Spring cleaning

Jenny - posted on 05/12/2011

I hear ya with the four kids and no time! Pick up the house during the time you usually clean. Then when the napping ones nap pick one room a day. I find if I break it down cleaning doesn't seem that overwhelming. Good luck!

Lisa - posted on 05/11/2011

We live in the country on a farm so there's always dust...worse in the winter because we burn wood.

First thing that will help...get rid of the white walls!! :)

I do all my cleaning, even spring cleaning, in small time slots. And I do one room a day so I'm only taking 30-45 minutes extra cleaning for that day. I also have the carpets cleaned/scrubbed in the spring and fall but I send the kids to grandma's for the day. Plus when they're gone I can also get a lot done like cleaning the windows on the outside, or whatever.

Jennifer - posted on 05/11/2011

Well, I dedicated this week to getting the normal weekly work done, and put off all the rest of the wall scrubbing til next week. Mainly I did this for two reasons, 1) I was going utterly insane from looking at the mess knowing I was spending most of my day cleaning , and 2)my kids got a trampoline for Christmas and we have finally been having nice weather so we put it together. Now my arms hurt so bad from putting that sinking mat and springs on that I can't lift my arms above my head! LOL

Tracy - posted on 05/11/2011

SWEETIE EVERYTHING LOOKS WORST WHILE YOU ARE CLEANING BUT WHEN YOU ARE DONE IT LOOKS AMAZING YOU ARE NOT ALONE..

Kate - posted on 05/10/2011

You are not alone! I barely have enough time for regular cleanings, much less for deep cleanings seasonally! It's a constant struggle!

Bridgette - posted on 05/10/2011

Spring cleaning is a process - so yes, your house may look bad while you are doing it but will look great afterwards! I have been clearing old junk out from the basement and have designated one room (the office for now) as the room I put all the crap in and try not to look to closely at so I dont realise how bad it is!

Krys - posted on 05/09/2011

Oh boy, must we talk about Spring Cleaning? Ive got one 19 month old boy with a girl on the way (29 weeks.) I try to do one thing a day on top of feeding/playing with/changing my son and Im happy to be doing that! Mind you, my behind is supposed to be on bed rest.. Ever found that a messy house while your on bed rest is enough do drive one mad, while it could be the same mess, not on BR and youd be fine. LOL.. Oh, and I had to laugh at the entire gallon of spilled milk after cleaning. It reminded me of a 2 year old I took care of before my son. He fell outside on his head one day, only to pop up and yell "Im okay, Im okay, Its just my head! O boy lol

Victoria - posted on 05/09/2011

Wow, I think that you are a dynamo! 4 kids, one teething AND you actually care about spring cleaning? That is great!

Carmina - posted on 05/08/2011

i am a bit of a clean freak i seem to always be spring cleaning i hate junk and mess... but it gets turned upside down the same day so its never actually clean! only when im home alone lol! and i have my days where i just think, nope, im not cleaning yet ill do it tonight. i wouldnt stress too much, as long as your house is clean enough for health and safety standards then who cares =)

Sal - posted on 05/08/2011

just one extra job a day will make a difference,in a week you can have the fridge cleaned, the oven cleaned, the kids clothes sorted, the pantry cleaned, the tupperwear cupboard clean, cob webs down, carpets spot cleaned (for example or any 7 of the jobs on your list) it will be only one task to get done but by the end oof the week you will feel like you achieved a lot, or try and do things regulary so you never have to have a BIG clean, it is a pain to get started but i have found that by doing it all the time it never needs doing and isn;t as hard to do, like the glass above my sink it gets splashed all the time so i do it every other day, it takes a quick wipe with what ever i have on hand, glass spray, nifty cloth, spray and wipe, if i leave it it takes ages as it needs to be washed with hot soapy water to actually get the cooking and washing up splashes off them then polished with a clean cloth and takes ages, or last week i worked out a quick way to clean the wooden slat blinds (i have about 15) i just do one each time i vaccume it takes maybe an extra 5 mins a day (i seem to vac everyday) but i never have that horrid task of doing all the blinds, if you can get the shannan lush books (she on the internet too but not as good i don;t think) another thing that i have ound is a life saver is i have a dediacted vinnies bag in the laundry (on a perfect day) and while i'm washing and folding the clothes anything that is too small or no longer needed goes straight in, not back to the cupboards and as soon as it is full it goes out..but i am lucky (if you can call it that) hubby is home this week so i am using that to get extra done he is on a handyman buzz fixing things that need it and i am doing the extras but only one at a time..

Stifler's - posted on 05/08/2011

I just do one room at a time, preferably on a Sunday or Saturday so I can make Damo do most of it bahahaha

Samantha - posted on 05/08/2011

I dont have a big house its just a 3 bdrm but i did mine. 1 room a day. It only took me a week but it got done

Jennifer - posted on 05/08/2011

Katherine - I can't do any of the back pack type things or wraps. I have arthritis in my back and sciatica, and any amount of walking/standing while holding my little one causes unbearable pain.

Joanne - posted on 05/08/2011

I've been trying to spring clean at my house too... I keep making a start but I never get past a certain point. I managed to rope my mum into helping me empty and completely wash out my conservatory but that's where it has ended. I have an 11 year old, 4 year old and 3 month old and I'm finding that I'm either too tired or too busy to get it finished. I desperately need to wash down my skirtings, doors and frames. I also want to repaint my bathroom ceiling and touch up my kitchen walls. My hubby helps a lot but he isn't always as quick at necessary DIY as he needs to be... I sometimes feel like I clean all day and it never looks any better :-( ...

Marisa - posted on 05/08/2011

My house is messy right now too.

Katherine - posted on 05/08/2011

@ Jennifer: Have you tried a Moby for your daughter?

Ink - posted on 05/08/2011

Nothing I said was productive...I was being funny.
Seriously, I try not to let myself start ANY projects until at LEAST my kitchen is done. A clean kitchen amungst the chaos really does feel good...it centers me.
I really find it easiest to clean my kitchen before I am awake. If I go down there with only one eye open and make my first coffee and sip it while I unload/load the dishwasher...I find that most all of it is done before that first cup is gone.
I plan ahead when it comes time to "blitz" a room...and that's what our family calls it. I will look around at the shelves, boxes, storage...furniture...and start thinking and brainstorming. If I get ONE more box this size...I can stack all FOUR of these together. If I give this crap away...I'll be better off. Next trip to the grocery store...I take the old junk to goodwill...and pick up a few boxes at the grocery store. I have been known to stuff every laundry basket in the HOUSE full of junk from one room...just to do floors walls and furniture. It is SO much easier to clean when it's empty! I've considered just MOVING each spring.
We have really tall walls here, we live in a loft style home...two story. We use a sponge mop for the walls a LOT. Last time we were in Walmart we found a spongemop with a Mr. Clean sponge for the head. THAT looks like a good tool!
I've also accepted the fact that some crap is just too tough to get off in one swipe. I am also famous for a 'first wipe' and then take a break. When I come back to the mess ten minutes later, I find that the wet soapy water slopped over the mess has softened it a lot...and the second wipe takes it right away...without me sitting there wearing down my fingernails trying to pick some hard dried dog food gravy off of the side of the dryer.
I also enlist my KIDS during this time. I have two nine year old stepgirls. I didn't clean their room until they came to visit. Let them help! It's their stuff...they can be a part of cleaning it up. It makes them PROUD of their stuff too! I notice after a cleaning fit...they will pick up other things on their own too. We've finished their room...and they are now in the livingroom picking up toys and straightening the books on the shelves.
I have a two year old...I am pretty tough on him. If he makes a mess..he WILL be part of cleaning it up. I hand him a rag and I take one. I make him swipe at the spilled milk while I clean it up too. He picks up his toys before bedtime too. It's part of the bedtime routine...and it helps him to understand that we just don't leave things laying around when we are done with them.
One day, putting up groceries...I stepped around the corner to toss a pack of TP in the bathroom. I didn't GO to the bathroom...I threw the pack at the door. Before the TP could hit the floor...I hear DAWHOOOM! in the kitchen. I turn and see my son standing in the middle of an oak kitchen with white milk washed over every INCH of that kitchen. Every wall, floor, cabinet, dirty dish in the sink. My coffee pot, the papers hanging on the fridge. My calendar, the canisters...the microwave. ALL covered in MILK. He slid a GALLON of milk off the counter and when it hit the floor....BIG mess. I stood there with my heart sinking...my boy says, "I got it" "I got it Mama" "I got it" and snatched up the first dishrag he could find. That precious little devil started wiping the milk up off the floor. Kids CAN help...and they ARE smart enough to KNOW what is nice..and what is a mess.

Crystal - posted on 05/08/2011

Amen to Alison... I have 4 as well, ages 7, 6, 2 and 2mos. I am happy just to get the basics done; laundry, meals and dishes! ESPECIALLY when I spend the day making a room sparkly clean while the older two are at school just for it to look like a cyclone has come through by bedtime!

Ink - posted on 05/08/2011

Your EASTER stuff is still out!?!
I still have a CHRISTMAS TREE up! Yep...sure do! It sits RIGHT next to the mountain of clothes that are too small for the toddler. As I find they don't fit...I throw them west. They all land in one corner. Might not always be WEST from the same room...but I do know that if I look in the westerly corner I will find too little clothes.
Dirty dishes get tossed NORTH.

Quit sweating how clean the house is...think back to your own childhood....do ANY of your precious memories have ANY thing to do with how clean mom's house was?

Alison - posted on 05/08/2011

ummm i have 4 kids.....7 to 11 months.....what is spring cleaning? just take a breath......my easter stuff is still out.....dont wear yourself out...i make a list of everyting i need to do and am happy if i hit one thing a day!

Amy - posted on 05/07/2011

omg I'm not alone! but we rent our house and can't really change a whole lot of things.with my messy boys and even messier hub,spring cleaning comes every month in our house! My hub gets too comfortable and it looks like a tornado hit the place. And they track their muddy feet into my carpet after I have just mopped and vaccumed. My mother in law is always bringing him clothes that aren't his style so he will never wear them,but he won't let me give them away because his mommy gave them to him. I'll have to do it on the down lo

Gayle - posted on 05/07/2011

Enjoy you kids and get the cleaning done a little at a time. Maybe enlist a friend to help and you help her with something - If you have a "clean freak" friend, invite her, and offer to watch her kids or something else you may enjoy more than cleaning. It goes so much faster if 2 get together. GrandmaGayle

Elise - posted on 05/05/2011

Does it need to be done right now? Or can it wait. I use to run myself into the ground trying to get everything done. Does it really matter if the windows are dirty or the floor doesn't get swept or some dishes sit on the sink over night? Start your spring cleaning and if you have to stop 2,3,4.... times or stop till the next day it doen't matter.

Jennifer - posted on 05/05/2011

I've been using the magic erasers and they do great, but with the moving furniture, cleaning closets, and scrubbing walls, all I can seem to get done from my regular stuff is the dishes and laundry. My kitchen looks terrible! I have been sweeping the floors daily, but they are in desperate need of a good scrubbing, and if I do that, I won't have time to scrub walls. I guess my biggest problem is my 7 month old right now. She is very clingy, which is fine with me, but I can't seem to get much done.

Hollie - posted on 05/05/2011

**On the walls try chemical composition 409 for fingerprints and grease/oil stains on walls it helps!
Also for dirt try magic eraser it helps with crayons pens i hear it works! GL to you

Hollie - posted on 05/05/2011

I get totes, rubber maids and toss out or giveway clothes at a donation center!!

The totes are supposed to help me keep away extra belongings and put it in the shed or garage and I label them. Im very organized when it comes to my household. I run a Tight ship!