FALL CLEANING CHECKLIST

Spring isn't the only time to deep clean your house! After a fabulous summer of open windows and living outdoors, we all begin to close our homes for the colder, shorter days of winter. To get ready for a long winters night, it's a good idea to clean out what summer winds brought in. Like me, after active summer months, there are probably a few spots in your house that get ignored. My fall cleaning list will keep my home and yours healthier and cleaner through the cold season.  I don't use store bought cleaning products...except for one...and make mixtures with 50% water, 40% vinegar, and 10% cheap vodka.  I add different essential oils for disinfecting (clove, lavender, lemongrass & tea tree), antibacterial (cinnamon, thyme, tea tree and oregano) properties, natural fragrance and much more. Making cleaners is on the blog too.

1. After a warm summer with windows and doors open, your ceiling fan blades are going to be dusty. Dust sticks, especially in humid conditions  Get it off now so when you turn the fan on to clear out a smoky fireplace, dust won't come flying off.  The same goes for the crystal, shades, and arms of your chandeliers.  Get that dust off before your holiday entertaining.

2. I always thought that my washer and dryer were clean. According to consumer groups, they're not.  They both need periodic cleaning to remove the gunk around gaskets, grime and sticky things that adhere to the inside of your washer tub, and dust that gathers in the lint trap and the dryer vent. I run vinegar through the washer on a hot water cycle. I use a 50-50 mix of water and vinegar with 10 drops each of Thyme and Lavender essential oils, and wipe every other area of the washer. For the dryer, wet some towels and add a few drops of tea tree or other disinfecting essential oils. Run them through the dryer to clean the tub. Vacuum your lint screen, the dryer vent, and any area you can.

3. How many times have you thought of cleaning the coils of your refrigerator?  Now is a great time. Vacuum the main dust, then tackle the sticky stuff with a paint brush. You can also wipe the coils with the same water/vinegar/essential oil cleaner I used above.

4. You might have cooked outdoors a lot in summer, but fall is a good time to clean out your kitchen ventilation hood so odd smells won't permeate your house when you turn it on.

5.It's smart to run a vinegar and water mixture through your coffee maker every few months. It cleans out the old coffee and give you a sparkling clean reservoir for the water.

6.Windows left open all summer likely brought dust inside. Vacuum the tops of your window coverings, shutters and blinds.  When you turn the heat on, they won't smell dusty. Light bulbs collect dust too. When it gets dark outside you'll turn them on more. When they heat up, you'll smell the dust burning. A quick wipe will take care of that.  I dust my bookshelves, but sometimes I skip the books, so remember to dust the tops.

7. I don't use plastic bags in my bath garbage or recycling cans since it's a waste to throw away plastic bags every week. To keep them clean, I use Seventh Generation wipes; they're not toxic and they do a great job of disinfecting. In the kitchen, fall is a good time to remember to wipe the interior of your bins clean. 

8. This is the perfect time to vacuum your heating vents. Don't forget the intake grate. If you have baseboard heating, vacuum the coils and interior to prevent a burning dust smell when you first turn the heat on. Have a radiator? Try to get all of the nooks and crannies clean with a microfiber duster.

9.  I recommend cleaning pillows as each season changes since oils from your head seep into the pillows even if you have cotton pillow covers.  I wash my down pillows at home, although I am now changing to down alternative every time a pillow gets old. I can't stand the thought of having birds feathers plucked so I can sleep on something soft.  Laundromats have machines to fit the down alternative pillows which don't fit into some washers.

10. If you forgot to clean your down comforter or blankets before you tucked them away, do it in the fall before using them all winter. Fortunately I have a big front loading machine that fits everything. I can't get them to fit, i'll go to the laundromat or drop them off at my drycleaner who can launder them.

De-clutter and Organize

It's a new year and a great time to purge, organize and make the whole year easier. Like everyone else, I have lots of 'stuff'. Some collected, some gifted, some purchased.  I think I have more than I need and certainly more than I want to take care of. My solution?  Make a New Year's Resolution that I WILL keep; organize and purge. Sure, I can create more storage. I can build my own cabinets, buy shelves and add a closet system in my guest room.  Is the cost to do that worth the items?  I think not. 

So..... what to do and how can it help you out?  Here are my ideas!

1. Clothes  Do you hold onto things in case it comes back in style one day? Don't. When it comes back you'll likely need new accessories, pieces to complete the look, and maybe even tailoring. Try starting with items you haven’t worn in the past year; I donate most everything but there are many places to sell designer items. While you're getting things in and out of the closet, reach for those things first and put them aside until you have a small collection....then away it goes.

2. Papers If you haven't read a newsletter or magazine before the next issue is out, you likely won't so give it away or recycle it.  Today, publications keep archived issues on line so you can refer back to and digitally save an article.  While you do need tax-related materials you likely don't need the monthly credit card statements. How about going paperless and get statements and receipts emailed to you?  

3. Electronics I have power cords and adapters for things I don't own anymore. You might too. Recycle them as E waste and clear out that drawer.  Do the same with old monitors, cell phones and other electronic gadgets. 

4. Unpaired items  My husband has socks that have lost their pairing partner.  They, along with plastic storage lids without their matching storage containers (and vice versa) and bed linens that don’t belong to a set are all candidates for removal!

5. Pantry Items. Believe it or not, cereal, cake mixes and pasta DO expire. I had vitamins and supplements with expired dates.  Same with cake mixes and canned goods.  One thing we rarely look at are herbs and spices which, like mine,  probably had time to go bad since you never really used them anyway.











6. Makeup Makeup does expire and mascara collects bacteria over time. Same with lipstick and eye pencils. Ditch colors you don't use. Its a good way to update too; I love to add one new color for every three I toss and it really does de-clutter my bathroom drawer. 

7. Kid stuff   As precious as your children's arts and crafts projects are, consider saving only the very special ones. When the art is whimsical and fun it can be framed and hung in a playroom or hallway; multiple boxes stored in closets aren't useful and visible.  A fabulous way to display drawings is to decoupage onto a dresser, stair riser,s or the back of a bookshelf. 










8. Books  If you’ve made the switch to a Kindle, Nook, tablet or Ipad, you may have books you won't read. Even if you don't have a device, consider eliminating books you've already read. Sort through your favorite ones, then donate the rest to your local library, charity or shelter,   The chance that you'll read those books again are slim to none, so give someone else the pleasure of a good read.

9. Holiday Decor  If you collect items for holidays, it's a good idea to sort through periodically to remove broken or damaged things, be sure you still love them, and pare down to what you really need.  Storing seasonal items is always a challenge.  I found that I don't do themed Christmas decor, so keep a clear glass and two colors to mix or to rotate.  It was such a pleasure to give away what I didn't really need as gift tags, to Goodwill, to the local Senior Center, or to young couples who are just starting out. 

10. Bedding and towels  Having switched to white towels so I don't have to worry about which bathroom they are for, I sometimes have to ditch a towel that simply doesn't come clean, is threadbare, or that no longer has hand towels or washcloths. There are many places to recycle them.  Even bed linens get worn over time. If you change your color scheme you really don't need the old ones hanging around. As I can afford, I switch to high thread count and all cotton - organic is soft and durable - that my older bedding gets donated

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Spring = Clean Top Tips for Ten Minutes of Clean

I'm always in a hurry to get my home clean; I love neat but hate to clean. When unexpected clients or guests are on their way, doing one room at a time in just a few minutes works well so that I can always keep a neat appearance despite twins, dogs and cats. I developed a system that works for me in about 10 minutes.  It doesn't take the place of a thorough dusting with vacuuming, but does take care of the daily stuff.  I hope you can complete your room in ten minutes but it depends on the scale of the room and what obstacles you face. 

To make this work, you need to have cleaning supplies at hand. I make 'green' cleaning products with water, vinegar, borax, olive oil-based liquid soaps, and essential oils for fragrance. They are stored in clear spray bottles under my kitchen and bathroom sinks so I don't have to go far, and re-fills are easy. Bring out your dust cloths, vacuum, and other cleaning equipment, so everything is within reach before you start. Start with the main rooms. If you’re having guests and you’re trying to clean before they arrive, concentrate on the rooms they are most likely to see such as the living room, the kitchen and the bathroom. Leave bedrooms and other rooms until the end and clean them only if time allows.



1. Start in one corner of the room, and move in a circle around the room. Pick up any items on the floor, from tables, counters, and chairs as you walk along, and anything out of place. For large or joined rooms - like a kitchen/family room combination -  divide the room into squares and complete everything in one square before you move on.

2. Put things away as you move around the room or - if they belong elsewhere - place things into a laundry basket or fabric tote. Fortunately, toys don't have far to go since I have some storage in every room. I load them and then can easily carry clothes and shoes to the bedrooms, or mail and newspapers to the office area. 









3. As I walk and pick up, I carry my solutions to spray. My dusting solution is Murphy's oil and my counter cleaners require no scrubbing. Wood sprays don't get used unless there are messy fingerprints - I have a small "Magic Duster" that I swipe accessories, lamps, tables and wooden chairs with. Start with the right cleaner for the surface, spritz on and move on to clean somewhere else while you wait a few minutes for it to work.  This is great for greasy counters, scuff marks on floors, and letting cleaners work on grout. For living rooms you may just need to dust, but this helps if you have to wipe a window, glass display items, and non-wood surfaces.



4. Go back and wipe up all of your sprays. I use old washcloths or dishtowels instead of paper towels and I use several in one room so the counter one doesn't get used to wipe appliances, or dust tables, or clean mirrors and windows. 

5. Dust, starting with anything that is dark wood, as dust shows more clearly on dark surfaces. Here is where that Magic Duster comes in handy.  The fibers attract dust, and I can do one whole room without cleaning the duster. Don’t use a dry rag since you don't want dust from flying around the room as you clean. Some Swiffer products work well, but their disposable nature is costly and an environmental disaster since they are not recyclable. Again, old towels, diapers, dishrags and underwear work well and can be washed with regular laundry as needed.

6. Now I clean my wood or other non-carpeted flooring. If there was a stain in the grout or a scuff mark on the floor, my solutions have had time to work should make this step a wipe-up one.  I DO have an old mop but I started using a Shark cleaner that takes seconds to lift up everything!

7.Next is to vacuum. Nothing will give a better impression of a clean room than freshly-vacuumed rugs. I have area rugs in every space so I do the wood floor and the rug at the same time.  You can use a fragranced vacuum powder to improve the overall air smell of the room as you clean. Don’t bother vacuuming curtains but DO remove pet hair from the upholstery.

8. Spray a bit of room spray in the air - something seasonal is great - and voila, you are finished!