Thoughts of Spring

As I sat in my chair by the fire enjoying the shadows of light dancing on the wall, I was jolted back to reality when my eye caught the sight of a small spider in the corner of the ceiling. It seemed to be busy making a home just above the bookcase. I personally don’t mind spiders but the thought of them taking up residence in my home is more than I can take. As I watched it spin a little web, my mind turned to the thought of caring for my own home. Spring will be here before we know it and along with it the task of Spring-cleaning. Part of me (admittedly, a small part) is even looking forward to the cleaning that comes along with the warmer weather.
In the “good old days” Spring-cleaning was a family event that took at least a week and meant scrubbing the home from top to bottom. With modern conveniences, it doesn’t take nearly as long. Not everyone is enthralled with the idea of spending time doing extra chores so I thought I would pass along a few tips to make it easier.

• Decide what to clean. There is a difference between tidy and clean. Sometimes homes need more than a quick dusting and vacuuming. Choose a few projects and make a to do list so you stay focused. Don’t feel guilty if you can’t get to everything. Certain things like washing the exterior of the house or cleaning the carpets can be hired out so you can concentrate on other tasks.

• Make sure you have everything before you start. Once you know what you will be cleaning, you can collect all the supplies.

• Get everyone involved. Even young children can help go through their winter clothes or flip the mattress. It may take a little longer, but you will be instilling good qualities in your kids and teaching them to care for their environment. Don’t think you will get anything done with them under foot?

• Ask a friend to pitch in at your house in exchange for doing the same at hers. A Saturday afternoon cleaning a friend’s house is worth the companionship you will get when you clean yours. Order a pizza and make it a party. Just remember to get through that checklist so the day is not spent talking instead of cleaning!

• Listen to music. Turn on the same station in every room that has a radio or blast some of your favorite CD’s. This is a great time to practice for that karaoke night you have been planning.

• Take lots of short breaks. Cleaning is hard work. If you try to work straight through you will tire a lot quicker. Keep breaks to about five minutes every half an hour. Be aware, any longer and you will not want to get up!

• Don’t watch TV. I can’t tell you how many times I have said, “I’ll clean during commercials” it never happens. A whole hour goes by and I haven’t even started.

• Delegate. If your family is unwilling or unable to set aside time to pitch in, give each member of the household a job. Make sure they know when you expect it to be completed and stick to it. The end result will be the same although it may take longer to accomplish.

• Start with the fun stuff. Okay, so cleaning is not exactly at the top of most peoples fun list. There are certainly things I don’t cringe at doing as much as others. I will run to scrub the bathtubs before stepping foot in the attic to replace the burnt out bulb. If you complete the less horrible tasks first you, will be a lot further along than if you start with the worst. You may enjoy yourself more too.

• Work outside when the weather is nice. No one wants to be stuck in doors on a beautiful spring day. If you must stay in at least open the windows to rid the house of all the stale air from the winter months.

• Set a time limit. Don’t try to take on too much at once or you will burn yourself out. Two hours is probably more than enough time to get a good start on spring-cleaning.

• Take pride in your work. If you go at the task determined to enjoy the simple acts of washing windows and dusting bookcases you may find that you actually enjoy the quiet work of caring for your home and creating an environment you can be proud of.

I would like to say that the little spider was left to finish its home or that we were astonished to discover it was a distant relative of Charlotte and began spinning cute little sayings along our wall. Unfortunately, this is reality and I wanted to get a jump-start on my Spring-cleaning.

©2007 Heather Durren, ASP, IAHSP
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