With the change of seasons, the rhythm of the day changes. We rise earlier with the sun and stay out later in the light. The heaviness and cocoon of winter passes into the Easter season and a time of fasting, cleansing, and renewal. As we participate in the change of season, our home also is in need of refreshing. The weather warms, the wood stove isn’t needed to heat and I am naturally pulled to dust off the furniture and sweep away the cobwebs.

In the past my “spring cleaning” would consist of a couple of days where all of the windows, walls, etc. were wiped down, the winter clothes and blankets washed and stored away and any decor that was lying around from Christmas and Easter would finally be put where it belongs. There wasn’t a lot of enjoyment in the process and it generally had an air of chaos about it.

The process now is very different. I take a week for each of the rooms of our home and break down the tasks into manageable tasks. This week I am starting with the bedroom. I always want this room to be a refuge, so as I am cleaning the rest of the house, I will have one room to retreat for rest that is in order. We don’t keep a lot in our bedroom, but it still needs some attention.

I break down the tasks into categories over seven days:

1. With a fairly minimal wardrobe, I don’t store winter or summer clothes away seasonally, but in spring and fall, it just takes a few minutes to scan through the closet and bureau and make a quick list of anything that needs replacing.
2. Starting with the ceiling and walls, I do a dusting or vacuuming and wipe down the walls with a damp cloth. Our room is off of the kitchen and can have quite a bit of dust on the walls from the wood stove and winter.
3. Next I will clean the ceiling fan and the light fixtures and wash down the woodwork and mirror.
4. Linens, mattress pad, etc. are washed regularly, but at this time I do an assessment to see if anything needs replacing (sheets, pillows, blankets). I wash and put winter blankets away and wash all of the rest of the linens.
5. I generally change the decor in our home for each holiday as well as seasonally.  In spring I will clear off the bureau and night stands, wipe down the furniture and decide what decorations will go back in the room.
6. Lastly a  vacuum of the room and closet, and I clean the rug if needed.
7. Result: We have a place to rest while I tackle the rest of our home.

It seems like a long list, but this deep cleaning isn’t needed more than a couple times a year. I will do this again in October/November before we are ready to close the house up again for winter and in preparation for the holidays. One thing I would like to add is that I don’t use any chemicals for cleaning. I primarily use water, vinegar, baking soda, mineral oil, etc.  I have also needed to remove all the wonderful smelling candles because of reactions I have to them right now, so we use an air purifier and natural things to make the house smell fresh. The one exception is the bathroom, where we still use bleach because of the days we are living in and the need to be sure that it is really clean.  I plan to add more houseplants into our home this summer – because I think they will cheer us in the winter months as well as help with the air quality.

So, this week I am working on the bedroom. I will be posting a new room each week as I tackle the tasks that are involved with the others. There will be some additional projects I will write separately about regarding actual repairs, painting, food inventory, and storage, and more.

Take care!
Michele