Spring Cleaning List

Here's how I organize my spring cleaning by month. Keep in mind, that because we also own a camper, my spring cleaning extends into the start of summer!

FEBRUARY : see this post.

MARCH

• Redo one room (as needed). This year: Claire's bedroom (this includes hiring the contractor to put up the wallpaper/border, shop for new bed quilt/sham, pillow accents, desk chairpad, curtains. Shampoo the carpet with the Kirby.
• Get wool blanket dry cleaned and stored in basement closet ( the girls don't have them)
• Wash all 3 fleece blankets/quilts and put back on beds after turning and flipping mattresses (tip: turning and flipping your bed mattress helps to preserve it longer!). Also: we invested in the fleece blankets from LLBean as they are excellent all year round on the beds and are machine washable. Yes they are more expensive but we are on our 4th year with them and they still look and feel like brand new. They feel cozy in winter and in the summer when the central air is needed. On warm nites that the AC isn't on, we simply fold down to foot of bed and just use the sheet. We begin opening windows for sleeping in April.....we LOVE the fresh air! I highly recommend the 3-season fleece blankets found at LLBean.
• Thoroughly dust under the beds, throughout bedrooms (floor to ceiling, with the Kirby). Rearrange furniture if needed/wanted.
  
• Wash all baseboards: family room, living room, dining room, 3 bedrooms, half bath
• Set up appointment for the Steam Carpet Cleaners to do: family room, living room, stairs, upstairs hallway
• Take all wool coats/jackets to dry cleaners: check the LLBean fleece jackets, buy new ones as needed. Again: I highly recommend LLBean or NorthFace jackets. They last longer, are machine washable/dryer safe, don't shrink and can be passed from child to child if you take care of them! I also recommend for young children: Hanna Andersson brand. Costly but...again, high quality. We use fleece jackets all year round due to camping and hiking. We use them in winter on days when temps are 30 or above.
  
• Check raincoats/windbreakers/buy new as needed. Again: LLBean & Hanna Andersson wins out in our family. This year I am fortunate that no one is going to need a new one! Claire will wear one of Courtney's old ones. Courtney has one from last year. We need these for hiking. We buy the kind of windbreaker that you can roll up and stuff into its own pocket. We also have fleece lined ones for hiking in spring and camping if rainy. These don't get used much. We pass on to younger cousins/friends when the girls outgrow them. I wash them in the fall and place on hangers in the front hall closet (we don't use our front door to go in and out of so that closet is our "storage" closet for off-season.). I move coats from kitchen closet to hall closet as the seasons change. Usually by April we are in our fleece jackets/rain coats/windbreakers. The reason we need 3 different kinds of jackets is because of camping/hiking/the beach house on the ocean. Each activity requires different jackets. We will use the windbreakers for the kayaks as well.
• Make a list of outdoor things that need to be replaced, fixed, painted, etc. This includes things like: the bird feeder, the shed, deck, garden hose (we need a new one this year), trellis needs to be re-nailed to deck, deck furniture, deck umbrella, chairpads, rug for deck door.
• Remove thermal drapes from family room sliding glass doors and put up freshly washed valance after dusting the decorative rod. Wash, dry the thermal drapes and place into storage bag for basement closet.
• If spring has sprung, meaning we are done with snow: check bikes, make appts. for annual inspection at bike shop, clean as needed, place all 4 bikes in garage.
• Check bike rack for car. (we also do alot of biking as a family!)
  

APRIL

• Shampoo Courtney's bedroom carpet with the Kirby
• Shampoo Master bedroom carpet with the Kirby
• Wash all windows (we have the kind that tilt in so washing the outside is super easy, plus our screens stay up all year which is awesome...)
• Wash all window curtains/sheers/valances on day I wash the windows. When they are done in the washer, I hang them up wet. WHY?? because then they don't wrinkle!! and the fabric softener smells great as they dry! (this includes: 2 living room windows, 1 dining room, 1 kitchen, 2 master bedroom windows, 1 in each girl's room). In the living room I have a sheer curtain on each window and 1 valance on each. Master bedroom is 1 sheer curtain on each window. Claire's room currently has tie back drapes and Courtney has tie back sheers. I tie back Master bedroom sheers during day as well as living room sheers. I like the "country"look and open windows for the sun.
  
• Buy new sheers/ curtains as needed. This year: new one for kitchen and possibly dining room. Courtney's sheers are staying but I may replace her shade.
• Wash blinds in master bedroom closet.
• Wash family room walls. This is simple: I use the Magic Eraser for any marks/fingerprints and do upkeep throughout the year as my weekly cleaning so spring cleaning is easy. It does involve, though, using a spray cleaner and sponge for the tops of the walls due to my incessant lighting of candles. Each spring we get a little "soot" on the upper part of the walls.
  
• Wash dining room walls. (see above)
• Thoroughly dust with the kirby: floor to ceiling all rooms. I do a different room each day after work. I am done in one week. I try to do this before spring vacation.
• Begin cleaning out garage by sweeping, restocking garden supplies, buying new potting soil, flowerpots, etc.
• Wash out bird feeder and restock.
  
• Dave fertilizes grass, reseeds as needed. Applies crabgrass killer as needed. Last year we got rid of LOTS...yeah! Lawn finally looks good!
• Buy annuals as needed.
  
• Buy new mulch as needed/begin to work in flower beds. (done during spring break if not traveling...this year we are only doing day trips so will do this during our spring break)
  
• Fix wildflower beds (we have 2). (see above)
• Sweep deck. Wash deck with power brush.
  
• Wipe down deck furniture (table). Again: I invested in the LLBean "100% made with recyclable plastic bottles" table. This means we can leave the table out all year. A smart investment for us as we don't have storage for it and we literally eat outside every evening come spring, weather permitting. I even eat breakfast out there come May. I am serious. We LOVE the outdoors. This year I am planning on buying 2 of the LLBean chairs. We also need a couple of new deck chairs. I am no longer buying resin ones. They are cheap, too hard to keep clean and just don't last that long. I feel that it is a waste of money buying the resin ones. So...I am on the hunt in April for new ones. (we need 3-4). We have built in deck seats so this helps cut down on needing deck chairs. We also need 2 new beach chairs this year. As you can see: we are outside/camping/at the beach alot so this is a high priority purchase for us. It is an expensive hobby but we aren't winter sports people so for us, it is a wise investment! We also like to host deck parties/BBQ's so this is why we want to invest in good quality seating.
• Clean out kitchen utility closet. Make sure all winter clothing (coats, scarves, boots, mittens, etc.) has either been dry-cleaned, stored, given away if no longer fits, etc. Make sure all raincoats/windbreakers are in this closet. I store mittens, hats, scarves in a Rubbermaid bin and keep in basement storage closet. Boots are stored in garage on shoe shelf. Hiking boots, flip flops, etc. get moved to front of shelf.
• Begin to thoroughly clean out kitchen cupboards. Again, I tend to make this a part of my year round weekly cleaning so this is not a huge task.
• Put away all winter/Easter decorations. Take out spring/early summer things like fake plants, our sea glass collection, sea shell centerpieces, etc. DECORATE for spring/summer.
• Thoroughly dust and wipe down basement playroom, office area, laundry area. This includes 2 toyshelves, the tv, vcr/dvd player, bookshelves, storage cabinet. Try to get Dave to clean up his tool corner!
• Clean out grill. Stock up on foil containers for dripping tray. Buy propane as needed.
  

MAY:

• finish up anything from April that didn't get done!
• Open up the camper: this is a weekend project: it is my least favorite activity but an important one. Check for bugs. (Praise the Lord, we haven't had a major ant or bee problem in the last 3 years..).
  
• Begin to clean camper: this is a big job and I make everyone help. It is not a choice. This involves taking mold and mildew cleaner (I like the Lysol brand) and sponges and a hot water bucket outdoors and wiping down the entire outside. Cupboards and cabinets and table inside get wiped down. Floor is swept and mopped. Rugs are washed and put away. Dishes are washed and stored.
• Check camping bins in basement and move items to camper if a trip is planned. Once trip is completed, everything gets washed in dishwasher or by hand and repacked into camper for the summer. Bins stay in basement. I have 4 sets of dishes I have to keep track of: our company dishes (in dining room armoire), our everyday Corelle wear, our deck dishes/summer dishes, our camping dishes. Camping ones get stored in the basement bins labeled "camping" or in the camper itself. Same with pots and pans. All camping pots stay in camper storage bin. I wash them every May. Same with the utensils.
  
• Stock up on camping items/check from spreadsheet: things like matches, flashlights, batteries, lanterns, knives, mixing bowls, dish towels, bath linens, plastic wrap, foil, condiments, etc. etc. Place everything in camper that can take the heat. Otherwise keep in camping bins until trip.
• Air out all 4 sleeping bags. (yup, you guessed it...LLBean....no need to say why!)
• Wash and dry the 4 camping pillows. Keep stored in basement closet until needed.
• Fill the 2 propane tanks and re-attach.
• Check camper tires/electrical/get it inspected (dave's job!)
  
• Plant flowers/work on flower beds.
• Paint deck if needed.
• Paint shed if needed/touch-ups.
• Wash all windows again (not the curtains). I always do my windows again. And then just as needed throughout the summer.
• Purchase deck plants/begin planting flower seeds for deck pots and trellis.
• Check hiking backpacks. Restock as needed. This will be another post.
  

JUNE:

• Finish up what didn't get done in May.
• Dig out beach towel wicker bin and go through all beach towels. Donate any old ones or throw away any icky ones. Replace as needed. (we have at least 8 big beach towels...don't think we need anymore!).
• Try on swim suits, buy as needed. We like to have 2-3 per person. My oldest is done with swimming lessons. Claire will be taking level 4 this year so I buy a cheap Target one for lessons and trips to the towne pool. We save the good ones (LLBean, Hanna Andersson) for the lakes/camping/kayaking/ocean. I tend to buy 2 good ones and 1 cheap one each summer. Last year I bought Claire one from Rugged Bear and it should still fit so she will use that for our day trips to the beach and as an extra for at the beach house. Salt water tends to really wear out a swimsuit as does chlorine. Most of our swimming is done in fresh water lakes.
• Restock beach bags.
  
• Clean out firepit. Arrange yard chairs around it.

That is my main "list". I really don't write this down. I do have a spreadsheet for when we have to pack for camping trips. I can pack a hiking backpack in my sleep I think! And as for the visits to the beach house...well...that's a whole other post! (and no, for those of you just getting to know me...we don't own our own beach house...it is in the T-----family....my in-laws technically own it. It will go to my rich niece when she turns 21...my brother in law bought it...we get the blessing of using it every August.

So....around our house...this is basically what I will be doing in the next few months on my days after work!