spring cleaning

Gail H

My husband has been fighting some sort of bug on and off for a week, so this morning the sheets are out on the line and the pillows are outside airing. When the laundry is out drying in the cold weather, it comes in smelling of ozone. I figure that will kill anything.

This has led me to thinking about spring cleaning. Does anyone take the time to do this anymore? I can see how it would have unbelievable benefits, but I don't know how to fit it in with getting the garden in and everything.

From what I've read, spring cleaning involved taking virtually everything out of the house, even down to the carpet. Once the rooms were empty, everything was scrubbed and the cellar would be whitewashed. I just read, by the way, that old fashioned whitewash kills mold. Our forebears were smart cookies! Mattresses were emptied and refilled. It sounds exhausting yet exhilarating. The house must just exude healthfulness when this is all accomplished.

I used to do a pretty thorough cleaning every spring, but now the kids are pretty much gone and I do more of the gardening than I did in the past. I'm definitely not up for dragging everything we own out onto the lawn. I will try to give it a go on some level, though.

Merin Porter

I do love this idea, but my life is busy enough all the time right now -- between work, the kids, and everything else -- that I just have to take "spring cleaning" in chunks. I ascribe to the Fly Lady's idea of doing a little bit on the house every day, and then trying to do a more thorough cleaning on a regular basis (although she tells folks to only allow an hour for this per week). I used to try to save up the cleaning and do a whole day at a time, but I found that it was taking up a whole lot of the time I would otherwise have been able to spend with my kids on weekends, etc. And then I was unhappy with the state of the house between heavy cleanings. So, the "15 minutes per day" idea works better for me so I can take on the deeper cleaning a little bit at a time....

ines871

I too do what @Merin Porter does: ""spring cleaning" in chunks. a little bit on the house every day.

LaurieLovesLearning

@Merin Porter I used to be a Flybaby too. I now have so much because of so many kids & homeschooling too. I have so many books...

It was good when I was into it. I wish that I had never been made to stop (a schedule conflict occurred at a key time.)

@Gail H Long ago, people had extremely minimal things and space...or if they had a large home, they had slaves/hired help. Lagr families had many children to help. Husbands were home, not in far away jobs. They didn't have their time taken up by electronics or vehicles or shopping. It would have been much, much easier to deal with spring cleaning.

Linda Bittle

I do a major clean when I put away the winter clothes and get out the summer stuff. But not like they did back in the day.

Shoot, if you pull everything out to the yard, the neighbors would think you're having a yard sale!

dottile46

In November my oldest daughter and her boyfriend came and helped me spring clean three rooms. We didn't take things out to the yard but did move everything to one side of the room at a time. Sad to say, that was the spring cleaning due in 2018.😂

blevinandwomba

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyCptzBJqMc&list=PLGQQOYRJXeReqT8sJsj8fnoDyPg188LDu&index=9&t=0s

This shows some real old time spring cleaning- as in 17th century style.

Actually, the whole series if pretty worth watching; it's a group of historians restoring a farm, but using 17'th century methods, tools, animal breeds etc.

dottile46

Wonderful @blevinandwomba I love it. I so could have lived this lifestyle.

SherryA

@blevinandwomba I started watching this series. It's very interesting.

Obiora E

@Gail H I do a Spring cleaning of sorts in the early Spring...a lot of for me it air out the house so let in fresh air and clean things that weren't gotten during the Winter. The same should be true of our bodies, hence, a Spring detox!

blevinandwomba

@figsagee The same group did a couple similar projects. I watched what I think was called Victorian Farm- same concept, but this time the target period was the 1880's. I think they also did a 1940's farm, but I haven't seen it yet.

@dottile46 I'm with you there.

Merin Porter

https://community.thegrownetwork.com/discussion/comment/852034#Comment_852034

Oh wow, @blevinandwomba -- this looks interesting! Thanks for sharing!

Heidi

I do baby step cleaning over about a month. My husband has CHF and is unable to help and I have cancer, so fatigue plays a part in how much I can do daily. But I love the house when I am done, and everything is fresh and clean. Would love to do a complete deep clean like they did "back in the day!"