Do You Do Spring Cleaning?

Vinegar and baking soda is wonderful for cleaning. I have been thinking of getting my lazy butt off the computer and getting busy. I have tons of things that I need to do. Spring sounds good but the cleaning doesn't hehe. Have fun, don't work too hard. If I don't shut my smart mouth you will kick me in the butt, then I won't have to worry about getting off of it will I, hehe.

Because my husband is still unemployed, he has been gradually going through the house and cleaning every nook and cranny. He is a great organizer. Before too long I will have to join him in the craft/storage/guest room. It is more of a storage room lately. I have to organize my craft items and get rid of what I will no want. The cleansers I am using are whatever is on sale. I like the house to smell fresh so it is likely to be something lemon scented. One of my clients has been using Method cleansers from Target. They are wonderful. If I had a Target closer to me I would most likely purchase these. They are environmentally friendly too.

I do spring cleaning, but have not even started it yet. I am jealous, you will be done and I will just be getting started.

I may go to the extreme for spring cleaning, but it works for me. Not that I wait until spring cleaning to do everything, but I'm just listing it altogether. I do the chores I don't mind doing first, and save the harder stuff for later. I don't do one room at a time then move on to the next...I do one chore at a time. If I dust - I dust every room - including mini blinds, ceiling fans, light fixtures, baseboards, pictures, etc. Then all the dusting is done. Then I vacuum - every room, moving furniture out the way as I go. I continue in this manner for all the chores so I don't have to lug cleaning supplies or the vacuum from room to room, pausing along the way. I'll clean all the curtains, bedspreads, and rugs. After all the 'general' cleaning is done, I go through my belongings to see what needs to be thrown away or given to charity. I'll go through our clothes seeing what fits, what doesn't, what we haven't worn in a year, etc. I go through my kitchen cabinets and give away dishes that don't match, (somethings sometimes get left behind from parties), then to the linen closet to get rid of towels that are ripped or too ragged for bath use, and move them to the garage for rags. I go through my daughter's toy box to see what she hasn't played with in a while, or has outgrown, and give those away. I'll go through books and donate what I can to the library. I go through magazines that have been piling up, tear out what I want to keep and recycle the rest. I also go through the medicine cabinet, and toss expired prescriptions. I'll go through my make-up and toss out anything too old, as well as old bottles of shampoo and hairspray, with just a drop in them. I'll go through the pantry, fridge and freezer, tossing expired items, including spices. I also put vinegar through the coffee pot for a good cleaning. I'll clean the coils on the fridge as well. I also purge my files, shredding and tossing bills that more than a year old, older files no longer used. I'll even get on my computer, and delete files and 'favorite links' that are no longer used, and do a scan disk and defrag while I'm at it. I'm always collecting recipes, so I'll go through each, seeing what no longer appeals to me, then take the stack I'm keeping and transfer them to our recipe box. I do the same with photos that have accumulated - putting them in albums where they belong. I'll go through my jewelry box and see what can be tossed - some costume jewelry that's 'turned' and can't be cleaned, broken jewelry, etc. I'll also go through my purse, cleaning it out as well. For purging/organizing, I do one room at a time. I go through everything - taking it all out to see what can be tossed, then try to reorganize it so it fits better or is more appealing. Lots of places in the kitchen and bathroom cabinets have things just thrown in, so I try to reorganize it all to have more room and make it more efficient. The last thing to tackle is the garage and storage sheds - general cleaning, organizing, and tossing old items. We'll even wash, wax, vacuum and clean out the cars during spring cleaning week. Everything we own is included. For some jobs, I'll set a timer, (as listed in another answer), and for others, members of the family will put out of the 'job jar' to see who's doing what next. Sometimes we can talk the extended family or friends to come over to help in exchange for helping them do their house. This saves on time, and is more fun.

I always thought spring cleaning was a myth because growing up it wasn't something that was done. Now that I have a home of my own I think I will have to do some culling (or is this what spring cleaning is?) because my annual cleaning is taking me all year long - or should I say, it is still in progress! I like to use baking soda to clean in the bathroom and in the kitchen and put vinegar in the water to do the floors. I have heard lemon is good too but it just makes everything sticky when I try to use it!

I don't really do Spring cleaning really. That's not to say that I don't clean my house, but I don't really do what most people consider Spring cleaning. I do sometimes get into the mood where I will do major cleaning (as apposed to everyday cleaning). I use both commercial cleaners and things like vinegar and stuff. What I use depends on what I have around here.

no I don't actually, I just clean anytime I feel it needs it.

I like to do deep cleaning in both the Spring and the Autumn - when it is neither too hot nor too cold to be functioning. I think it is ideal to start on one end of the house and work your way through to the other end - however, I usually start in the livingroom because that is the room that everyone sees right off.

I am really, really bad at organization. I guess that's why spring cleaning seems overwhelming for me sometimes. As much as I hate to admit this, I use commercial cleaners because they are so much cheaper. The other reason I use commercial cleaners is, I love the different scents that they come in. How easy is it to use backing soda and vinegar? Does it make the place smell really bad? I have a bad habit of starting a project and then not being able to finish it. I guess that is the ADHD and all that good stuff.

My furniture in the downstairs living room is going to be moved around a bit tomorrow. I'm also considering rearranging my bedroom furniture. Sweeping and mopping and dusting will be the highlight, though.