Spring Cleaning

Last week was a really busy week for everyone at our house. Although this week will be busy catching up on things I put aside the past week, it won't be near as hectic.

Dad was busy spraying his fields and a neighbors, putting in the electrical work at the garage at the rental house and mowing the lawn to keep it from growing into a weed patch! He also helped me shampoo all the carpets upstairs on Friday and move furniture back into place!

Jena and I took out all the windows upstairs in the house and washed the glass, screens and window sills. It took us all day, but we got an early start and finished just before supper. Perfect timing because it just started to rain about the time we finished. In between washing windows, I was able to get all the curtains washed. That evening I pressed and hung them all back up. At least that huge job was done!

me cleaning the outside windows

Jena cleaning storm windows

me spraying the windows with water

Jena with the hose

Sissie found the clean pile of curtains ready to be pressed & hung up

Wednesday I dusted, polished woodwork, vacuumed and cleaned Dad's room & bathroom, the main bathroom, the schoolroom and Jena's scrapbooking room. I was making pretty good time until about 3pm, when I moved the computer desk in the schoolroom and the whole thing collapsed. I had to put things on hold in that room until Dad came home for supper and was able to put it back together.

the toppled over desk

That desk isn't very sturdy and when I moved it with a few things still on top, the legs just wobbled and the screws holding the particle board tabletop pulled out. It was a mess getting all the computer cords tangled and put back in order, but it's all back in place. And Dad reinforced the desk, so it should hold up better when it is moved the next time.

Thursday I cleaned in the family room, hall and dining room. Taking all the books out of the bookcase so I could move it, moving the piano and rearranging the furniture so I could clean was a huge chore! At least we have these little furniture sliders that I can stick under heavy furniture and it slides on the carpet. It I didn't have those, there is no way I could have moved everything I did by myself.

the family room in disarray

the family room in disarray

Early Friday morning, I moved most of the family room furniture into the kitchen, on the porch and by the front door where there is vinyl floor covering so that we could shampoo the carpets. Dad went to Dodge and rented the shampooer (Is shampooer actually a word?? Yes, according to dictionary.com!) so we could use it for the day. Dad shampooed all the carpets upstairs while I moved furniture back and forth as the carpets dried. We were finished by noon. With fans blowing on the damp carpet, we were able to get most of the furniture moved back into place after lunch. Everything was back in place upstairs by supper time.

Hooray - my week of cleaning is over!!! I am so glad and the house feels so nice and clean!! I still have the kitchen and utility room to do. I want to clean out all the cabinets and really clean the counter top and the areas behind the fridge and stove, but that will have to wait until another week. I'm sore, exhausted and my fingers hurt from taking windows in and out, but I am sooo thankful I'm done!