Spring Clean in a Weekend

by Kathy Peel

Spring-cleaning is a job that few people enjoy, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming, and you don’t have to do it alone. Working together, your family can get it done in a weekend. Consider these suggestions to help pace yourself.

Get ready

List what you need to do and buy the needed cleaning supplies and equipment.
Arrange for a charity organization to pick up discarded items you want to give away or take them yourself.

Get set

Assign cleaning tasks to family members according to age and ability.
Stock plastic buckets or totes with cleaning supplies. Have trash bags handy.
Attach an extension cord to your vacuum cleaner so you can move quickly through rooms.
Spray the oven with oven cleaner Friday night. Put the drip pans from your stove and the ventilating fan/hood filter in a sink full of hot soapy water. Let them soak overnight.

Get up early Saturday morning and have family members strip bed linens (including mattress pads) and remove curtains that need washing.
Vacuum cobwebs from ceilings and corners, light fixtures, ceiling-fan blades, shutters, or blinds, door and window moldings, lampshades, pictures, windowsills, and baseboards.
Dust and polish wood furniture and shelves.
Clean mirrors and glass furniture tops.
Flip mattresses and put clean linens on beds.
Sweep floors and vacuum rugs or carpets.
Defrost freezer if necessary. Wipe off refrigerator shelves.
Clean inside microwave.
Finish cleaning oven and stovetop. Replace drip pans.
Vacuum, mop, and wax floor.
Remove shower-curtain liners. Wash for five minutes with a bath towel on delicate cycle; hang on a line or shower rod to drip-dry.
Spray shower, tub, and toilet with cleaner. (Be sure to open a window or turn on exhaust fan first.) Let solutions soak in, then wipe off and rinse clean.

Then, when the day is done, order up a great dinner or take the family out to celebrate a job well done.

Family management expert Kathy Peel is a regular contributor to American Profile.

first appeared: 4/6/2003