OK Ladies and Gentlemen - Spring is here and time to box up a box of outgrown clothes and donate to your Charity. I have a large box and trash bag full of stuff I am moving on tomorrow. I have been exceptionally good at ridding out this spring, meaning a couple boxes of stuff. Now, I discovered ALL my Capri pants are a size too small so now I get to go shopping for new ones>>>>>>>>Yeah Join me in helping keep the enviroment clean.
Ive been in a 'spring cleaning mode' for months. I told my daughter I must be pregnant because I'm nesting. I think it's just needing to see some changes and order in my life. Infact, I changed the counters in my kitchen, painted the living room dining room and hall, refinished the wood floors, now i'm in my office, raring to go . My dh sleeps so much, and I hate to leave him because he wakes up frightened, and usually we move every 10 yrs, and we've been here 10 yrs, but we are NOT moving. he doesn't know where we live now, and can hardly find the bathroom, can you imagine if we moved. anyway, I'm off to clean.
i have been trying to do a little at a time here too. it makes you feel good when things are less cluttered! i need windows done too, soo many! ugh. divvi
On my days off, I take DH our for lunch and then we go different places. I tell myself it's more important to keep him happy than do my blinds and windows. At least, that's my excuse. Someday I'm going to have to do them tho, I'm afraid.
In the Spring, when the weather turned gorgeous, grandma opened all the windows to "freshen" the house; she had the mattresses taken outside and beaten with a broom; she took the pillows outside to air out and fluff; she had rugs taken outside and beaten with a broom; all were left out to allow the sunshine and air get any musty smell out (we have Fabreeze, Oust, Lysol, etc.). She then swept down the walls, washed all the windows - inside and out; she washed the curtains and ironed them and hung them back up. Finally she scrubbed the floors. Once they were dry, in came the rugs, the mattresses, the bedding and pillows all came back in and were put in place. In the olden days, with what little they had, it could be done in a day. Now it takes a week or more!!! (I also vacuum and steam clean furniture; clean out kitchen cabinets; clean out closets, etc.)
Some of us now include painting a room or two while we have it stripped. I dislike washing the blinds, but I feel better after they are done. Momma use to hang them over the clothesline, take a soapy sponge and wash them off, then use the garden hose to rinse them. I put them in the bathtub and wash them, rinse them and towel dry them. Once a year. Whether they need it or not! <grin> RIGHT!!! <grin>
Boy, I got tired just writing about it!!! I'm halfway done this year....sigh....
Spring Cleaning must be that thing I do whenever I clean - I just use that opportunity to clean out a closet, wash some windows etc. I would never get to it or get it all done if I tried to do it at once........ Bless those of you who actually do it still and in one day too!
My painters gave me a good tip-put sheets of waxed paper on top of your kitchen cabinets-just change the paper instead of wiping up the grease. I don't fry anything and will never understand why the tops of the cabinets get greasy.
Wonderful idea, bluedaze! Why didn't I think about that? Do I have to clean the top of the cabinets first or may I just cover up the grease that is already there?
You reminded me of memories of my mother and "curtain stretchers". She had huge organdy curtains in all the bedrooms maybe they were fine white cotton.. and she'd wash them, dip them in cooked Faultless starch, and then put them in the back yard on curtain stretchers. They were large wooden frames that were the size of the curtains...she'd stretch them out flat and clip them into place. They'd dry flat and without wrinkles. Afterward, she'd stand for hours ironing the ruffles around the curtains.
I still remember the fresh starchy smell of the evening breeze blowing in through the (opened window) clean starchy fabric as I lay on my starched and ironed hand embroidered pillow case with the hand crocheted lace around the outer edge.
I'm not making one word of this up. Can any of you other grandmothers remember these things? (I was raised in the South!)
I see none of the men have checked in on this thread. Maybe that's because Spring Housecleaning was always done by the wife, while the men were at work. (this will change with the modern generation). Whenever I try to clean out a closet or something, I get involved with the things I am moving, and never accomplish anything. Last Christmas our 2 daughters took on cleaning things out. All I had to do was sit there and say: "Save", "To the rummage sale", or "discard".
Oh yes, Nancy B, I remember all of that. I also learned to iron pillowcases and handkerchiefs when I was very young. I miss the freshness of sheets dried out in the sunshine and freshly starched and ironed pillowcases. Remember how good it felt in the hospital when your bed was changed and you were taken care of by nurses in starched white uniforms with the little starched stiff head things?
We had lace curtains and Mom used to put them on the stretchers with pins along the edges. No ruffles. They smelled so ooooo good as did the sheets and pillowcases fresh off the clotheslineI also learned to iron on the pillowcases. No more.
We had the lace curtains also but no ruffles. Learned how to iron on the pillowcases, then progressed to ironing my Dad's starched white shirts (he was a minister) - so lots of white shirts! Promised myself I'd never do it after I left home! But...whenever I'd go back home to visit - there would be that pile of white shirts just waiting for me to come home! Awwwwww.
Ah, yes, those were the days, my friends. I still have a set of curtain stretchers, (We're packrats.) but I think they'll be leaving the basement soon. Nothing smells so nice as sheets dried outside. I, too, learned to iron in order: Dad's handkerchiefs, pillowcases, dad's undershorts, finally Dad's shirts. He was a school principal and NEVER went to school sans tie or jacket. What a dif a generation makes. Hey, I never thought about it before, but I never practiced ironing on Mother's things.
OK, we're talking about our LO's dementia, right.... I have a confession to make.
Although I now use spray starch, I still iron pillowcases, his hankerchiefs, and the sheets in our guest rooms. (Have to change our bed sheets too frequently to have time for our KS sheets. I find ironing a kind of therapy, ..and since I' am a compulsive neat-nik, there is something extremely satisfying having all the shirts and pants freshly ironed and handing in the closet.
I don't think that is odd in any form or fashion. I iron..and I enjoy it.
Our mothers were too smart to let us learn to iron on their things! <grin>
I remember helping my aunts stretch those curtains and pricking my finger - and the adults said in unison "don't get blood on the curtain" so naturally your immediate reaction is to hop backward, therefore preventing them having to wash, rinse, starch and stretch again! They bandaged my finger and I got out of ever having to do that chore again! <grin>
I was told the same thing when my aunts would have friends over to quilt. I'd want to help, but they were afraid I'd bleed on the quilt. Wasn't that a nice thing for friends to do together... My friends and I used to meet but all we'd do together was EAT!
My grandmother had a scrub board when I was little. Watching her, I didn't really realize the amount of work that went into washing clothes the old-fashion way! My mother had a washing machine that was round (and on wheels so you cuold take it to the kitchen sink for loading and unloading the water) and it had two rollers on top that you hand-cranked to get the water out on the clothing when they finished both the washing cycle and again after each of two rinses. Then, we had to carry them outside and hang the clothes on the line for drying. Remember those pants stretchers for slacks and jeans?
Housework has always been my bete noir. We had a cleaning woman when I was growing up and I didn't learn much from her, but I did learn from a woman who came in to clean at one point in my life when we lived in Berkeley. Irma was very intelligent and methodical. She showed me how she'd do one room, stripping the beds, taking out the trash, straightening, cleaning, and then go on to the next, and I sortof learned how to clean, watching her. But since we moved to New England (1970) I haven't had anyone doing any of the housework and have lived on the motto of a friend who simply said, I don't clean house any more! Well, I do clean but only under duress. OTOH, the dishes are always done and put away, the beds made, the laundry done, the floors swept and vacuumed fairly often, and stuff picked up around the house.
Now, our CNA who comes once a week doesn't find enough to do with herself just watching my husband and offers - OFFERS! - to clean, and I let her. I'm feeling quite pampered!
I thought I knew something about cleaning but have received an education reading this thread. Today most women regard cleaning with a disdain that should be reserved for having your teeth drilled without an anesthetic. I don't understand it--I enjoy a peaceful day at home, and having the house look perfect all at one time! Today's world is on such a go, go, go schedule--I actually look forward to a day when I can stay home and tidy things up. Guess I'm weird.
When my house is really clean and neat, I feel SO much better! I'm just thankful for my dishwasher, garbage disposal, washer and dryer, vacuum cleaner and Bounty! They make my work easy compared to my mother and my grandmother's time! How far we have come in a short period of time!
I have been fortunate at different periods of my life to have maids come in once a week and do the deep cleaning; and for a year after my third child was born in three years, I had a daily maid! Boy, did I need her! <grin>
Briegull, what you have listed is what I call the regular cleaning - which is what I do except once a year...I was defining "spring housecleaning" for Lori!
Now don't laugh-but because of all the fur generously shared by Dennis and Meeko I use my dust buster when I need a quick clean-up. I'm having allergetic friends for dinner tonight and the dust buster will be doing it's thing.
I also have a housekeeper who comes in to do the heavy stuff like cleaning the bathtubs, keeping the woodwork cleaned and all the vacuuming in this( d*%^^&^#) 5000 SF house (that's on the market for sale). It has to be kept shiny and ready for showings. My congestive heart failure makes heavy duty cleaning a "no no".
I just love the smell of cleaning supplies..ESPECIALLY the lavender Fabuloso cleaning product. Most Latina cleaning women demand it...and I'm addicted to it. Anyone else out there use it?
I guess we all have our cleaning likes and disikes. I had a cleaning woman here last week because my knee still won't let me bend to clean corners of the floor. While she was inside I was outside washing my car.
I too, remember the curtain stretchers that I constantly pricked my fingers on while helping my mother stretch the curtains. I also used to be able to paint a ceiling, wash (or paint) the walls, clean the windows, wash the curtains and do the floor of one room all in one day ( and feel great satisfaction when I stood back and looked at it). Now it makes me tired just thinking about it.
If I had a cleaning lady to come in to do the heavy stuff I would feel like I had died and gone to Heaven. As it is I believe dust was created to protect the furniture. I know, it's an old joke. LOL
Please give me more info on the lavender Fabuloso stuff. Do you think it's sold everywhere, or just in Texas? We are starting to get a bigger Hispanic population here--maybe I can fnd it.
office depot online sells it by the gallon 14.19 plus sh/you may can check your local office depot and get it there. most of our stores, HEB -walmart, target carry it in tx. it smells good and works well in bathrooms and on floors! divvi i love the apple one as well.
MarilynMD (Ditto), I buy Fabuloso in the Houston grocery stores (along with Mr. Clean, etc.) and my DIL buys it iat grocery stores in Savannah as well. Last week, I saw that Home Depot had it. In Big Gallon Jugs! It's quite inexpensive..and it is great. I'll ask DH's daughter if she can get it in Gaithersburg. Seems like she said she did. ???..
I just googled Fabuloso (which I never knew about till now) and learned that it is a Colgate product and is available at Walgreen's, among other common retail spots. Think I'll look for some tomorrow when I stop to pick up some photos. Thanks, Nancy.
You will love it! (Purple, remember, not the green)...I do believe my housekeeper drinks it on the side. I put some in a spray bottle and use it on everything (and IN everything!)
I like the Method products--sold at Target and grocery stores. They were the first ones I know of to have nice scents--I bet some of the mass market brands have copied and are a better value.
Someone left a bottle of Fabuloso when they moved from one of our rental places. These people left the place very clean. I really didn't know what it was but after reading this, I used it on my kitchen and bathroom floors. It smells wonderful and leaves a pretty shine. I will definitely look for more at the stores.