In Apple-Pie Order: Deep Cleaning the Home {Before Baby}

 

The baby timeline is on for this family … we have just a few weeks until baby #9 is due!

[the cutest diaper ‘cake’ made for our baby from the church ladies – so special!
We are so blessed!]

 

Sometimes, Abby and I feel like this is not a large family … we feel “normal” – but other times, when all the children are lined up or when we go places and people stop and ask if they are all ours, we look at each other and laugh a little in good fun and think, “Wow… how did we get here?”

{the children and I at our church group baby shower–
in order –Lyla, Leia, Lucia, Lazarus, Lovelyn, Lavender, Lacey & Loyal}

 

It has been quite the journey – this parenting course – but we are so honored and pleased that God has given us so many blessings.
Now, we are about to welcome another little one into our arms. Truly, this pregnancy has gone by so quickly! I supposed it would, seeing as I have a full house to care for, homeschooling and home order. However, it was winter and therefore I expected it to be a bit slower – but still, the days whisked by as quickly as the whirling snowflakes outside our kitchen windows.

Also, coming with the baby will be the beginning of our Spring – bliss! – which means we will be outside more and eventually … back into the gardens – both the flowers and vegetables. I realize my next season will be busy with a babe in arms and a garden and family to care for and finishing up the school year, Lord willing.

 

Knowing this, this is the time to do a deep clean of our home. I don’t want to be worried about crumbs in the back of my cupboards when I could be snuggling my little newborn. And I do want to be outside enjoying those first rays of sunshine when they crack through the April showers and blissfully drinking tea and snuggling with a sweet baby in the shade of our porch swing.

 

I knew this was the time to do some deep cleaning and get our home in apple pie order! Spring cleaning and nesting all rolled into one task!

Yes, we clean all the time – it seems we are constantly cleaning, clearing out, decluttering and yet, things still become very dirty, dusty and disorganized. We maintain cleanliness, but I find the house still needs special attention when that spring light peeks through the curtains. A layer of dust is always discovered hidden away from our woodstoves and often, the walls need a good old fashioned scrub down.

It is tricky with an ever-growing baby bump in the way of bending — but the spring cleaning must be done. Thankfully, I have an army of (willing? yes?) helpers who can be paid with a movie night or a special ice cream night to help me out. However, I have found if I wake up with the energy to clean, I get going – as the next day I may be too tired and too busy with homeschooling to give proper attention to deep cleaning. This has meant waking up at 4:30 a.m. and scrubbing walls, but do not worry — I  never stay up late anymore. 🙂 I always snuggle down in my comfortable bed when the children go to bed, read my current book and drink some tea to relax. It is bliss after a busy day of scrubbing, teaching, cooking and cleaning.

[the lovely violet teacup gifted to me by a blog reader – thank you ever so much! It is just fabulous!]

We have been wiping baseboards, painting trim, cleaning out closets, ripping out closets (yes, I was tired of our bedroom closet and Mr. Husband graciously decided to just rip it out and replace it with an antique wardrobe – much smaller and easier to keep clean for me!), painting parlour walls after four years of smokey air from woodstoves, cleaning out drawers, re-arranging … basically everything is getting cleaned.

This week, I tackled the kitchen. We don’t have a large kitchen, but it is not too small either. It does take time to go through everything. I separated the kitchen areas into certain days to clean. The cookstove, the cupboards, under the sink, every cupboard needed cleaning out and organizing  … one question I asked myself is: would I be embarrassed if someone looked in this cupboard/closet, etc. while I was upstairs, holding baby and busy? If so, it needs cleaning!

{Isn’t this needlework precious? Thank you, again, for sending it my way. It is a perfect addition to our violet themed dining room!}

I truly believe the best way to clean is just start —  begin with whatever time you have, whether it’s 20 minutes a day or an hour an afternoon. Then, take everything out of the area you are cleaning – if it’s a cupboard, take everything out, pile it up on the counter and begin with a good wiping with spray cleaner. This does not mean you need to take apart every single cupboard all at once – do what you can manage in the time slot you have. Do not overwhelm yourself,  but do little bits every day to keep your home clean or to work on that spring cleaning task.

I took everything out of the cupboards and wiped and wiped … and wiped. I re-arranged, changed the order of some sections; now, everything seems so much cleaner (but, we’re still looking for the spatula and potato masher … where did I put it?). I have one more cupboard to go through – inside the hoosier – but it will get done today. The pantry, a well used section of our kitchen, always needs attention and a little cleaning and tidying up.

One thing that has helped is I made up a cleaning kit for the girls. They love the new cleaning baskets and it has refreshed our cleaning attempts. I use just a simple spray bottle from the dollar store and added a few drops of Mrs. Meyers cleaning solution, diluted with water. It smells divine.  As we only use washable rags and ditched the paper towels years ago, we are using these cloths for cleaning and they are doing a fabulous job.

I also have these cloths for the windows. I’m working on cleaning all the windows during the warm day. There are quite a few windows in this old home, and after a long winter, they certainly need shining up. Vinegar is a great cleaner for windows – but these rags are also a fabulous tool! [Splurge if you have to and buy yourself some for your spring cleaning!]

 

In the bathrooms, I have wilted a little with the natural cleaner and am using PineSol on the floors for a good, fresh cleaning. I do not use it for everything, but the floors receive quite a lot of wear with 10 pairs of feet, a dog and two cats walking indoors. Sometimes I feel a fresh floor requires a bit more attention.

My other favorite cleaner is my new steam mop – it works wonders and only cleans with steam! I use this daily on all my floors. It is well worth the money.

 

With all this cleaning, I’m quite ready to fall into bed and sleep at the end of the day. With a satisfied feeling of having a clean house, dreams come swiftly.