Spring Cleaning... Such fun!!!

WOW !
I missed almost 3 months... gonna have to push myself more to take pics and write about the things I do!

Life has been steady... not too busy... not too slow. There has been nothing overly exciting or new... just been life :)

This is the time of year I do one of my bi-annual (twice a year) cleanings. I aim for spring and fall but adjust as need be.
I love it... things get clean, orderly, and bright... everything seems new :)
My Hubby hates it, since it means he will do alot (yes I know, not a real word, LOL) of moving of furniture and heavy or high items.
Spring cleaning means everything gets scrubbed, polished and any changes I have been mulling over get tried.

There are a few things I do differently than most folks.
We usually use various mixes of dishsoap, baking soda, borax, and/or vinegar to clean... they are cheaper and easier for me to cope with.
Dust also bugs me... heavy dust can mean me feeling like crap for a couple days, sooo... to dust, I use the vacuum to get the loose stuff, a damp rag to wipe up the more stubborn stuff and then Pledge* if it is wood.
Since I cannot do any sprayed cleaners (they trigger an asthma type reaction) I do what I can with pouring the solution onto a rag or into a bowl. I have found that most cleaners work just as well this way.

Other than Pledge*, I do not use aerosol sprays either. The Pledge* I spray onto the rag, holding it over the nozzle as I spray, this keeps the airborn misty stuff to a minimum.
If I have ignored a wooden item too long, I take it out on the porch, spray a heavy coat of Pledge* onto it, rub it in and then use a cloth to buff it... gets a nice shine back on it :)
Pledge* is also good on cleaned plexiglas... makes minor buffs and scratches disappear! or at least lessen... LOL
I do not have the energy to waste on washing walls... so I use a damp rag to wipe spots then lightly wipe an area around it to blend. That way I do not end up with blotches that show up different from the rest of the wall.
I do wipe the floor moldings, door jams, windowsills, outlets, etc.
I want things as close to new as they can be with minimal wear and tear on my body... a constant balancing act.

Once a year I shampoo (or hose off) the couches and loveseat... this is during the summer, when I can take them outside and let them air dry in the sun. That way I can spread it over several days and not do too much in a day... plus... we still have ample seating if the weather suddenly gets humid and it takes longer to dry (living in W. Wa. this is not that rare... lol).

I am a perfectionist. Perfectionists do not want to do half assed work... so we are all or nothing folks.
I do a self battle constantly while cleaning (or crafting)... reminding myself that THE ENEMY OF GOOD IS BETTER.
Perfectionism - the way to shining ruin - might be a good topic for me to write my thoughts about one day... LOL

But I digress... Back to what I have been up to :)

Hubby and I emptied the dining area, scrubbed the floor (the only time I've wished I owned a buffer... lol) and put down several coats of a "shine rejuvenator" (I've forgotten the name... we got it at Home Depot* or Lowes*).
It made an amazing difference!
We live in an old house and the linoleum/vinyl/whatever is very old... to put it mildly... lol
The floor now has a mild shine and has been much easier to keep clean. I should have done this years ago!!!

We still have the kitchen floor to do, I will try to remember to take before and after pics.
This is a worthwhile project if you have older vinyl floors and want them to look better, and be easier to keep clean.

Once that was done we moved everything from the livingroom into it and shampooed the carpets. We own a Hoover* shampooer, usually going over the carpet once with a cleaner and then a couple rinses with just water.
This time we rented a Rug Doctor* machine and got their approved cleaners.

Did you know that berber carpets wick up the dirt from the padding when they get too wet? I did not, until reading the Rug Doctor* info, but I had noticed that at the end of shampooing it would look fantastic, then as it dried it would start looking crappy again.
Now I know that the "thorough" cleaning I was doing left the carpet too wet and it wicked up the years of crud in the padding and lower carpet... sooooo... after I do a thorough shampoo and it has completely dried I need to do a quick shampoo (1-2 ft. a second - pass) to get just the top dirt out and not get the carpet wet enough to wick things up.
So I think I will do a combination of quick and thorough shampoos throughout the year from now on. Time will tell what kind of schedule I will set up. I would like to do the top only once or twice a month, depending on how the carpet looks and do a deep cleaning every 3 months or so. We will see... so much depends on what I am able to do and how much I can push Hubby to do... lol

That leaves the kitchen, bathrooms, and my bedroom to do... lol
There are also the coupons, summer plans (fishing, clamming, boating), and misc. projects I should be getting busy on. *sigh*

So much to do... so little get up and go... LOL

*'s today mean that Registered Trademark thingy... that I cannot seem to get to work on WordPad*... LOL