Welcome to the second installment of the spring cleaning series! If you missed the introductory post with the history of spring cleaning and some handy-dandy tips, go here.
Before I get started with listing the supplies we'll be using, I wanted to address a more general question. Some may be asking "But why do I need to deep clean my house? Can't I just dust and vacuum and be done with it?" Well, traditional Home Economics says no, but I say both yes and no. Yes because you can do whatever you want. If your house feels perfectly fine to you, then don't mess with it until you feel like it. I'm not being sarcastic here - I really don't think that begrudgingly doing a task will accomplish much of anything, so you may as well just do it when you actually feel like it. But I also say no because a quick clean doesn't remove allergens, rid your house of bacteria and other pathogens, keep you safe from possible hazards like lint blocking the extraction of your dryer, nor give you a chance to de-clutter your home. Also, like I mentioned in the introductory post, you can do as little or as much of this as you want! My recommendation would be to tackle this when you are ready, and to pick the tasks that you think best fit your needs at that moment.
Remember: It will feel so good when you are done! source
Now we can get down to business! I'd like to address the products I'll be talking about throughout this series. You'll notice there are no commercial cleaners listed. I prefer to clean my home in the least toxic, greenest way possible which is why I've chosen the products listed below. Plus, cleaning actually becomes cheaper this way since you aren't buying a different cleaning product for each specific thing around the house. You can absolutely use whatever products you have on hand, and if you don't have much of anything on hand, then this post is for you! Also, most of these products listed below have multiple uses beyond spring cleaning, so if you wanted to start transitioning to a greener way of living, than investing in the items listed below is a great way to start that process.
You will definitely need a broom.
Cleaning Supplies You'll Need
Liquid Castile Soap
Distilled White Vinegar (and some Citrus Infused Vinegar!)
Hydrogen Peroxide
Empty Spray Bottles
Soft Rags
Newspaper
Wash Cloths/Sponges
Broom
Vacuum (which you should definitely clean before starting the spring clean!)
Mob
Bucket
Dustpan
Washing-up Gloves
Optional: essential oils such as Tea Tree, Lavender, Orange, Lemon and Pepermint.
And last but certainly not least, something good to listen to. This one is an absolute must for me, mostly because keeping your ears happy always helps the time fly by and makes the task at hand not seem so daunting. It can be a podcast or music or a book on tape, whatever you are in the mood for!
I usually end up putting on some upbeat music that I can clean/sing/pretend-to-dance to. I attribute this to the fact that I grew up in a house filled with music. My Dad had connecting speakers throughout the entire house, so no matter where you went (besides the kid's rooms) you could enjoy whatever music was on. When I was young, my mom would always put on her favorite Seals and Crofts, Neil Diamond, or Doobie Brothers album when we were cleaning the house. To this day, I can still smell windex instantly when a certain Seals and Crofts song comes on the radio!
A much younger me with happy ears.
To start you guys out, I've decided to create a playlist for you to listen to while spring cleaning. I'll do a couple more of these as the series goes along, but this first installment is in honor of my Mom and her love of "fabric store music" as I have lovingly come to call it, because it also reminds me of countless hours spent at the fabric store with her.
Click here to be taken to the playlist: Spring Cleaning - Fabric Store Edition
I hope you enjoy the playlist, and be sure check back next week for my next "how-to-spring-clean" blog: The Kitchen!
**Update: you can find the next post in the series here**
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