Organizing Your Spring Cleaning

We are enjoying some wonderful Spring weather! It's been 70 degrees the last few days and for most of this week. It's made me start thinking of Spring Cleaning. We live in Upstate SC so I can't do the biggest part of my Spring Cleaning until after the yellow pollen is over with. Otherwise, I've wasted my time. But I can begin to plan my Spring Cleaning!

Take a cup of coffee and a spiral notebook somewhere quiet and begin making lists for your Spring Cleaning. I have made lists for each part of the house to remind me and you are welcome to use my lists. Other people have lists on the Internet so do a Google search and check out their lists. This is the Research & Development and Brainstorming part of this job.

What are the things you want to do in each room? Do you have closets or cabinets in the room that need cleaning, organizing, purging or painting? Are there things you need to repair? Are there things you want to purchase to help you in each room such as new bedding for the bedrooms or new towels for the bathrooms or new drawer organizers for the kitchen? Begin making lists.

Also start scheduling and planning on your calendar for when you want to do the jobs and who you need to do them. For instance, schedule a Saturday for you and your husband to clean out the garage and schedule your children to spend an afternoon or weekend in helping you clean out their closets and rooms. Let them know ahead of time, put it on the calendar and remind them as it comes up. As the manager of your home, you have to learn to delegate and train your "employees" (your family). If they can't do something then plan to hire the help you need. You can hire teenagers from your church to do some stuff like pressure washing the patio and porch or washing down your walls. Or hire a business to clean the carpets and upholstery. Or hire your out-of-work cousin to clean the gutters. Etc.

Now that you've gotten some ideas there are 3 things to focus on:
1) Make a List For Each Room/Yard of things that have to be done during the Spring Cleaning and Repair.

2) Use your Calendar and Schedule.

3) Make a To Do List so that you have everything scheduled, planned and items purchased and lined up for the big days.

Here are the links to my lists:
Part I Closets
http://sharonscrapbook.blogspot.com/2007/04/spring-cleaning-part-i.html

Part II Bathrooms
http://sharonscrapbook.blogspot.com/2007/05/spring-cleaning-part-ii.html

Part III Bedrooms
http://sharonscrapbook.blogspot.com/2007/05/spring-cleaning-part-iii.html

Part IV Dining Room
http://sharonscrapbook.blogspot.com/2007/05/spring-cleaning-part-iv.html

Part V Kitchen
http://sharonscrapbook.blogspot.com/2007/05/spring-cleaning-part-v.html

Part VI Living Room
http://sharonscrapbook.blogspot.com/2007/05/spring-cleaning-part-vi.html

Other postings of interest:
Organizing your closets
http://sharonscrapbook.blogspot.com/2008/04/organized-closets.html

Organzing under your kitchen sink
http://sharonscrapbook.blogspot.com/2008/03/organizing-under-kitchen-sink.html

Organizing your garage
http://sharonscrapbook.blogspot.com/2008/04/garage-ideas.html

New Vacuum

Today, Stan and I went by our local Habitat for Humanity Thrift Store. We check in there all the time because we've found a lot of bargains. Today we found some vacuum cleaners that look like cabinets that fit between the studs of a wall. They had been $699@ but they were selling them for $79.99@. They were new in the boxes. They had about 10 of them. The hose mechanically winds the 45' hose in and out of the cabinet. Everything fits neatly in the cabinet, the attachments and all.

Stan got one installed in the utility closet. This takes care of one end of the house. After he got through installing it, I spring cleaned my closet. I got everything wiped down and the supplies re-organized.

Spring Cleaning Has Started

The last couple of weeks, the weather has been beautiful here. It's made me feel better and energized me to start Spring Cleaning. But it is only February. I have the dreaded yellow pollen season coming up that usually lasts a month. There is no use doing a complete cleaning when yellow, dusty pollen will coat everything.


So I hold off on washing walls, windows, etc. During that pollen season, I won't even open my windows to try and keep as much of that dust out. But there are things that I can do in my Spring Cleaning efforts. Inside closets, cabinets and drawers I can clean. So I got started last week.

I have extensive china and crystal that I've collected over the years. I've purchased some and I've inherited some. I have a set for each season of the year. I have a Winter set, Fall set, Christmas set, Spring set and Summer Set. I also have punch bowl, cups and plates, crystal and silver. I have 4 china cabinets, 2 are built in oak cabinets, in our dining room.




It took me 3 days to take everything out of the china cabinets and wash them. I ran the dishwasher the whole time and I hand washed the stuff that was too delicate or old for the dishwasher.



I polished my silver. As long as it stays in the cabinet, it doesn't tarnish badly. I used to have it on open shelves and I would have to polish the silver every quarter, but since I've put it in a closed cabinet I polish once a year.

Before



After


My Spring Cleaning Lists.