Spring Cleaning...

...has begun.

I have a new addition to my cleaning arsenal this year, my Swifty. The pattern is from Ann and Kay's second book, Mason Dixon Knitting Oustide the Lines. I think I squealed when I fist saw this pattern. It has been several years since I've used my Swiffer. I just couldn't get over the wastefulness of throwing away all of those disposable cloths. It goes completely against all of our efforts to reduce waste, and frankly I was never really satisfied with the results. Mysteriously, I also couldn't bring myself to dispose of the damned Swiffer itself. It has been languishing in the dark corners of our closet for no real reason. Until Swifty came along. Now, I can make a pile of these reusable cloths, and just toss them in the wash after each use. Hooray! The yarn is Lily Sugar and Cream, given to me by my sister. I love the bright colors - they really perk things up!

Usually I "Spring Clean" three times a year:
  • Once in the Spring, of course, to freshen the apartment after being closed for so many months. I throw the windows wide and sweep, vacuum, mop, wash and scrub everything. I pull the furniture from the walls and route out all of the "treasures" the kitties have so carefully hidden, along with enough cat-hair tumbleweed to make a whole other cat!
  • Once in the Autumn, to prepare for the cool days ahead which will be spent snugged up indoors. I don't know about you, but our summers are anything but lazy. While we're keeping busy, the housework tends to languish. By autumn, everything needs a thorough once-over.
  • Once at the New Year, because it's such a good time to reorganize. My New Year's clean is a pared down version of the Spring and Fall routine. Everything gets cleaned, but the main focus is on fine-tuning the current systems of organization. In a small apartment, you can never be too organized! This year, I missed my New Year's clean, so I have extra on my list.
The last several days have seen endless loads of laundry. The winter curtains, pillows and slip covers have all been washed and stored and their summer counterparts pressed and put out/up. This weekend we'll switch the clothes, so there has been lots of laundry in preparation for that, too, as well as a closet-purge for each of us.



Luckily, we took the time over the weekend to hang the screen door. Now, I can enjoy fresh breezes as I sort and scrub. We got two screen doors last year, one for the front door, and one for the kitchen door. Before hanging the front door screen, I prettied it up a bit. It makes me smile every time I come home.

Comments

  1. I LOVE that! How did you pretty it up? Is it embroidery? I love the stars along the top, too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks! Yup, it's embroidery. The star pattern is from Sublime Stitching. It was a very gratifying project.

    ReplyDelete

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