Spruce up with Martha’s spring cleaning ritual

It’s spring – time to open the windows wide and enjoy the rewarding ritual known as spring cleaning. The season itself is about freshness, greenness and newness. Spring cleaning is about editing, polishing and touching up.

Every homemaker has an individual method, and whether one does it oneself, or recruits help, knowing what should be done – and finding the time to do those things – is the key.

My routine has developed over the years to include a thorough washing down, brightening and streamlining of rooms and halls and basements and attics so there are no extraneous objects, no clutter, no chips in the woodwork, no scratches in the floors. I give myself a few weeks to accomplish these tasks, and often, during this time, find myself rearranging drawers into the wee hours of the morning, before I realize that it is long past bedtime and that the job can be done another time.

Where does one start? I always begin in a corner of the room, always, where the ceiling meets the wall. Every wall is wiped down with a damp rag, and the ceiling, too, is damp-mopped to remove any dust or cobwebs or grime.

I try to have the storm windows removed before I begin because I really love to have the windows open to give every room a complete airing out. Also, wash all the molding, baseboards and fireplace surrounds.

I have very few rugs and carpets, but the ones I do have are removed and sent to be professionally cleaned if they have had a lot of traffic. Otherwise, I just shake them outside and hang them over a line to freshen in the breeze.

If I had wall-to-wall carpeting or big rugs, I would most assuredly have them shampooed now. It’s also the time to give the floors a good cleaning and to wax or polish them.

Your furniture’s upholstery should be vacuumed and any spots you notice on the fabric attended to. Do you know you can have professionals come to clean chair seats and sofa arms? I do not like to have this done too often, but I cannot abide spots.

All the window treatments should be taken down. Heavy draperies can be shaken out, vacuumed or professionally cleaned if necessary. Blinds and shades should be dusted and washed if you think they need it.

Have someone help you move the furniture so that you can clean underneath and possibly rearrange the seating for a new and different look. Clean all the wooden furniture with an appropriate polish, and buff surfaces until they are burnished.

Lampshades should be taken off, lamps washed, and lightbulbs cleaned. The shades can be dusted with a soft-bristled paintbrush.

All books should be taken off the shelves, dusted and put back only after the shelves are washed, or polished if they are natural wood. You might think, too, of a new arrangement for the shelves. Maybe add some oversized objects – porcelain bowls or cachepots can be interspersed with books.

Polish the picture frames, wash the glass overlays on each one, and consider rearranging them. Why not add some new photos to the collection using the frames you received for Christmas? I chide myself for the large numbers of empty frames I have. Someday soon I will put in new photos.

Any objects that are usually displayed as decoration should be given a cleaning. China should be washed; brass, copper or silver objects polished; wooden objects dusted and waxed.

This is also a good time to check your table linens. Wash and iron them if they smell musty, so they will be ready for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and all your summer parties.

Outdoors, turn on all the faucets, and attach a hose to each spigot. Make sure outdoor lights are cleaned and glass covers or globes washed and sparkling. Power-wash stone and brick terraces, and wash the porch furniture so that it can be put in place for alfresco entertaining.

Keep bringing the outdoors in all spring. Flowering branches, daffodils, newly blooming bulbs, tulips and hyacinths should be cut and arranged, so they can add fragrance and color to every room.

And remember – ask your mother, other family members or neighbors if they need help with storm windows or rugs. The work can be done more quickly if all hands chip in.

Adapted From Martha Stewart Living Magazine