Spring Cleaning: Dr. Superclean: OR . . .

Post author:independentnws
Post published:March 27, 2019
Post category:Alton, IL / BlackJack / Spanish Lake / Business News / Columnists / Ferguson / Florissant / Hazelwood
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How I Learned to

Stop Procrastinating

and Love to Clean

By Sandra Olmsted

Aiming for my Grandpa Bruce’s mantra of “A place for everything, and everything in its place,” I envision myself cleaning and organizing while watching Netflix episodes of ‘Tidying Up With Marie Kondo.’ and reading ‘The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.’

Unfortunately, my tolerance for cleaning is about an hour before I throw things and rail angrily. So, I googled for tips, tricks, and, most important of all, short cuts. I found the websites overwhelming, some downright silly or frightening, and some useful.

I‘m grateful that House Beautiful recommends organizing closets first, and “haha” to those who laughed at me for start there. Oprah’s website suggesting that the entire house can be cleaned in a single day scared me to death. Ending by ordering a pizza sounds like a great reward even though, after a whole day of intense clean, I’d probably be an ax murderer. That being said, Oprah’s and Molly Maids’ checklists did offer insights, such as focusing on one room or job and breaking the insurmountable cleaning into small chunks that fit into The Spruce’s weekly routines.

As part of spring cleaning, the licensed electricians at KayBee Electric recommend testing all electrical switches and plugs and making sure all outdoor plugs and any inside plugs near water have a ground fault circuit interrupter feature (GFCI or GFI) aka ones with the “Test” and “Reset” buttons.

Also, local insurance agents, such as Moellering & Niehoff, recommend reviewing your home insurance policy as part of spring cleaning. ITS Computers confirms the several sites’ including spring cleaning tips for computer and electronics. Martha Stewart’s checklist adds more specialty jobs, such as resealing your grout, and Martha herself might like the many specialty cleaning services offered by Kwik Dry Carpet Cleaning.

Although I’m generally a proponent of any all-natural cleaning solutions, the HGTV website that recommends using vinegar to remove lyme build-up made me want to scream, “Buy some CLR!” Although the Nation Wide blog recommends wasting a perfectly good onion to clean the BBQ grill, I follow my dad’s advice to use a wire brush. The HGTV site also recommended using soda water and salt to clean the refrigerator which made me think about alcohol, salt, and limes.

HGTV also suggests cleaning the window screens with a scrap of carpet so that dust doesn’t blow into your clean house and hanging bedding outside in the sunshine to air or, as I do, dry after washing, which saves energy. I was tempted to put off cleaning by ordering online the specialty supplies for protecting my investment in granite counters, etc. However, visiting a local hardware store, such as Handyman Hardware, provides immediate access to supplies, personalized service, and relationships with knowledgeable professionals.

I really like deep cleaning tips since that’s usually when I get up my nerve. My cousin marshals her seven kids to clean as The Spruce recommends. As tempting as giving birth to a cleaning crew sounds, it won’t help me this spring. While I am never going to deep clean the dishwasher or washing machine, cleaning the refrigerator coils is a good idea before the temperatures rise. I agree with other House Beautiful suggestions for cleaning the oven, refrigerator, and windows. Archway Clean Sweep, Inc. recommends fire-preventing chimney and dryer vent cleaning before cleaning your home.

Although I discovered one KonMari trick on my own – folding tee shirts to fit vertically in drawers – I have to face one sad fact: I am never going to fold my socks as neatly as Marie Kondo. Since I have more socks than I will wear out before my 100th birthday, I’m considering a friend’s idea of sacrificing my hole-y, threadbare “bed socks” I have had since high school. Furthermore, Maria Kondo and Fu Shui both recommend getting rid of the worn out items rather than downgrading because wearing nice clothes brings positive energy to you. Kondo and Fu Shui might endorse the Readers’ Digest suggestions to clean your welcome mat and light fixtures, which harkens back to the belief that dirty light fixtures bring bad luck.

Every year, I skip the New Year’s resolution and wait for Lent. This year, I’m going to work on my house every day so it becomes a habit, as it used to be, despite having more stuff, no time, and less mental energy to make those sorting, disposing, and organizing decisions. All my research confirms exactly what my mom has been advocating for years: “Get up and clean! Take pride in your home!” Personally, I’ll schedule my magic cleaning hour every day over 40 days. Or better yet, I’ll call a cleaning service, get dinner from Mattingly’s or a pizza from Cannoli’s, kick back with that lime, salt, and vodka, and imagining myself giving the stuff I don’t “love” a “Kondo thank you” and let it go!