spring cleaning 115/366

Man, I can remember a day when I did Spring Cleaning and Fall Cleaning. Every single year. You know, the deep cleaning where you move the furniture and clean under rather than around it. When walls get washed down, woodwork and ceiling fans cleaned, etc. Closets and drawers got emptied, things were purged. Wall decorations were taken down and given appropriate attention. Windows were washed inside and out. Curtains got laundered and blinds were washed. Dust bunnies didn't stand a chance. It was part of our homeschool curriculum because one day my kids would have their own homes and they needed to know how to properly care for them. And we did it all, in our Kenmore house in a day. My Grayson house, which is about three times the square footage, with lots more closets, bathrooms and cupboards, might take us up to a week. But when we were done, the house shined where it was supposed to shine and gleamed where it was supposed to gleam. Not a smudge or dirty handprint escaped. It was a good feeling. For the short amount of time it lasted. Six kids plus their friends...

Life changes. As the kids got older and wall smudges got fewer, their rooms became their sole responsibility. Public school and extracurricular activities took them/us away from home more often. Deep cleaning dropped down to once a year, spring or fall, depending on our commitments. When the youngest reached teenage years, it was more like once every two years. Then it became more about the kitchen getting a deep cleaning once a year, the rest of the house normal cleaning and extra as needed. 

In 2017, when I redid all the flooring I painted everything too. That is the last time the whole house was deep cleaned. I've done what needs to be done, but nothing extra. Except closets-I have emptied and purged them several times. And, of course, the kitchen and bathrooms. But not necessarily "in a row", to where it all sparkled. I've missed that feeling, but not enough to do anything about it.

Last week I emptied my bedroom closet. (It's actually a 15 foot wall that was enclosed to make a closet.) I don't know where all the stuff that filled it came from! It took several hours to sort, organize and purge. I felt accomplished and sore when I was done. Nothing went back in unless it had a purpose or brought me joy. Including my clothes. I have several piles of things to repurpose. My plan was to attack my bedroom and bathroom the next day. It took me a week and a half to follow through with my thoughts. Yesterday I tackled that job. Sleep was sweet.

Something about getting started, actually carrying out my plan, has lit a fire under me. Today I cleaned the hallway. That may not sound like a big deal to you, but it's a pretty big area, about the size of a room and there are six doors that needed to be cleaned, both sides along with door jambs, so they can be repainted. Something that has been on my to do list for a few years. I figure if I do a room a day I'll be done in two weeks. (Counting Sundays and allowing an extra day for the kitchen. There are never too many cupboards in a kitchen until it comes time to deep clean.)

Maybe dusting off the desire to see the house sparkle, and following through with putting in the work to make that happen, will carry over into other areas in my life. Maybe it will lead to my mental closets, cupboards and drawers being opened and purged, and when I'm done the only things that will be allowed back in are things that have a purpose and things that bring me joy. Maybe some projects I've been meaning to do will get finished. Maybe I'll begin to write the book I've wanted to invest time in. Maybe I'll uncover some dreams that have gotten buried or I've kept hidden, saving them for "some day". 

I see some real potential for my life being different after Spring Cleaning this year.