War on Dirt-Plan of Attack
If you are like millions of other people you love the spring because you can open the windows and let the fresh air in, the birds are chirping and the flowers are blooming.
The only bad thing, is that the house is musty, the windows are dirty, you found the dust you thought was hidden and the house looks dirty and disgusting.
You know that you cleaned all winter, it shouldn't look this bad, but it does! What happened; how did it get this bad?
You know that it is going to take weeks for you to get it back under control and you just don't have the time to do everything that needs to be done. You could call in a cleaning service, but they wouldn't do all of the little extras that you usually do. You could get a carpet cleaning service, that may still be an option you will keep in your mind.
Where do you begin?
First of all, get a piece of paper and pencil and sit down at your kitchen table and create your plan of attack. That’s right, it is a plan of attack; what else can you call it. It is you against the dirt, dust and mess, you will conquer this battle with a little planning.
You have to make a list of your total stragedy and in order to do that, you have to list everything that is in desperate need of rejuvenation. What are the things that you see when you walk into a room that really bother you the most? Write those on your list according to the rooms in your home.
Now you have a starting point; these are the things that you will 'attack' first. Why you ask? Simple, because these are the things that are going to weigh on your mind the most and no matter what else you manage to accomplish, in your fight for control, they are going to be the underlying stress point in your home.
Do you do the entire home at once or just a room from top to bottom?
I prefer to go through and do my entire home with certain parts of my spring cleaning plan; these would be such things as:
- Dusting for cobwebs in the corners and ceiling areas
- Washing all of the curtains
- Washing the windows
- Washing all comforters, throw blankets, scatter rugs etc.
- Washing mirrors, TV and Computer screens
- Throwing out old magazines, books etc. (or add them to a donation box)
- Strip the beds of their sheets and put on fresh sheets (leave washing them for last)
By doing it this way, it gives me a sense of openness and brightness that makes me want to continue, mostly because now I can see how dirty the room really is. Plus, by working around my home in this way, I will have completed the cleaning cycle all at one time. When I put the vacuum cleaner away, I will be finished with the entire house and I don't have to worry about another room and another mess.
Once the comforter, curtains and rugs are washed, don't put them back until the end of the day; it will be the finishing touch to a job well-done. You will see what a boost this will give you it makes the rooms –come together- with that finishing touch.
Fill the sink with a ammonia and water solution so you can wash all of the glass, knic-knacs, picture frames and wipe off the candles. This will make everything shine and not only look clean but feel clean! Wash and dry them all at one time and then leave them on the counter until you are through dusting the house.
Go through your home and dust everything, from top to bottom. This I also do going from room to room; I don't want to have one room looking great, just to walk into another room and see that I have another mess waiting for me.
Now it is time to put all of the decorations back on the tables and walls. With the windows clean and the sun shining in you can see how everything in the room sparkles and shines. You can see the progress that you are making and know that you have been doing a good job.
Don't forget to take breaks in between jobs. It not only will give you time to re-energize, but you can admire what you have done, look to see if there is something that you missed and write down anything that you feel you should add to your list or add to a list for another day.
Get out that vacuum cleaner and vacuum the furniture, carpeting and inside closets. Spray a room neutralizer or fabric freshener as you go; this gives it a fresh clean smell when you don't have time to wash everything. You can decide at this point if you want to clean the upholstery and carpeting on another day or hire a service to accomplish this job for you. If you decide to hire someone call them and set up an appointment so you have a scheduled date and time.
Mop the floors with a good antibacterial cleaner; this gives it a fresh clean odor to your home. Wax them if necessary and then take a break your job is almost over.
Remember those curtains, comforters, and rugs that you washed? Go and get those and put them back in there proper homes. This is your finishing touch to your rooms and will add the 'completed' look and most of all this is your signal that your job has ended.
Now sit back and relax and then get cleaned up and go out for supper or order something for delivery. You deserve it, you have worked hard, accomplished a lot and you have a sparkling home to be proud of and you did all of this in only one day.
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