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‘SPRING
cleaning” seems such an archaic phrase, conjuring rug
beating outdoors and hands-and-knees floor scrubbing
indoors. How Victorian. How June Cleaver. How ugh....
But every now and then, even our high-tech, 21st-century
homes require more than routine (occasional?)
bed-making, dusting and dish-washing.
Because
“deep cleaning” can seem overwhelming—think
carpet-shampooing, window-washing, grout-scrubbing—let’s
deconstruct the project into time-manageable chunks and
script them around four real-life situations (with
apologies for stereotyping mothers-in-law everywhere).
§
Two
months: Throwing a party for 50.
§
Two
weeks: Houseguests arrive to stay a few days.
§
Two
days: A dinner party for eight.
§
Two
hours: mother-in-law announces a surprise visit.
We
sought experts to share their best ideas for each
scenario (wash windows on a cloudy day, clean blinds
with an old sock over your hand) and their favorite
products (lots of credit goes to green, clean, white
vinegar and baking soda).
So let’s
crank up the music and get to work. Cheryl Mendelson,
author of the encyclopedic Home Comforts: The Art and
Science of Keeping House, assures us it will make us
feel better because “order produces more order.”
Two
months:
Prepare
your home for a party
YOU’VE
invited 50 friends and relatives to celebrate your
wedding anniversary two months from now. That gives you
a decent amount of time to spiff up your indoor and
outdoor spaces.
The best
way to coordinate what you want to accomplish is to
create a calendar or timetable so nothing gets
overlooked, says Cheryl Mendelson, author of Home
Comforts.
Get the
heaviest, deep-cleaning chores out of the way first. If
you’re going to call in professionals, whether for steam
cleaning the carpet or pruning the shrubs, book early.
Indoors,
the most labor-intensive tasks mean windows, upholstery,
rugs and curtains. Outdoors, they include cleaning the
patio furniture and grill, and getting the yard and
gardens in shape. Once the house sparkles, routine
maintenance will be fine for the week leading up to the
grand event.
In the
family and living rooms, consider cleaning the rugs and
upholstery. If they are really showing dirt, rent a
steamer or book professionals to do it. Vacuum along the
ceilings and baseboards to remove spider webs. Wash or
dust blinds; vacuum or wash curtains, or send them out
for professional care.
Window-washing is a dreaded chore, but it makes more
difference than almost anything else, contends Donna
Smallin, author of The One-Minute Cleaner. This
may be where you want to call in the pros, especially if
you have high, hard-to-reach windows. Most charge by the
window, so if you can afford only a semisplurge, include
just the windows in the “public spaces.”
If you
do your own, start inside using horizontal motions, then
move outside and use vertical motions. That way, you can
see the spots you’ve missed. And though it may sound
counterintuitive, cool, cloudy days are best for
window-washing. Hot sun dries window cleaner faster than
it can be wiped off, which causes streaking, Smallin
says. Some experts recommend crumpled newspaper (avoid
pages with colored ink) to wipe off window cleaner
because it does not leave lint and is less wasteful than
using paper towels. Others prefer squeegees.
If
sprucing up the front entry or garden, buy plants by
early May for the best selection and to allow them to
fill in. This is also a good time to power-wash the
deck, scour the grill and clean, repaint or replace lawn
furniture. Check outdoor steps and structures for loose
stones or boards.
A few
days before the soiree, mow the lawn and pull weeds. The
day before, dust and vacuum the house.
And
don’t forget to locate the scrapbooks and old family
pictures well in advance, Mendelson says. “I’d get photo
albums in order to lay them out on coffee tables.”
Next week, more “spring cleaning” tips.... |
