Did Your Parents Have a Spring Cleaning Ritual?

on March 2, 2009 at 7:00 AM

deck, flip flops

Spring cleaning. A time for spreading the lemon fresh scent, beating out rugs, shining windows, and airing out the down comforters.

I've heard of such spring cleaning rituals (usually touted about in women's magazines), but I don't remember any ceremonial spring cleaning going down in my chiildhood home.

I mean, for sure some things just had to be done after a cold (and rainy here) winter. I do remember the first yearly back deck cleaning—the back sliding door thrown open, the drip drip as the deck dried in the morning sun, and the fresh, new feeling that change was coming.

It was also just really nice to have a clean deck.

+++ Did you grow up with a spring cleaning ritual? Do you have a spring cleaning ritual now?

About the author Sheri Reed

is a writer and the Entertainment, News & Sports editor for The Stir. She loves a good film, watches lots of good TV and follows Ryan Gosling's every move because she has to -- for work.

Filed Under: chores

Comments (5)

ajnreidsmama

on Mar 2, 2009 at 9:34 AM

Yea, my mom used to go into my room and my brothers room while we were at school. She would then dump every single one of our drawers out onto our beds and pull everything out of our closets/toy boxes/desks onto the floor. We then had no choice but to get rid of the stuff we did not want and put everything else back "the right way" I remember dreading the day when spring cleaning started

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MamaDoe123

on Mar 2, 2009 at 2:40 PM

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secondrose

on Mar 6, 2009 at 12:40 AM

My mama is an insane "power cleaner". Spring AND autumn brought on complete stripping of our house. We started at one end, top to bottom to make sure we didn't miss anything. We washed light fixtures, nick nacks, rugs, curtains, bedding (pillows, mattresses), upholstry, blinds, windows and WALLS. Yes, walls. All of the furniture was pulled out, cleaned and vacuumed/swept/mopped behind. We emptied and sorted drawers, closets, and cabinets then washed them out. Everything was air dried and replaced. Still, to this day, lemon, pine and Murphy's Oil Soap smells like home.

I guess old habits die hard because these days for a solid week (sometimes longer) in Spring and autumn everyone avoids my mama and I like the plague because they don't want to interrupt our antics. My man hates to even come home those days and my daughter wishes she could leave but, they are thankful for it and would send me to the mental institution if I were to skip a season.

Did I mention that the week following spring and fall cleaning is spent working on the exterior? LOL

avpriddis

on Mar 15, 2009 at 12:16 AM

Oh yeah! And I loved it~ I think a big part of it created my love for cleaning today. Every spring and fall 2-3 days were set aside for Spring Cleaning. It usually centered around the kitchen. We would empty all the cupboards, wipe them down, wipe off the tops of the cupboards, clean the oven, baseboards. Dump out all the food from the fridge and give it a good wipe down, eat what we could, throw away old stuff, and return any good food back to the fridge and cupboards. Loads of FUN!!! I can't wait until my kids are old enough to do this with them! Right now they are too young, so my spring cleaning has been going on for a couple weeks now, sad :( Oh well soon it will be completely done!

on Mar 15, 2009 at 12:18 AM

secondrose - your mom sounds like mine!!I always tried to get the wall washing detail!