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



## Aunt Marg (Jan 18, 2021)

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?


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## MarciKS (Jan 18, 2021)

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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## Aunt Marg (Jan 18, 2021)

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.


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.


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## MarciKS (Jan 18, 2021)

I have to tend to the kitchen and bath mostly. Mostly the bathroom. Most used room in the house. LOL


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## Aunt Marg (Jan 18, 2021)

MarciKS said:


> I have to tend to the kitchen and bath mostly. Mostly the bathroom. Most used room in the house. LOL


My adage has always been, you can have somewhat of an unkempt house, but when it comes to the kitchen and bathroom, those should always be spotlessly clean.


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## Ronni (Jan 18, 2021)

<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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## Aunt Marg (Jan 18, 2021)

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 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.


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## Jules (Jan 18, 2021)

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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## Aunt Marg (Jan 18, 2021)

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.


Times have changed for sure. Excellent points.


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## MarciKS (Jan 18, 2021)

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.


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## Aunt Marg (Jan 18, 2021)

MarciKS said:


> 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.


Oh yes, for sure, dirt and gravel alleyways are terrible that way.


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## Kathleen’s Place (Jan 18, 2021)

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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## Aunt Marg (Jan 18, 2021)

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


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.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Jan 18, 2021)

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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## Aunt Marg (Jan 18, 2021)

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.


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!


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## jujube (Jan 18, 2021)

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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## Aunt Marg (Jan 19, 2021)

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.


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  hitting the fan when you cleaned, and those poor area rugs! ROFL!


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## Aunt Bea (Jan 19, 2021)

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 Marg (Jan 19, 2021)

Aunt Bea said:


> Most of my cleaning is routine week to week.
> 
> I wash the windows in the spring and in the fall.
> 
> ...


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.


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## Ronni (Jan 19, 2021)

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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## Aunt Marg (Jan 19, 2021)

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.


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.


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## jujube (Jan 19, 2021)

Aunt Marg said:


> 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  hitting the fan when you cleaned, and those poor area rugs! ROFL!


That was my mom's cleaning methods. Me, I just buy new stuff....LOL.


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## albin (Jan 19, 2021)

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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## Aunt Marg (Jan 19, 2021)

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.


Changing-out rugs, curtains, and slipcovers twice yearly?

Where did you live, in Biltmore Castle?


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## albin (Jan 19, 2021)

Aunt Marg said:


> Changing-out rugs, curtains, and slipcovers twice yearly?
> 
> Where did you live, in Biltmore Castle?


Gillette


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## Ruby Rose (Jan 20, 2021)

Aunt Marg said:


> 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.
> 
> ...


Your post sure brings back 'busy days',,,Memories! Your Mom sounds a lot like my Mom in the day. Spring was a big deal beginning with the removal of storm windows and putting on screens, taking rugs and such and beating them, washing windows...and the list goes on and on. 
To this day, I still have a to-do list of things that need doing for pretty well every day as my abode is small. I find it is harder to keep the dust bunnies away living here. As for Spring and Fall, I concentrate on filters and such and especially windows as I winterize them by sealing them in the Fall and must remove same in the Spring. I really pay attention to forecasts living here.


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## Ruby Rose (Jan 20, 2021)

Aunt Marg said:


> 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 have a good excuse to relax now...I am shorter, older, can't see all that well and know that those dust bunnies can always wait another day and I would rather spend more time in my office which is usually in chaos. I have spent years working my butt off especially when living in PMQs where the Major would show up and do white glove checks.


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## Aunt Marg (Jan 20, 2021)

Ruby Rose said:


> Your post sure brings back 'busy days',,,Memories! Your Mom sounds a lot like my Mom in the day. Spring was a big deal beginning with the removal of storm windows and putting on screens, taking rugs and such and beating them, washing windows...and the list goes on and on.
> To this day, I still have a to-do list of things that need doing for pretty well every day as my abode is small. I find it is harder to keep the dust bunnies away living here. As for Spring and Fall, I concentrate on filters and such and especially windows as I winterize them by sealing them in the Fall and must remove same in the Spring. I really pay attention to forecasts living here.


It sure does bring back warm memories for me, too.

Such a big change from today, where, at least so it seems, there aren't many true old-fashioned homemakers anymore. Homemakers back in the day prided themselves with taking their fulltime homemaking jobs serious, and it showed.

As for myself, I take homemaking serious, just that I don't have the oomph that I once used to, so I have to pace myself a little more than I used to.

It's so true, Ruby, being that we own homes, our work is never done.

They say "_slow and steady wins the race_", and that's the race I run these days. LOL!


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## Jules (Jan 20, 2021)

Aunt Marg said:


> 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.


When we remove the screens in the fall for cleaning windows, the screens are washed & stored in the basement.  Only two are kept on windows which are opened slightly every night.  Not having screens on during the short winter days make a huge difference in the brightness of the room.


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## Aunt Marg (Jan 20, 2021)

Jules said:


> When we remove the screens in the fall for cleaning windows, the screens are washed & stored in the basement.  Only two are kept on windows which are opened slightly every night.  Not having screens on during the short winter days make a huge difference in the brightness of the room.


I never gave any thought to the brightness factor, but I'll bet it does make a considerable difference.

We keep as many windows in the home free of draperies, blinds, etc, to allow for a more open and bright feel.


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## Ruby Rose (Jan 21, 2021)

I must write all you ladies about my cleaning day today...other than making my bed and doing dishes late...cleaning was not on my agenda. I was requested to compose a suitable 'ode' on behalf of a loving pet's death. When I do so, everything else pretty well comes to a halt as there are continuous rewritings and vocalizing to get it just right and I do strive to get it just right...delving into history and emotions, etc. Then, I can relax as tomorrow is another day...and I succeeded.


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