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Monday, March 26, 2012

Spring Cleaning Week Wrap Up

We've wrapped up Spring Cleaning Week around here and the place is sparkling :)  I thought I'd share a quick overview of everything that got cleaned and what products I used to make it as productive as possible while still being pleasant!

Here's the breakdown of each day/room:
*Side note- a lot of these things do get done on a regular basis, not just during Spring Cleaning, I promise! :)

Monday- Master Bedroom & Bathroom
Bedroom:
Dust everything
Wash all bedding
Put down fresh bedding
Swap out winter for spring bed spread
Wash windows and window treatments
Swap winter for spring clothing, donate what doesn't get worn
Vacuum floors

Bathroom:
Clean tile, tub, toilet, sink, mirror & floor surfaces
Dust/polish cabinets
Scrub grout
Remove old caulk, re-caulk
Clean out and discard old/lesser used items from cabinets & shelves
Replace towels
Wash shower curtain
Wash rug & bath mat

Tuesday- C's bedroom & Main Bath
Bedroom:
Dust everything
Wash bedding
Put down fresh bedding
Swap winter for spring blankets
Wash window and window treatment
Pack up winter clothing/outgrown clothing
Pack up other items no longer needed
Re-organize closet
Re-organize changing table & book shelf
Vacuum floor

Bathroom:

Clean tile, tub, toilet, sink, mirror & floor surfaces
Dust/polish cabinets
Scrub grout
Remove old caulk, re-caulk
Replace towels
Wash shower curtain
Wash rug & bath mat


Wednesday- Living Room & Play Room
Dust everything
Wash windows & window treatments
Wash sofa and ottoman slipcovers
Pack up outgrown/lesser used toys & books
Clear 2nd toy shelf
Re-organize remaining toy shelf
Vacuum and mop floor

Thursday- Kitchen
Remove items to be sold/donated (yup, still doing that)
Wipe down cabinets, appliances, counter tops
Wash window, sliding door, and treatments
Clean sliding door track, re-grease
Remove items from pantry for donation
Re-organize pantry
Vacuum and mop floor

Friday- Flexible
Finish up any remaining projects from the week
Give dog a haircut
Wish I had taken a before picture. He appears at least 5lbs lighter.


Since I was working only during C's nap time, some of these tasks didn't get done on their respective days. That's why I kept Friday open. I also didn't do anything with our basement because that is mostly J's space. I pretty much only use the laundry room, or retrieve some crafty stuff from my desk. He is constantly moving things around and re-organizing it, so I don't really interfere. Oh, and I worked on C's bedroom Tuesday evening after J got home since she is of course sleeping in there during nap time! Overall, SCW was a great big fresh-smelling success. It's like giving your house a face lift :)

Speaking of fresh-smelling... here's a list of the products I love to use whenever I clean. I always prefer something a little more naturally derived (although I realize they aren't 100% chemical-free), and these are the ones that have worked best for me:

Method Anti-Bac Kitchen Cleaner. I used this on any hard surface, not just in the kitchen. It's good at loosening anything stuck-on, and it's anti-bacterial. Bonus: super fresh lemon + verbena scent.

Method Window Cleaner. It's blue, it cleans streak-free, but it lacks that nostril-stinging smell of Windex. Rather it has a mild minty scent that I much prefer. PS- I've killed bugs with a squirt of Windex before, so that's something to think about when breathing it in. ACK!

Method Tub & Tile Cleaner. I have found this to be the best naturally-derived cleaner for actually cleaning tile. A lot of natural bathroom cleaners that are anti-bacterial are not that great at getting soap residue off of your tile. I prefer this one, though it is not anti-bacterial, because I'd rather have the scum off my surfaces than have sanitized scum. We don't eat off the shower tile or anything else in the bathroom, so no biggie there. And, eucalyptus + mint scent.

Seventh Generation Toilet Bowl Cleaner. Again, naturally derived. Smells like an evergreen forest, and it's considerably cheaper than Method's version.

Hydrogen Peroxide. This is what I used to clean the grout. It not only cleans and kills any ick that's on there, but peroxide also has a bleaching effect (whitening toothpaste, anyone?) so your grout ends up nice and bright. I've also heard vinegar works well on grout, or if you were less concerned with the chemicals SoftScrub with bleach would probably do the same trick.

Swiffer Dusters. I love these little guys! We have wood blinds in every room of the house and these things clean them in a snap (or at least a fraction of the time it would take me to wipe each slat with a cloth). They easily dust fan blades, picture frames, shelves, and pretty much anything else. You can't shake them like they show in the commercial or dust will fly everywhere (yes, I tried), but they do a pretty good job of actually picking the dust up without just spreading it around.

O-Cedar Floor Mop. It's a lot like the Swiffer mop (it has a refillable bottle for cleaner, a trigger to spray the floor, and then a cleaning pad that attaches to the bottom), except the cleaning pads are washable and reusable. I like that there's less trash and less to buy. You also use whatever floor cleaner you like instead of buying refills of their cleaner.

Method Floor Cleaner. I use the lavender scented version (are there others? maybe not) and love it. Very little is needed and you just add water and clean as usual. It does a great job and smells amazing.

I think that's the line-up. I could be forgetting something though, it was a busy week! I have to say, I love that although the Method cleaners have somewhat different scents, none are over-powering or perfume-y and they all work together. On our main level I used every single one of them, and it just smelled like freshness... you know, what spring should smell like :)

If you're inspired to do some spring cleaning, hopefully this was helpful. For anyone who is really up for a challenge, I also found a spring cleaning list on Pinterest (I think) that is pretty intense. Got any spring cleaning tips or tricks? Favorite cleaners, tools, or potions? I'm sure we'd all love to hear!

1 comment:

  1. I'm feeling quite inspired. The filth that has accumulated from the kitchen work is also a good motivator... my floors are in HORRIFIC shape right now! Not to mention the fact that we never really did a "deep clean" when we moved in (2 month-old, week before Christmas, house was pretty immaculate anyway... pick your excuse) and lately I've been feeling a little... icky about that. As soon as the kitchen is done, I'm going to TOWN on this place!

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