Spring cleaning is different in each household.  It is the time of year to go extreme and get every dirt cell in your house.  I tend to flip out a bit because it is the one time a year that my husband and children are helpful in the duties involved in our home.  I take full advantage of this.  Our spring cleaning consists of each room getting one on one attention and then the house as a whole.  The carpet cleaners are called in along with the handyman that will power wash the house, deck and windows.  Our job is to make sure that all the hidden dust bunnies are removed so that for one day our house can glow.

The kitchen is my least favorite place to clean.  I do spot clean the stove top and microwave but I truly hate these tasks.  During spring cleaning however I buckle down and get to it.  I start by empting shelves and removing food from the pantry.  I create a mixture of bleach and water and wipe down everything.  I then go through the items from our pantry and get rid of anything older than six months and reorganize as I out things back into place.

Next we move all the appliances.  The under carriage of the fridge, stove and dishwasher are magnets for dirt, lost toys and all types of candy.  The fridge is next. We empty both the fridge and freezer and wipe all the seals and shelves down.  Food is gone through and eventually reorganized back into the fridge and freezer.  One thing we are good about is making sure that flour, sugar and baking goods are fresh but if you are not check them out and make sure that nothing is playing host to bugs.

Each bedroom is canvases also.  We start by empting the room out.  This allows us to vacuum underneath the bed, dressers, nightstands and the far reaches of the closets.  Once this has been done we go though the items that have been relocated neatly placing them back into place.  We dust everything, throw away clothes that don’t fit, get rid of toys and take all large bedding in for cleaning.  The bedroom is the best place to clean because that night when you go to pass out you are really breathing in the fruits of your labor.

The living areas are always a treat.  This is when ceiling fans get dusted and wiped down.  You can really tell a lot about a family by the amount of dust on their ceiling fan!  The couches are taken apart and vacuumed.  If we notice stains on the furniture this is a perfect time to make note of it.  When the carpet cleaners come out it is often inexpensive to have them do a piece of furniture.  The windows are done by professionals.  This is because we have yet to master the art and I cannot stand getting the Q-tips out for inside the window sills.  All of the fire alarms are vacuumed out and new batteries installed.  Faucet aerators are cleaned and drains are too along with furnace filters and vents.

The one thing I love most about spring cleaning is after we are all done the carpet cleaners come in do another thorough vacuuming and get to deep cleaning our carpets.  This is a sure way to make sure all residues from dead critters, dander, dust and every other gross carpet issue is done away with.  Carpet cleaners get to the core of the dirt, remove it and leave the house smelling fresh and looking like new.  Once the carpet cleaners leave I take it upon myself to go shopping for new mats for the entrances of the house.  Clean mats help keep feet clean which in turn keeps the carpet in better shape longer.

Don’t forget to donate anything and everything you have decided to part with.  Don’t leave it piling up in the garage.  Most likely that sale you have planned for the summer won’t happen because summer is the busiest time of the year. Take the tax deduction and make let others thrive off of your goods.  If you have not used it in a year or more it belongs in that donation pile.  We had a brand new ricer that was still in the carton that we had no ambition to use that ended up going into the donation pile.    It is also not to forget that a clean home keeps the members of your family breathing easier.  Enjoy it!  You might find yourself cleaning more often.