend to purge and rearrange and stage it all pretty like. The rooms I've been doing for the Picture Perfect room challenge are still nice and even clean! I totally agree with what Pat's home ec teacher said, it's easier to keep a clean room clean that tackle a dirty room!

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  9. MelanieMarch 20, 2012 at 7:09 AM

    Spring cleaning is a must, like you I start in the smallest room first. It is encouraging to have a room that is finished! Then I go to the guest room, it is the 2nd easiest room to clean and again more instant gratification. The last room is always the kitchen, it takes the longest to finish! Okay, I am tired now just thinking about all of the cleaning ahead of me!!

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  10. JoaniMarch 20, 2012 at 7:36 AM

    I'd rather be outside. Thus, housekeepers come once a month. A luxury for me as I detest housecleaning. Thanks for sharing.

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  11. RuthMarch 20, 2012 at 8:06 AM

    i'm right there w/ ya on painting the cobwebs away! every year theres a new room to paint:)just getting ready to gut closets & cabinets next week hopefully

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  12. Linda StollMarch 20, 2012 at 8:08 AM

    LOVE LOVE LOVE that bathroom ladder!

    I'm a big fan of TAKE 15! Setting the kitchen timer for 15 minutes. Tossing 15 things. Giving 15 things. Selling 15 things. Quick, fun, easy, and doable - for us, for our kids!
    http://creeksideministries.blogspot.com/2011/12/take-15.html

    And then on to the rest of the day!

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  13. Dee in BCMarch 20, 2012 at 9:35 AM

    I have asthma...Really, really bad asthma ( so does my son) & it's triggered by dust & mold & some types of pollen. This means keeping the home as dust free as I can, while still keeping good ventilation so we don't end up with mold. & opening the windows on a warm spring day is a BAD idea due to the pollen allergy. The real ( & maybe the only) blessings are thatsince I dust & wipe so regularly my spring cleaning is pretty minimal. As long as the daily clutter is tidied, my home stays company ready. I rotate thruogh the "hidden areas" weekly - meaning I'll purge & tidy 1 drawer/ cupboard/ closet/ shelf in each room- that way they never get too bad. I guess the single best tip I could give anyone is to maintain your heating/ cooling sytems. Change the filters when reccommended. Clean the ducts / reservoirs ect. No point in cleaning just to have all the dust & crud blow all over your house the next time the heat/ air conditioning comes on.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Pat @ Mille Fiori FavoritiMarch 20, 2012 at 10:00 AM

    Hi!

    Nice to meet you through Life Well Lived! I also did this "LWL" post this week -- it was a fun topic. I love your tips and all your wonderful photos!

    I really appreciated reading Alicia's 10 minute Spring Cleaning tips on BlogHer as I need to organize myself in small intervals this season as I have a lot of family occasions coming up soon.

    My biggest chore is the wardrobe switch as we have small closets in my NYC sized house...no walk in closets for me. Wish I could figure out a way to do that all in 10 minutes!

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  15. UnknownMarch 20, 2012 at 1:43 PM

    I'm a wing gal! By the time all the yellow Georgia pollen is gone - outside and inside even with the windows closed - it's summer. Ya can't spring clean in summer, right?

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  16. ElsieMarch 20, 2012 at 3:22 PM

    Donna being a collector I have so much to dust and clean, I take it one room at a time. I love
    to clean, guess that is why I have been a domestic engineer for 44yr. :0)

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  17. NanaDollMarch 20, 2012 at 6:40 PM

    love this--wish my family did too :)

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  18. AnonymousMarch 20, 2012 at 11:47 PM

    oh I completely wing it like you. :)

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  19. SueannMarch 21, 2012 at 7:20 AM

    I wing it too...I am more of a spring organizer with some cleaning involved. Ha
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  20. MelissaMarch 21, 2012 at 9:13 AM

    I took Monday off from work to spring clean and do yard work. Sad way to spend a vacation day? I tackled probably the most difficult room - the 3rd bedroom in my house where I store all the junk I find (because my garage is overflowing and I don't have a basement).

    Thanks for sharing!

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  21. UnknownMarch 22, 2012 at 8:05 PM

    I totally love spring cleaning...deep cleaning...organizing! I do try to make a habit of it like you do too. Just completely gutting a room and reorganizing it! :) It's the best feeling!

    http://munchtalk.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  22. Clean4youMay 28, 2012 at 5:32 AM

    I am indeed a certified Spring cleaner because I usually do my cleaning during Spring time because I am not very busy during that time. I am also helped by a few friends whenever I do my Spring cleaning...

    carpet cleaning Willesden

    ReplyDelete

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