Children's Bedrooms

We made it! The last post in our spring cleaning series, the children's bedrooms. I am not actually doing my kids bedrooms today because we are expecting rain and I want to be able to hang out all of the bedding. I will have to wait for a warmer sunnier day! If I were spring cleaning their bedrooms today I would be doing the following:

• Mattresses vacuumed and turned
• All bedding washed and dried
• Pillows cleaned
• Underneath the bed
• Toys organized and sorted. Use the three piles: one for donations, one for garbage, and one for sale.
• Sort clothing's. My kids hate this but I make them try on all their summer clothes and take an inventory of things like socks and underwear. This gives me a really good list of things that they need. I also look through their winter things. Use the three piles here too!
• organize dresser drawers and closets
• Sort shoes. What do they need, whats to small or worn out.
• Windows and curtains cleaned
• Trash cans
• Light fixtures dusted and washed

The Family Room and Closets

This was perhaps the easiest room for me to spring clean. It is carpeted so there were no area rugs to be cleaned. There were no major organization projects to work on. I had just redone the bookshelves. There were two projects for this room that I wanted to focus on. The first project was to find pictures for several empty picture frames. Mr. built these beautiful pictures shelves for me as a Christmas gift but there are still a couple of frames without pictures! I planned some time to sort through pictures.


The second project was to measure the bay windows so that the next time I was in town I could look for different window curtains. I don't necessarily have anything in mind but I would like to do something different there.

When I got to the school closet I pulled materials that we are no longer using. They went to the sale pile. I also started a box for each childs school work so that as they complete books they can just pack them away.


Below is a list of some helpful hints!

• Enjoy the process and have fun!
• Evaluate each room for its function, purpose, and beauty
• Make changes - move things around. You don't have to buy new, use what you have!
• Start at the top and work your way down
• Start inside and work your way out
• Move things you don't normally move or things that you normally dust and vacuum around
• Get at eye level with whatever you are cleaning - clean on your hands and knees
• Make three piles; trash, donations, and sale. Then purge remember to "keep no item that is not being used or beautiful !

The Entry Way

Welcome Home! Welcome Guest! Welcome Friends! The entry way proclaims this message to all who enter into it. It is your homes first impression to those who have never entered before. It is the greeting we long for after a hectic, rough day. What sights, what smells greet you as you enter? I started on the outside for this spring cleaning endevor. I have been looking for some time for a spring / summer wreath for the front door. I was glad to find this at Target. While I enjoy the floral wreaths they just did not seem to match the craftsman style of the house. The front door is an important feature to your home. Sweep off the porch, get rid of those cobwebs and birds nests. I am currently doing battle with a robin who is insisting in nesting under the porch rafters. She is making a daily mess out of our porch!

Inside I replaced a small bookshelf that sat under the window with a larger bookshelf that had previously been in our DOD's room. Mr. has been remodeling her room and there was no longer space for this set of shelves. Our entry way is only a very small section of a small room.
This area is serves as the computer room
as well as a music room. It is a high traffic area that gets really dirty and cluttered quickly. One of the things we have trained ourselves to do is not leave things out that are not being used. Everything has a place and everything in that place really keeps the area picked up and saves my sanity! A constant battle area is the small table next to the door. Everyone wants to set and leave things on it. I have a zero policy tolerance for that. We also do not keep family shoes in this area. We have a cubbie by the back door where each person is allowed a pair of shoes. Above and beyond that we all keep our shoes in our rooms. The one thing yet to be done in this room is to resolve our computer issues. We really need a new computer. We looked over the weekend have decided on a lap top. That will remove the behemoth of a monitor and open up surface area on the desk for a working space. It will also clean up a lot of the cords that clutter behind the desk.


The curtains have been freshened, the rug beat, the floor scrubbed, the window cleaned. I sorted through the drawers on the bookshelf and took out many learning games that our children have outgrown and no longer use. One of the drawers contains all of our camera and ipod cords which are each labeled with whose cord and to what gadget the cord goes to. It was a fairly quick morning project.


One of the things that I have done in every room of the house is to place small lamps for softer lighter. This is true in the entry way as well. The little light by the table is turned on when we leave for an evening and its warmth greats us whenever we return home. Now that I have cleaned up the visual appearance of the entry way I want to make sure and remember to create a pleasant aroma in this area. Our spaces should please all of our senses. A scented candle does this nicely. Vanilla is my favorite home scent closely follwed by the scent of baking bread!

The Main Rooms

My dining room and the sitting area are open to one another so I cleaned this entire area together. In the sitting area I bought a cream rug to section that area off a little bit and give it some added definition. I have two wicket chairs but the area is really not big enough for both. I finally decided that it looked just fine with only one chair and put the other chair in our bedroom. The rug has been on my "to do" list for quite a while now. I used the finish feeder on both tables and was again so impressed with the result! This was a light day of cleaning and much needed after all three days of pretty intense effort! I still have the entry way, family room and children's bedrooms left to go. Thank goodness tomorrow is a day of rest!

The Kitchen

The kitchen has rightly been called the heart of the home buts its influence extends well beyond the home and into the community. Its handiwork featured at every family gathering from the smallest of family dinners to the largest of family reunions, from church potlucks to the sick and bedridden, from celebrations of life such as graduations and new births to the saddest of events such as a death.

Perhaps more than any other room in our homes, the kitchen reflects our hearts as woman. Gary Sledge said, "The things that really matter take place not in board rooms, but in the kitchens of the world."

Before I tackled the kitchen I made a concerted effort to use up foods in the pantry and the freezer. By doing this, I accomplished two things; I got rid of foods that needed to be used up and it emptied things out making both areas easier to clean. The day I scheduled to clean the kitchen I also scheduled an easy dinner of take out! The kitchen is a big project and I knew that I would be exhausted by the time that I finished it. I also knew that I would not want to destroy the space that I had spent all day cleaning. Take out and paper plates were definitely in order! I also made sure that I had a brand new box of magic erasers! I can not imagine trying to clean the stove top or refrigerator doors without them!

The kitchen is cleaned daily, sometimes several times, because it is used so frequently during each day. We sweep the floors, wipe the counters, and wash the dishes but seldom go beyond this in effort. A good spring cleaning goes deeper than the superficial. Take everything out of every drawer and cabinet. Don't just wipe the cabinets out but evaluate where each item is being kept for its function and purpose. I am famous in my family for moving items. Last year I moved the silverware drawer and to this day every once in awhile someone still goes to the wrong drawer looking for it. This year we will be searching for the trash can and baking supplies, all of which have new homes! This is a good time to get rid of things that you don't use! More than any other room in the house the kitchen can collect all sorts of odds and ends. I discovered that I had an incredible amount of plastic silverware. It filled an entire Tupperware container once I had it all collected in one spot. Don't forget to clean out the junk drawer.

Normally on kitchen day I would have cleaned the oven and seasoned my cast iron pans but it was 85 degrees here so I put both of those things off to another day when it will hopefully be cooler! The picture above is my once back entry closet converted to a pantry, now cleaned and reorganized.

The Bath and Laundry Room

In my house the main floor bathroom and the laundry room are combined into one space and located just off our kitchen. It is a high usage area that sees a lot of wear and tear and requires my attention on a daily basis. There are some things that I only tend to do in the spring cleaning.

I like to use just a bucket of sudsy hot water and wash the walls down. The main reason for doing this is that hair spray and other styling products get overshot and onto the wall. Scrubbing the walls freshens the paint and removes dirt and grime that have built up over the course of the year that you may not even notice until you have scrubbed it off.

Wipe down the face of all cabinets. If wood use a wood conditioner.

Wash and iron the curtains as well as clean the window and screens. I replace the shower curtain or give it a good soaking in vinegar to remove hard water stains.

Soak the shower head in a bucket of vinegar and water mixed to equal parts. This will remove hard build up and help keep your shower head functioning.

I have fake ivy above my cabinets. I take that all down, wipe off the top of the cabinets and give the ivy a shower.

The washer and dryer also receive a little extra care. In the washer I run a quart of bleach through the small load setting leaving it to soak for an hour or so before running it out. Then I run another small load to rinse. I wipe the inside of the barrel of the dryer off.

Don't forget to look inside your cabinets. Retire towels to the rag basket that are stained or look worse for wear. Wipe down the shelves and reorganize as you return items back to the shelves.

Organize and clean out your medicine cabinet. Look for expiration dates on products. I always throw out any sunscreen from the previous year. Do not keep prescriptions that are expired past six months. When was the last time you replaced your toothbrush? How is your hair brush looking? Replace these items if needed. Your old toothbrush makes a great grout scrubber, put it into your cleaning bucket.

Clean your light fixtures.

I like to get down on my hands and knees and scrub the bathroom floor, making extra sure to get around base of the toilet and under the washer and dryer.

We keep a magazine stand in the bathroom. I sort through and keep only the most recent magazines.

This year as part of my bathroom spring cleaning I had two extra projects that I worked on. I had found a laundry cart at an antique mall in Ohio. The base was rusty and dirty but with a little elbow grease and some white spray paint it looks wonderful. I had also found a wall mount clothes drying rack. It needed some work and I thought that I would have to paint it but after giving it a good sanding and washing it off I think I will skip the painting. You can see it hanging on the wall in the picture above.

Don't forget to add a little beauty! Even the most utilitarian rooms in our house should be beautiful.

The Master Bedroom

The master bedroom is often overlooked for in its importance in the grand scheme of our homes. It is a private sanctuary, a refuge, a retreat, and the space of our most intimate moments. It should be a space that invokes peace and quietness into your life. In smaller homes like ours it is easy to want to use this space for multiple functions. At one point our master bedroom served as my office, the gym, television room and bedroom. It can also be used as a catch all for all the miscellaneous things that we don't have time to find a place for. Friends come over and we throw everything in the bedroom and shut the door. I have been on a journey to reclaim this space as a sanctuary for our marriage. This has definitely been a case of one step forward and two steps back! A success occurred when I moved my office from the bedroom last year to a nook in the hallway. It was amazing how that changed the aura of the room. It was much more peaceful when I laid down to rest. The TV is still in our bedroom, its removal under frequent discussion, but Mr. enjoys laying down to watch a little TV to relax before going to sleep.


This is our bedroom during spring cleaning. You can tell from the lack of dry wall in the bay window that we are still in the process of renovating this room. To begin cleaning I removed all the bedding for the wash. It will get hung outside to dry and brought back in when the room is finished. The mattresses were rotated and thoroughly vacuumed. Everything was brought out from underneath the bed and all the little dust bunnies chased down. You can see my handy tool kit on the corner of the bed. The light in the bay window needs to be moved. It was over my desk but is no longer needed there. All of the curtains were taken down, washed and the windows cleaned. There was the usual dusting with special care given to lamp shades. The closets take the longest time. Everything gets sorted through, refolded, organized and returned neatly. I noticed that I had several small totes of craft and sewing items so I did make a trip to the store for a small drawer unit which now holds all of those items neatly in one space. Several piles were started; one for things that need storage in the attic, one for donations and one for garbage. These three piles will continue to grow as I work my way through the house.

Here is our bedroom put back together. I make the bed first thing every morning. It is the focal point of our bedroom so I always want it to be pretty and inviting. An unmade bed does not say welcome! You can see the lamp that was in the bay window is now hanging next to the bed. The room smells so fresh and wonderful! The lamp that was on that side of the bed moved to other side to replace a smaller light that really was not adequate to read by. That light will get moved to my desk in the hallway. I had several things stored in the bay window that needed to be taken out. A large mirror that currently does not have a home on any wall, the paper shredder that somehow did not get moved with my desk, a large roll of craft paper, and two boxes of the kids school work for this past year. The bay area now is clutter free!


We have three remote controls in our room as well as a few misc. things that were just laying on my nightstand. I had this basket in another room of the house where it was not being used so I brought it in to my nightstand, adding an extra special touch to the ordianary! It is always nice to find items in our homes that can be used to solve a problem instead of just buying another thing!

I took Mr.'s antigue dresser outside into our screen porch and oiled it. I found a product called Finish Feeder that had ingredients similar to the polish I was going to make. I was amazed at how the difference it made! It was a good thing that I did it outside because it definitely had fumes! I really want to use it on several largest pieces of furniture that I won't be able to move outside so I will have to use fans and open windows.

We have a screen in porch that sits just off our master bedroom. It also got a good cleaning yesterday. I set my plant stand up and got tomato and pepper seeds sowed. I also laid out our potatoes to encourage sprouting. What a day!

Spring Cleaning

I can barely contain my excitement at beginning my spring cleaning today! I have been waiting patiently for what seems like months to be able to begin this process! Traditionally this occurs at the very beginning of spring around Easter but our April travel schedule is not conducive to beginning a project of that magnitude. I like to be finishing our school work so that I can fully enjoy the process without to many interruptions. Another benefit to waiting just a little bit longer into spring is that the days are warm enough to allow for me to dry sheets and heavy blankets on the clothesline. Here I am, nearing the end of April just beginning my spring cleaning endeavor.

Spring cleaning is not just about cleaning. While I like to keep my house well tended to during the rest of the year, keeping a weekly cleaning routine as well as the few odds and end things that happen throughout the year, spring cleaning is the time to get into the crooks and crannies that are easy to over look and take extra effort to get to. More than that, it is a time to evaluate your house room by room. Spend extra time surveying the surroundings where you and your family spend your time. What things are working in that room and what, if any changes could be made to make the rooms more purposeful, useful and beautiful. As you are straightening what things do you no longer use in a room and could be given to charity or donated. Purge items that you no longer consider to enhance your environment. I love this quote by William Morris which says, "Do not keep anything that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful!" What items need to be replaced because of wear or damage. What things just need a little tender loving care to really make them shine? When we look into a room there is always that one big thing whether a picture or piece of furniture that makes an initial impression but it is all the little details that really make a room into an area that shines.

To make your spring cleaning a success have supplies on hand. If you are making your own cleaners have all of the ingredients as well as application containers like squirt bottles. Aside from my regular cleaning supplies there are a few extras I like to have on hand such as newspaper for the windows and a special furniture polish that I buy at an antique store. I am disappointed that I did not get my own furniture polish made. Maybe by next year I will have that figured out! Don't forget to have your toolbox and paint for each room on hand as well.

To really make your spring cleaning a success make sure you set aside an appropriate amount of time. It can take an entire day for me to do one room, especially if it is a bedroom! Don't forget that your family still needs three meals and chauffeur service to various activities while you are working! Even under ideal conditions I am interrupted frequently. Aside from the practical aspects, rushing through spring cleaning takes all of the enjoyment out of it. I love to just focus on and really work in a room. That takes time and energy. If want I really want to achieve takes a day and I only give it an hour I will not be satisfied with the room and all I will focus on are the things that I did not get to. Don't forget to budget for your spring cleaning. Extra cleaners will be needed yes, but you also might want to make a few changes, replace worn items, or add a new touch to a room.

For the next week we will be going room by room seeing my spring cleaning in action. Hopefully, I will remember to take before and after photos! Those are always fun to see and I never remember them!