Our Ontario April has been cold, full of snow and ice, but … it is still SPRING … and warmer temperatures are coming soon!
The cooler weather has not stopped us from doing some good ol’ fashioned SPRING CLEANING (my favorite!) and planting some seeds for the family garden (also a favorite!). In fact, the drop in temperatures has meant we are able to spend more time indoors and manage to clean a few pesky areas that needed some cleaning attention.
My personal goal is to do one extra chore every day. While I still have my regular chore and tasks at home, if I try to clean at least one extra area every day, I just feel better about the day. Perhaps it is like a constant Spring Cleaning cycling through the house …
For example, yesterday, while the girls were playing outside after school, I cleaned out the master bathroom drawers, the utensil drawer in the kitchen. The previous day, I cleaned out three pantry shelves, repainted and stocked them back nice and clean.
Spring Cleaning … do you attempt it? I feel as if the art of homemaking and cleaning is lost in this new generation. There is joy in cleaning your home, however, and there should be a feeling of peace as you look back over your home, tidy and neat. Oh, how I love a good cleaning! I’m not very great at organizing yet (I am working on it) but I do love to clean – something I probably inherited from my very clean, very organized, very orderly mother. ☺ She is much, MUCH more organized than I will ever hope and dream to be, but at least I can enjoy my cleaning sprees!
Last week, I posted a list on the fridge for all the girls and I to see. Each day, we pick one item to cross off on the Spring Cleaning list. So far, we have cleaned all the upstairs windows and sills, cleaned out the boy closet, tidied the girls’ closet (but it is a constant problem with six girls getting their clothes, etc.) and I even cleaned the master closet (the place where all the extra “no home” items end up).
We still have much to do – this week, I hope we can get to the downstairs windows and tidy up the rock border that lines the flower beds around the home (once the snow melts!).
Whenever there is a sunny day, I pull down some curtains and begin washing the curtains, as well. I just LOVE hanging the laundry on the line outside! It is so fresh and clean smelling! There is NOTHING like it. I have not used a dryer in four years, but even line drying inside is no comparison to hanging your laundry outdoors in the fresh air.
When the sun shines, I have noticed a dingy film over our kitchen walls from the cookstove. I do think that will be my Saturday chore this weekend – scrubbing down the walls in the kitchen. Our old home needs some baseboards washing, as they very dusty, especially from the woodstoves …{update: I was able to scrub down all my kitchen walls today before breakfast as I got up extra early to get this task done! A blessing indeed!}
The family vehicle needs a good spring cleaning, as well!
{homemade dishwashing soap – it is much gentler on my hands.
We wash all our dishes by hand.}
Just for fun, I thought it would be a good time to list my favorite cleaning materials:
Fly Lady purple rags – these are truly the best cleaning rags and I just LOVE them! They do everything … clean windows, wipe all surfaces, wash dishes, clean walls … the list is endless. I have even given these rags to friends as friend because I love them that much! I have tried to find cheaper rags elsewhere but never has anything come close to these lovely purple rags.
Norwex window rags – I have not had to buy paper towel in years. We have used these window rags for three years now and they are just fabulous. I usually wipe down with the Fly Lady purple rag and then dry with these Norwex window rags.
Norwex Mop – My mother had this mop but did not use it. She gifted it to me, which was a HUGE blessing. I just love this handy mop. It works so well and it’s easy to use.
All Purpose Miracle Cleaner – my favorite household cleaner right now. You can use whatever essential oil pleases you, so you can adjust it to the season and your mood. Right now, I am using Rosemary to boost the cleaning powers. It is just lovely. Sometimes I add tea tree oil or lemon. Both oils are amazing and have powerful cleaning abilities.
Here is the recipe:
Add 1/2 cup of Borax to 2 gallons of warm water. Add a tablespoon of dish soap and 1/4 cup of vinegar. Mix well. Add essential oils of choice.
Borax: that lovely box of cleaning powder, is really a miracle cleaner – I always make sure I have a few boxes in the store room for the household cleaning. I have read that it is possible Borax was possibly used even in Bible times! As it is a naturally occurring mineral, from what I gather, it is completely safe and healthy to use in your home and for your cleaning products. It can be used in toilets, on carpets, to make homemade laundry soap and scrub showers.
Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent
1 Fels-Naptha or Linda soap bar
1 Cup – Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax
-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)
I will make up a big batch and store it in some glass jars I have found at local thrift stores.
At the end of a cleaning spree, I love to sit back and admire the wonderful job. Nothing has to be perfect but it should be clean. I also think this teaches my daughter the value in keeping a clean home! One thing I have noticed with my sweet, precious grandmother is that no matter where she lives – whether it was a trailer, mobile home, apartment or house – she had it sparkling clean and welcoming. I never saw a speck a dust in her home! I truly believe a clean home is a welcoming home. It should not matter whether you live in a fancy house or a modest home, it is your job to keep it clean! With this large family of mine, we need to stay on top of the cleaning. Our regular chores are done daily – our extra house blessings are done as needed. And our home is FAR from perfect. I will get one room clean and then before I know it, another room needs a deep cleaning. That is life, I suppose, but we will continue to clean and see the fresh blessings!
When you have finished your extra task for the day, sit down, pour yourself a cuppa tea and light a fresh scented candle. Enjoy the the fruits of your labour!
To be… discreet, chaste,
keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands,
that the word of God be not blasphemed.
Titus 2:5
by Gigi
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