Spring Cleaning Part Two

Now we come to my life today. Spring cleaning...I still do it, but in a very different way than back in the forties. The world has changed so much since then. Women are working and with families having two cars ( I sound like I was there before the invention of the wheel ) there are countless things for women to do.With all the modern conveniences that we have today....I can say that I think we might be wee bit spoiled :) One thing hasn't changed...houses do get dirty.

I'll admit... am a neat freak about closets, cupboards, and drawers. A favorite past time if I'm ever bored...is cleaning my closet or the kitchen cupboards. This came about in my teens when a new girl moved into the neighborhood. My Mom went to meet her mother and I went along...The girl was my age and we went up to her bedroom and she opened her dresser drawers and I saw neatness. Hankies in stacks, clothes neatly folded and her jewelry all in little boxes with labels. What an impression she made on me that day. I went home and got to work on my things and it has never stopped. My daughter used to laugh at my shoe boxes. They are neatly organized on a shelf with labels that tell the color, size and whether or not they are comfortable. So when spring cleaning comes around...I don't have to bother with cupboards and drawers.

As soon as I see the weather changing a bit...maybe I'll see a robin or my old pal the crow...I get in the mood to clean. I do it one room at a time. Usually one room is all I can do in a day. I dust down the couple of cobwebs that might be in the corners and dust the tops of pictures on the walls. I dust the blinds and clean the windows. I use Murphy's Oil  and clean the furniture. Once in a while I use lemon oil on the wooden pieces. We have carpet in our bedroom. I'm not crazy about that. There is nothing under our bed, since we bought a Roomba. Joe bought this gadget, when I was having pain in my back. You might wonder how well this gadget works...it's the best thing that we have bought. I use it twice a week and the whole house is cleaned with it. My baseboards have never been so dust free. I would highly recommend it. Our doors are oak and they get polished too. We have two bedrooms and an office...they all get cleaned...one day at a time. I shut the door when each room is done.  

The living room and dining room are used so much and do get almost daily tidying. We have lace valances at the windows which get laundered while the windows are washed. We have valances and blinds in all the windows in our house. We have, what we call, a loft area up high that we can't reach and climbing on a ladder at our age is a no no. We had some decorating done this fall and the gal that was painting said, "I'll do it for you" when she heard about our predicament. So, all of the bric a brac is dusted way up there. The ceiling fans are cleaned and ready for constant use this summer.Lamps and lampshades are dusted. I use a paint brush to dust the shades...outdoors.  The glass hurricane shades are washed in ammonia water, the afghans and throws are washed and replaced with ones for warmer weather. Some of the things on tables are put away, making for a more simple look for the coming season. New cushions appear at this time of year. There are no stacks of books around now, with my new bookcase. I keep the bookcases tidy weekly...putting books into categories for easy finding.Joe's bookcases are another story...

Then on another day, I tackle the kitchen and mudroom. Because I keep the drawers etc. clean year round...I haven't much to do. Just the windows and the cupboard doors are cleaned with Murphy's Oil.The glass shades on the hanging lights are cleaned with a mixture of ammonia, soda, vinegar and water.  The floor is washed weekly, so that isn't any different. The glass doors are cleaned and bookcases are tidied. The laundry room-mudroom is easy. We come and go through this doorway and the room has throw rugs. They are washed almost weekly. I have my orchids in the mudroom....that shelf is cleaned and the area where we store beer and pop gets dusted and organized.

So, if you are still with me, I am not as organized as you may think. I have days when nothing gets done...those are the days when I read, craft and knit. to be perfectly honest...those days a bit of guilt runs through my mind. Because of the way I was brought up...having to help clean so much (I didn't have any siblings to help until I was in Jr. High School)  If I'm not doing something...I have those feelings once in a while. It's better now that I am in my 70's. My body tells me what I can do and what I can't. I don't feel guilty quite as much....more frustration.. I used to rush around and clean when company was coming...no more of that. I figure that they come to see us and not the house.
Balisha

PS...Oops, I forgot the bathrooms. We have 2 1/2 baths. My least favorite rooms to clean. I used to get my daughter to clean the bathrooms when I had teenagers, because I didn't like the job. She still resents me for this :) and mentions it often :) Oh, how to get behind the toilet in a very small bathroom? You should see me doing this. You'll just have to take my word for it...they are clean.

Oh, gosh are there any readers still reading? I just reread this post and thought how boring. I'm not going to delete it, however, it took so long to write. Balisha