Spring & Fall Cleaning... did it go out with the 60's/70's?

A

Aunt Marg

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I remember my mom scrubbing every wall, every baseboard, moving every stitch of furniture, taking down and cleaning every single light and fixture, and not once, but twice yearly.

I used to help her as much as I could, doing the scrubbing of the walls especially, because she always found that to be the most taxing of all.

Spring-cleaning was my favourite of all, because springtime brought the opening of windows and doors after a long cold winter, and between smelling the fresh clean scent of Pine-Sol throughout the home, mixed with the sweet and fresh air that spring always brought, it always had a way of kick-starting life again for me.

I seldom hear of anyone that still religiously partakes in a proper spring and fall cleaning of their home, but I still do, and so long as I have the strength and mobility to see such through, I'm going to continue.

How about you?
 

I can't scrub the walls or I'll wash the paint off. I don't do it every spring and fall but I try to do a really good cleaning from top to bottom 2 or 3 times a year. With just me for traffic I can get by with a little dusting and vacuuming in between.
 
MarciKS said:
I can't scrub the walls or I'll wash the paint off. I don't do it every spring and fall but I try to do a really good cleaning from top to bottom 2 or 3 times a year. With just me for traffic I can get by with a little dusting and vacuuming in between.
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You said it, Marci, I so remember the days when we were a family of 8, there was fingerprints on everything, and no matter how hard I tried to keep up with the basics, it seemed there was no getting on top of things completely.

My favourite saying was... "a lick and a prayer", meaning, so long as it seen a little TLC, then all was well. :)
 

<raises hand> I still Spring Clean!!

That’s when I do all the baseboards, windows, inside the window thresholds, under the furniture.

I shake out the area rugs, wash the walls from the crown molding down, flip the mattresses, scrub the tops of the cabinets, take down the washable curtains and wash them, vacuum the non-washable ones.

More, but you get the idea!
 
Ronni said:
<raises hand> I still Spring Clean!!

That’s when I do all the baseboards, windows, inside the window thresholds, under the furniture.

I shake out the area rugs, wash the walls from the crown molding down, flip the mattresses, scrub the tops of the cabinets, take down the washable curtains and wash them, vacuum the non-washable ones.

More, but you get the idea!
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I totally get the idea! :)

Exactly what my mom used to do, and exactly what I still do!

So crazy to think about, but I used to work well into the wee-hours of the morning, cleaning... scrubbing... and thought nothing of it. So full of energy I was back then, and I'd do it for days on end, from morning until night.

If only I could have a fraction of that energy back again.
 
Much of the semi-annual cleaning is eliminated in newer homes - that can even be 40+ years old. Better filters. Better furnaces instead of wood heating. More air-tight windows. Stronger fans in the kitchen and bathrooms. Paved streets instead of gravel. Basic weekly cleaning keeps us going. Also folks are working outside the homes. It can all balance out. If our parents or grandparents were offered these options, they probably would be giving a big thumbs up. Windows are washed inside & out, twice per year. Basic maintenance keeps us going.
 
Jules said:
Much of the semi-annual cleaning is eliminated in newer homes - that can even be 40+ years old. Better filters. Better furnaces instead of wood heating. More air-tight windows. Stronger fans in the kitchen and bathrooms. Paved streets instead of gravel. Basic weekly cleaning keeps us going. Also folks are working outside the homes. It can all balance out. If our parents or grandparents were offered these options, they probably would be giving a big thumbs up. Windows are washed inside & out, twice per year. Basic maintenance keeps us going.
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Times have changed for sure. Excellent points.
 
I live next to an alley that gets used frequently during the day. I don't open the windows because of that but I think it still makes the house dustier.
 
I remember it VERY well as a child, and I did do it (spring cleaning only) when I was younger. But can’t any more. Still wash the windows, inside and out twice a year, move out the living room furniture 3 or 4 times a year to vacuum, get the floor boards etc, but that is about as intense as it gets. The outside kitchen cabinets and bathroom cabinets get cleaned once a week. On top of? Never 😂. Ceiling fan once a year and the rest of it is just once a week cleaning. But thanks for reminding me now of all I don’t do that my mother did 😂. I’m sure she is tsk tsking me from above 😞. Sorry Mom...it surely isn’t from your lack of trying 😍
 
Kathleen’s Place said:
I remember it VERY well as a child, and I did do it (spring cleaning only) when I was younger. But can’t any more. Still wash the windows, inside and out twice a year, move out the living room furniture 3 or 4 times a year to vacuum, get the floor boards etc, but that is about as intense as it gets. The outside kitchen cabinets and bathroom cabinets get cleaned once a week. On top of? Never 😂. Ceiling fan once a year and the rest of it is just once a week cleaning. But thanks for reminding me now of all I don’t do that my mother did 😂. I’m sure she is tsk tsking me from above 😞. Sorry Mom...it surely isn’t from your lack of trying 😍
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My mom is probably doing the same, as I'm super-clean and fussy, but still don't hold a candle to the way she kept home.
 
I still do fall and spring cleaning. First I do, as I call it, the guts of the house. Cabinets closets and drawers. Then I move on to just about everything I don't do on a regular basis. Wash doilies which I have scattered around the house which my daughter rolls her eyes at each time she visits and I even wash my lampshades in mild bleach and tie them to my wash line on the porch to dry. . The newer ones are made of paper. I found that out the hard way.
I'm big on cleaning my wall light switches with a damp brush. When I can see the letters "on and off" I know they need cleaning because they really should be the same color as the plastic switch.
I still get a lot of satisfaction from cleaning but as each year passes it takes me a bit longer to do.
 
Ruth n Jersey said:
I still do fall and spring cleaning. First I do, as I call it, the guts of the house. Cabinets closets and drawers. Then I move on to just about everything I don't do on a regular basis. Wash doilies which I have scattered around the house which my daughter rolls her eyes at each time she visits and I even wash my lampshades in mild bleach and tie them to my wash line on the porch to dry. . The newer ones are made of paper. I found that out the hard way.
I'm big on cleaning my wall light switches with a damp brush. When I can see the letters "on and off" I know they need cleaning because they really should be the same color as the plastic switch.
I still get a lot of satisfaction from cleaning but as each year passes it takes me a bit longer to do.
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Love hearing from other old-fashioned homemakers here on this!

Boy, am I ever so pleasantly surprised over how many of us still go the full course when it comes to fall and spring cleaning. Really puts a warm smile on my face. :)

When all is done in our home, I always feel so much better, too, almost makes me want to relax and enjoy my surroundings with everything smelling so clean and fresh.

Ruth, you really pull out all the stops with the damp brush technique to clean switch plate covers! :love:
 
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Oh, the spring cleaning. All the lace curtains were taken down, gently washed, tacked to stretchers and put out in the sun.

All the mattresses were taken out to be aired, too. Dragged down the stairs, taken outside and leaned against the fence.

Area rugs were thrown over the clotheslines and beaten with a broom to within an inch of their lives.
 
jujube said:
Oh, the spring cleaning. All the lace curtains were taken down, gently washed, tacked to stretchers and put out in the sun.

All the mattresses were taken out to be aired, too. Dragged down the stairs, taken outside and leaned against the fence.

Area rugs were thrown over the clotheslines and beaten with a broom to within an inch of their lives.
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Not laughing at your ways or methodology as to how you cleaned, Ju, but in reading your reply I couldn't help but conjure up :poop: hitting the fan when you cleaned, and those poor area rugs! ROFL!
 
Most of my cleaning is routine week to week.

I wash the windows in the spring and in the fall.

I still throw open all of the windows on a sunny cold crisp winter day to air things out.

I remember my grandmother taking her Persian rugs outdoors and spreading them on the lawn when the temperatures dropped below zero. She would sweep/scrub the dry snow over them with an old corn broom and then toss them over the clothesline to air/dry.
 
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Aunt Bea said:
Most of my cleaning is routine week to week.

I wash the windows in the spring and in the fall.

I still throw open all of the windows on a sunny cold crisp winter day to air things out.

I remember my grandmother taking her Persian rugs outdoors and spreading them on the lawn when the temperatures dropped below zero. She would sweep/scrub the dry snow over them with an old corn broom and then toss them over the clothesline to air/dry.
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Tricks of the trade!

If there's one thing I learned over the course of my lifetime, there's a lot to learn from old-timers. :)
 
My major project this spring once it gets warm enough to do so, when I clean both sides of the windows (they’re the tilt in kind which makes it easier) is to scrub the .... heck I don’t know what you call it😖....the track? Join? Threshold? The bottom part of the window frame where the window rests when it’s closed. That part.

All of those window tracks need a thorough cleaning. They’re nasty with dust and bugs and other residue.
 
Ronni said:
My major project this spring once it gets warm enough to do so, when I clean both sides of the windows (they’re the tilt in kind which makes it easier) is to scrub the .... heck I don’t know what you call it😖....the track? Join? Threshold? The bottom part of the window frame where the window rests when it’s closed. That part.

All of those window tracks need a thorough cleaning. They’re nasty with dust and bugs and other residue.
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You're like me Ronni, or me like you, however you want to ascertain the comparison (LOL), but the first thing I do each spring is windows!

Chanel, track, sill, I know exactly what you're talking about. :)

I'm going to buy a soft-bristled scrub brush this spring to get the screens cleaner. A little mild detergent and agitation to remove stubborn dust and debris should reward me with cleaner window screens.
 
I remember all of the above. Also remember changing the Living room rug, curtains, slipcovers on the upholstered furniture from Winter to Summer and back again in the Winter.
 
albin said:
I remember all of the above. Also remember changing the Living room rug, curtains, slipcovers on the upholstered furniture from Winter to Summer and back again in the Winter.
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Changing-out rugs, curtains, and slipcovers twice yearly?

Where did you live, in Biltmore Castle? :)
 
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