“Spring cleaning” is a phrase that fills some people with dread, but it should not be. It used to be that spring cleaning was an enormous endeavor. Houses and businesses that were heated with wood or coal over winter would have significant ash or soot buildup, and carpets and curtains would get completely soiled over winter. When spring finally came, all the rugs would be taken out and beaten, and furniture would be laboriously removed from a building’s interior. It would then be scrubbed down thoroughly and whitewashed. Whitewashing was an inexpensive way to paint and would coat even the roughest surfaces in barns and chicken coops. The slaked lime ingredient had the added benefit of disinfecting surfaces as well. Whitewashing was then “a fresh start,” appropriate for spring and done annually in many places. Though whitewashing is no longer common, there is a nostalgic fondness for the simple white coating and the fresh and clean feeling it still inspires.
Today since so much of our heating is done with cleaner natural gas, spring cleaning is less of a chore. Most of us focus on decluttering, organizing, vacuuming and sweeping away the grime that came in on snowy boots and muddy paws, and clearing out any cobwebs missed in the darkened light of winter. It is, of course, easier to see the streaks in the windows in the clear sunlight, and now would be a good time to address any baked on residue in the oven left over from roasted turkeys and Christmas cookies.
Forced air furnaces do result in significant dust buildup, so do a complete dusting, working your way down from ceiling fans to baseboards. Wash and air your linens before putting them away for next winter. When you take them out in October and they smell like sunshine, you will thank yourself. Now is an excellent time to get your carpets professionally cleaned and your floors waxed or re-grouted. Clean floors feel so wonderful on summer’s bare feet.
Get out your patio furniture, and wash it down. Hose down your deck or patio and put up your hummingbird feeder. The bird feeder can come down now as our feathered friends can fend for themselves now. And when you’re all done with everything, pour yourself a glass of iced tea and sit outside soaking up this long awaited Michigan sun. You’ve earned it. After the winter we’ve all just experienced, we all have.
By: Rachel Charlson