1. Before you start hausfrauing, purge. It may take you a few days or a week to go through your house, but it's worth it. For tips on decluttering, click here. You don't want to be moving things around to dust that you're going to get rid of anyway. That's extra work for nothing.
2. Make a list of what you'll do room by room. To me, spring hausfrauing means focusing on areas that don't get cleaned weekly, i.e. moving big furniture to vacuum, washing curtains, washing doorknobs and switch plates, washing walls as necessary, etc. There are 47029084 lists on spring cleaning on the Internet. I say just clean everything you can possibly think of to clean in every room, from top to bottom, from the corners to the vent covers. The End.
3. Arm yourself with a laundry basket that will serve two purposes: It will carry supplies you need for cleaning, and you will place items in there that need to be moved to other rooms to be put away.
4. Before you start in each room, pick up and put away whatever is laying around and remove all laundry (curtains, sheets, towels, clothes, whatever).
5. Hausfrauing hacks:
- Spray your cleaner on tubs and sinks and let it soak in for 5-10 minutes = less scrubbing
- Microwave a bowl of water with one tablespoon of vinegar on high for four minutes = steam loosens crud and it wipes right off
- Remove bags from trash cans, add cleaning solution, fill bottoms with water, and set outside
- Dust your ceiling fans with pillow cases, drawing the dust inside of the case. Shake them out and wash when finished
- If you have oily dust in your kitchen (on your stove hood, etc), the easiest way to get it off is by wiping it down with a little veggie oil. Then put some dish liquid on a sponge and get both off.
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This won't help you this year, but if you stick to a hausfrauing schedule, your spring hausfrauing won't be a big thing because your house is in pretty good shape all the time. I don't follow this verbatim every week - I move it around depending on my schedule - but it's a good idea of what goes on.
And since I do it weekly, it really takes no time at all to whip through whatever chore is on that day.
This won't help you this year, but if you stick to a hausfrauing schedule, your spring hausfrauing won't be a big thing because your house is in pretty good shape all the time. I don't follow this verbatim every week - I move it around depending on my schedule - but it's a good idea of what goes on.
And since I do it weekly, it really takes no time at all to whip through whatever chore is on that day.
Don't be sad if your spring hausfrauing takes more than one day.
You are a warrior and you got this.
Eye of the tiger, baby. Eye of the tiger.
And you? Any spring hausfrauing tips to share with the group?
well, i'm waiting for this damn weather to warm up so i can open the windows and start cleaning them. there's gross shit from the condensation and whatnot in the corners and my steam cleaner is the only thing i need to get rid of that gunk. and also my stove - i'm going to melt all that shit right off and i can't wait to get a sparkly new stove again! :)
ReplyDeletelove these tips!! i've finally finished shredding all of my documents -- filled up 6 huge bags! files have been organized, documents put away so now i can concentrate on this fucking desk and modge-podging my new magnet board that's really a cookie sheet i bought for $1 at dollarama BOOM. so excited to show my "after".
-kathy
Vodka and Soda
Yep, I got nothing. I will be referring to these lovely tips when I start my spring cleaning. Especially the bowl of water/vinegar in the microwave. Genius.
ReplyDeleteMr. Clean sponges have saved my LIFE when it comes to cleaning. By life, I mean sanity. They get rid of so much crap with much less effort. I'm all 'bout 'dat. I've even heard you can throw a chunk in the toilet, leave it for a bit and it will clean your toilet... but I've never tried that because seriously - how fucking dirty does your toilet have to be for you to need a power soak?
ReplyDeleteThe biggest thing I want to clean out and organize this spring is my filing cabinet...but I've been procrastinating because I don't know what to do with all the stuff. Common sense tells me I can shred and pitch most of it, but something about throwing statements away gives me anxiety. I need to just do it and get over it. Vinegar is awesome for cleaning pretty much everything!!
ReplyDeletei really need to clean out my clothes. it's getting so out of hand. im just going to go into it with a positive attitude and it will all be fine, right?
ReplyDeleteI love this list. I save all my cleaning and chores for the weekend since my weekdays are pretty full with the gym but i spread it out so it is not too overwhelming. My baseboard are on my Spring Bucket list to clean and paint them all.
ReplyDeleteI have one!
ReplyDeleteI have thermal back curtains because it's the south and it gets hotter then hell down here in the summer time. This winter I washed and ruined one set of thermal back curtains, apparently when those curtains get hot it makes the thermal backing soft and sticky. Soft and sticky then sticks together in the washer creating holes in your thermal backing.
So to keep from ruining your thermal back curtains, take them outside and shake all the dust off them and then throw them in the dryer with a dryer sheet for about 20 minutes. Clean curtains no holes.
I swear, if I ever am financially comfortable, I'm having a cleaning service every month or maybe even twice a month. Until then, I'm stealing your ideas.
ReplyDeleteOR... you could just do all that when you expect company! :-)
ReplyDeleteI have been meaning to make a "chore" list to spread throughout the week so I dont spend 3 hours every Saturday cleaning everything...maybe I should get on that!
ReplyDeleteI never thought about carrying around a laundry basket to collect all the shit from each room! Brilliant! You wouldn't believe how many times I walk all over the damn house to move stuff around!
Brie's Spring Cleaning List:
ReplyDelete1. Purchase cute, sparkly blue shoes to wear while cleaning.
2. Take jaunty Swiffer Selfie
<3
Actually, most of this is on my Spring Goal schedule, as inspired by YOU! This is just a more detailed how-to list and much appreciated. I am neither natural athlete nor natural housekeeper, so I require all of the inspiration I can get!
I need to do alllll of this! I've been so busy, that the pad is a mess {well for my standards}, and I'm starting to feel mental over it!
ReplyDeleteI love your glam slippers! I started cracking up when I read 'eye of the tiger'. I had a quick visual of completing spring cleaning with a hood up and some nice boxer-style moves. Thanks for the Friday laugh!
ReplyDeleteAll good tips. I cannot believe there is a threat of a noreaster snowstorm here Tues/Wed. JMJ. Enough.
ReplyDeleteBut I will take the nice weather today and tomorrow. Happy weekend!
Love your MOMMA
hahaha 'no one wants to do anything on mondays' So true! Monday is my 'declutter' day, which you know I love and is easy. Tuesday is a nothing day, because I hate Tuesdays more than Mondays. Love your housecleaning slippers!!!
ReplyDelete#5 - Pay for Stephanie's plane ticket to come down and do 1-4.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Since I have been doing so much of this in other people's houses.....once your baseboards, doors, fans, windowsills an blinds are clean buy a swiffer extension duster and when you are doing regular cleaning every couple weeks hit all of those with the duster. You will hardly ever need to physically wash those things.
ReplyDeleteThis weekend I am purging and cleaning to sell my house...again lol Thanks for the tips!
My spring cleaning tip is music. Find some upbeat music that you like and dance while you are cleaning. Makes all the jobs a little more enjoyable!
ReplyDeleteI really need to declutter. I probably never will. I'm not a hoarder or anything but I have so much shit that I know I won't really need..... I recently threw out a bunch of old CDs. I found all the old school Britney, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Jessica Simpson, and a NOW 3. THREE. As in the one that came out in 1999. I guess that's a start.
ReplyDeleteIf my mom read your blog, she'd want you for a daughter lol.
ReplyDeleteRight now, we have house guests and they keep me honest. They also clean up after themselves VERY well. My house has never been cleaner.
I do love your laundry basket idea.
Thank you for this.
ReplyDeleteI need to clean my microwave. It's pretty nasty right now.
magic erasers are the best too. cleaning stuff that you thought you'd never be able to clean.
ReplyDeleteNot gonna lie, I would totally make the list and then never do the cleaning. But, I do love the laundry basket from room to room idea. How much time to I waste putting up one thing here or there? Answer - way too much.
ReplyDeleteThe pillow case for dusting fans thing? Genius! And I'd never heard that tip about using vegetable oil to remove that nasty oily dust in the kitchen. Thanks!
ReplyDelete