I had big plans for spring break this week. Some of which involved a little elbow grease. I had to alter my plans a bit regarding spring cleaning since the word “break” took on a different look for me. Much like this:
So the hedges will not be trimmed and the weeds will not get pulled quite yet, but I have my ways of getting the interior of the house deep cleaned. I subscribe to the Amish motto of “Many Hands Make Light Work”. Even if they are little, bribable hands. (smile)
I like to tackle one room at a time and I work from the ceiling to the floor. So how did I get my kids (and sometimes their friends) to help? Each day we would decide upon a room.
Kids think it is great fun to handle a broom with an old t shirt wrapped around it to swipe away cobwebs, dust ceiling fans and light fixtures. This also works great for dusting blinds and window sills.
The drapes were taken off the clips and shook out to much squealing and delight.
There was usually a fight over who got to spray and wipe down the windows.
The dusting got done in no time flat as each child donned a clean, old sock on each hand and went to town.
When children help me clean I often use safe old time concoctions of baking soda, vinegar and water. Mrs. Meyers products are also fantastic as they use natural ingredients. I recently won a Mrs. Meyer’s giveaway from Amanda at Imperfectly Beautiful. Her blog is just a treat to visit. She is one clever lady. My favorite scent of this line is geranium. Thanks so much Amanda!
I was able to still do the housekeeping that required products that are more abrasive such as polishing the silver or wiping down dusty candles with a cotton ball dampened with rubbing alcohol.
Each day after the room was cleaned (generally in under an hour) I rewarded my helpers with things such as a movie, a picnic in the park or heading to their favorite museum.
For the kitchen I enlisted the Fashionista’s help. It generally takes half a day to wipe the inside and out of all the drawers, cupboards and appliances. My favorite trick in cleaning a dirty microwave is to place a mug full of boiling water inside and shut the door for a few minutes. The steam makes wiping it down a breeze.
Even the tops of my cabinets received a wipe down. Since I live in Arizona I do use faux greenery which I know many of you hate. But for those of you who adore faux the easiest way to clean arrangements is by placing one inside a large (clean) garbage bag and sprinkling in a generous amount of table salt. Shake the bag gently, remove the arrangement and shake it off to remove the excess salt. Works like a charm. Oh, and please do this outside.
I am getting a little tired of this particular arrangement:
I recently won a fantastic vintage French botany print from The Skirted Roundtable. This giveaway was sponsored by Le Trip. The delightful Jill offers vintage buying trips to Provence. Doesn’t that sound like heaven? Jill offers some of her finds at her Etsy shop.
I decided that the print would fill in the large space above my cabinets beautifully so it has been sent off to be framed.
My final spring cleaning tip is to turn up the volume of each weeks topic on The Skirted Roundtable and listen to the lovely hosts~ Linda, Joni, and Megan ~ dish on all things bloggy and beautiful. The time spent listening to these smart and truly funny ladies will make your housekeeping seem like much less of a chore.
Laura
