Spring into Cleaning with Ease!

Did you read yesterday’s post? Did it make sense? Did it sound hopeful?

Today we will walk through a session of how I keep my house spring clean. Seeing an example will give a better idea of how this method will serve you as you clean your house within your schedule, so here goes!

First, gather the supplies you will need. I like the double sided tote shown here because it can hold supplies and soapy water in one container. I’m not sure I’ll need all of this, but I don’t mind bringing it along. I don’t normally use rubber gloves for cleaning windows, but I know there will be need for them when I do the threshold. Not shown is a roll of paper towels.

This is the front door to my house. We know it is early spring because the tulips in the yellow pot have faded. We know there was a recent cold snap because the geranium is not in its plant stand. You see the trees across the street from us, reflected in the glass of the front storm door. What you do not see is how dirty the glass and the frame are. They really distract from the beauty outdoors with smears and dusty rain spatters. The first step is to spray the glass with window cleaner and wipe down with paper toweling. This huge expanse of glass is hard to make clean-looking, so I am not afraid to spray some cleaner and change paper towels often. I found that spraying the entire door-sized window and wiping quickly, from the bottom up, works best. Then I repeat. After that, open the door and do the inside the same way.

Since the storm door is aluminum with a baked-on paint-like finish, I spray the frame with glass cleaner, too, and wipe it down. I am always amazed at how dirty doors can be, by the handle or knob. I notice a couple screws missing, and list them for replacing, later.

Next is a close-up of the intricacies of this door. It needs a new coat of paint as the dark green is too heat-trapping for this western exposure. We do not have the paint, yet, so I guess it will keep until the weather warms more. Therefore, I will clean the scrolling designs, which tend to fill with road dust. I use the window spray, again, because in these tight designs, rinsing off soap would be difficult.  I use an old toothbrush to scrub gently on the knocker, without any cleaner.

Before going indoors, I notice the threshold is rather dirty. Using warm, soapy water and a scrub brush, I work on the concrete surface and the metal parts. The rubber strip gets a careful wiping with a sponge. I wipe off as much as I can and make note of the tiny crack forming, so we can make repairs.

Inside, the door is not so intricate, but is a flat white, needing washing often. I note the door has not been painted correctly, needing white on the edge, instead of the green. Then I begin at the bottom, using a spray, again.

By this time, a half-hour is nearly over, so it’s time to put things up.  What? It doesn’t seem like much? You’re right, using this method makes Spring Cleaning not seem like much, at all.

I’ve been working hard all week and tomorrow is my usual day off, so on Monday, we’ll do this closet, by the front door.

See you then!