FOLIO LINE
Greet the
season
with some
serious
scrubbing
BY MARY BETH BRECKENRIDGE
Akron Beacon Journal
n this age of clean-burning fuels, vacuum cleaners
and Scotchgard, you’d think the house-scouring ritu-
al of spring cleaning would have been left in the dust.
Yet it hangs on as tenaciously as grime to a miniblind.
More than three-quarters of Americans still engage in
spring cleaning, according to a survey by the Soap and
Detergent Association. That surprised the association,
which expected the figure to be a little lower, spokesman
Brian Sansoni said.
Nevertheless, he thinks he understands why.
“Springtime evokes freshness, getting outdoors, being
active after being cooped up all winter,” Sansoni said.
“You want to open the windows. You want your whole
house or apartment to be fresh.”
If the practice of spring cleaning hasn’t changed
much, the way we approach it has. Cleaning products
work more effectively and efficiently than ever. More
homeowners have the means to hire out the big jobs. And
couples are more likely to share the work rather than rel-
egating it to the woman of the house, said Linda Hallam,
editor of the Better Homes and Gardens book “Making a
Home: Housekeeping for Real Life.”
Hallam does her seasonal cleaning with her husband,
and she likes the renewal associated with it. Especially in
areas with cold winters, where houses are closed up for
months, people seem to enjoy greeting spring with a thor-
ough cleaning and freshening, she said.
Still, that doesn’t mean you have to clean the house
from top to bottom just because the calendar says you
should, said Jeff Campbell, owner of a San Francisco
cleaning company called The Clean Team and author of
the book “Spring Cleaning.” He advocates cleaning as it’s
needed instead, and defines spring cleaning as “the stuff
that you don’t do every week but that you can’t ignore
forever” — big chores like cleaning windows and walls,
stripping floors, cleaning carpets and polishing metals.
“There’s something about a clean house, a clean
room,” Sansoni said. “It does wonders for the psyche.”
So, you think your psyche could use a lift? Then dive
right in — but don’t grab the Pine-Sol and the sponge
mop just yet. You’ll get a lot more done with less energy
if you plan your cleaning strategy, the experts said.
Hallam’s book recommends making the rounds of your
house, inside and out, and jotting down every project that
needs to be done. Write those chores on three sheets of
paper, one for large projects that require a half-day or more,
one for projects that require two to three hours, and one for
small projects. Then prioritize the projects according to
what needs to be done most — or, as Campbell suggested,
what makes you the craziest. Succeeding at the most odious
task will motivate you to tackle others, he said.
Once you’ve decided what you’re going to do, make a
list of the cleaning supplies you need, the asso-
ciation suggested. When you make your regular
trip to the grocery store or drugstore, stock up.
But before you even pick up a dust rag, clean-
ing experts recommend getting rid of clutter and
organizing the house. Give away, sell or throw
away anything you no longer need. If you’re not
sure, Ward suggested asking yourself
three questions: “When did I use it
last?” “Do I really need it?” and
“Where will I put it?”
If you’re still not sure, box the
stuff up and seal the carton. After
a year, pitch the whole thing if
you haven’t opened it yet,
cleaning-company owner and
author Schar Ward said.
When it’s time to start
cleaning, the experts recom-
mend limiting your steps
by finishing an entire
room and an entire floor
before moving on. Take all
your supplies with you, so
you don’t have to make
extra trips back and forth
or up and down stairs.
Cleaning the whole
house will be exercise
enough. But just think
how good
you’ll feel
when it’s
done.
SPRING CLEAN — ORIGINALLY POSTED 2003
FOLIO LINE
THE RIGHT SUPPLIES
Cleaning pros typically recommend carrying
most of your supplies with you, which means you
need something to carry them in. Some prefer an
apron designed to hold cleaning implements, simi-
lar to a tool belt. Others prefer a plastic bucket or a
caddy with a handle.
The pros also differ somewhat about which
cleaning supplies should be put in that carrier, but
these are commonly recommended:
❉ All-purpose cleaner.
❉ Glass cleaner.
❉ Nonabrasive cleanser for the bathroom.
❉ Disinfectant cleaner.
❉ Sponge.
❉ Cleaning cloths (heavy-duty cloths for
floors and lightweight ones for dusting).
❉ Old toothbrush.
In addition to the things you carry with you,
you’ll need supplies for bigger jobs, such as a
bucket, a mop (if you don’t want to wash
floors on your hands and knees), a squeegee
for windows and either a vacuum cleaner
with attachments or an upright vacuum and
a separate portable vacuum with attach-
ments. Other nice-to-have items are a
lamb’s wool duster on a telescopic pole, a
plastic spatula or other scraping tool, a
safety razor in a holder for scraping off
really stubborn gunk, oil soap, a nylon
scrubber, a whisk broom and a dust-
pan.
Even if you carry your supplies in
a tote, wear an apron with pock-
ets while you clean. It’ll give
you a place to stash the things
you pick up as you go.
WHEN TO HIRE
Sometimes the best approach to spring cleaning is
knowing what to do yourself and what to hire out.
If you’re short on time and helpers, it might be
worth the expense to turn some of the big jobs over
to professionals. They have the know-how and
equipment to tackle the jobs faster and more effi-
ciently than most homeowners can, notes Better
Homes and Gardens’ “Making a Home:
Housekeeping for Real Life.”
Specifically, the book recommends that you con-
sider hiring out window cleaning, especially if you
have a two-story house or storm windows; gutter
and/or roof cleaning; and carpet cleaning.
Don’t overlook neighborhood kids or college
students as cheap sources of labor, either.
You might hire them to do simple yet
labor-intensive tasks, such as help-
ing you move seasonal clothes in
or out of storage.
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
M c C l a t c h y - Tr i b u n e
I L L U S T R AT I O N S B Y
C H R I S WA R E / L E X I N G TO N
HERALD-LEADER/MCT
10 CHORES TO DO
Take care of these 10 cleaning chores and you’ll
give your house a fresh start for the warm season.
1. Wash windows: Clean storm windows before
you store them for the summer, and don’t forget to
clean screens before you install them.
2. Freshen bedding: Strip the beds and launder
all the washable bedding, including blankets, mattress
pads and pillow protectors.
Dry clean the things that can’t
be washed. Freshen pillows by
having them professionally
cleaned, hanging them outside
or tumbling them in the
clothes dryer on the air cycle.
3. Clean window treatments:
Launder washable curtains, or just
tumble them in the dryer to freshen
them. Vacuum nonwashable
draperies with an upholstery brush, or
have them cleaned. Clean blinds and
shutters (disposable wipes that fit over a hand are
useful for this), or take down blinds and wash them.
4. Clean carpets, rugs and floors: Launder
washable throw rugs, and have the other rugs pro-
fessionally cleaned. Clean hard floors using the
best method for the finish.
5. Clean light fixtures and ceiling fans: Remove
and wash glass globes. Wipe light bulbs with a damp
cloth, then dry. If a bulb has burned out in a hard-to-
reach chandelier, change all the bulbs at the same time
because the others probably are about to burn out, too.
6. Declutter closets and storage areas: Sort
out the things you no longer want and the items
that don’t belong. Store winter tools such as shov-
els and scrapers, and store out-of-season clothing
after attending to garments that need to be cleaned
or repaired. Bring out spring clothes and seasonal
equipment. Sweep garage and shed floors.
7. Wash baseboards: Use a household cleaner and
water for painted baseboards. For wood baseboards,
use a cleaner designed for wood, such as oil soap.
Wipe in the direction of the grain and dry immediately.
8. Clean vents and refrigerator coils: Remove
the grilles from heating and cooling vents so you can
vacuum the vent openings. Clean lint from the dryer
vent and the pipe leading to the outside. Vacuum
refrigerator coils.
9. Declutter and wipe out cabinets, drawers:
Get rid of equipment you don’t use, and store sel-
dom-used items in less accessible spots. Pitch stale
spices, outdated food and old medications.
10. Spot-clean or wash walls: Take everything
off the walls, then dust or vacuum the ceilings and
walls. Remove spots with all-purpose cleaner and
water, or by gently rubbing on a thick paste of baking
soda and water with a cloth or sponge. (Test in an
inconspicuous place first.) Use a commercial putty
cleaner to remove spots from nonwashable wallpaper.
If necessary, most painted
walls can be washed with
an all-purpose cleaner or
ammonia and water.
Walls covered in flat
paint, however, often
can’t be washed
successfully.