Start Your Spring Cleaning Now

Thinking about spring cleaning? It is not too early, in fact there is a lot you can do now while it's cold and snowy outside. You might want to begin by cleaning out messy drawers, be they in the kitchen, bedrooms, office/writing room or any other room where there are drawers or book shelves that may need cleaning or straightening.

An office/writing room is a good place to begin. First, sort through papers, and purge out-of-date notes, etc., that are no longer useful. Make two stacks or use two boxes - one for papers you plan to keep and one for papers to be discarded. In discarding, be sure to give to recycling if your town has such a system.

In sorting through clothing, you may want to wait until it is time to move those items you will want to bring out for the soon-coming spring. If there are some items you know you will not want for the new season, lay them aside now. Then you can check again when spring arrives to see if any of them might work for the new spring season.

The kitchen is mostly a cleaning of cabinets and drawers, and replacing shelf paper and other items where needed. Plan to get all canned goods, tools, towels and other items placed in the correct space and group.

If your oven is a little overburdened with grease and spills, it probably needs a cleaning; a self-cleaning oven takes care of half the work, and the racks in most ovens need to be cleaned manually. However, there is an easy way to clean the racks by laying them on newspapers, possibly in the basement, garage or laundry room. Next, spray them on both sides with a can of spray-on oven cleaner. After that, place them in a large trash bag, tie it tight with a twist or string and leave overnight. The next morning, the grease and spills should wash off easily in hot soapy water. The racks will be clean and shiny - just like new.

Painting is usually a necessity in some rooms. If you have a small bathroom that is partially wallpapered, you may want to paint the area without wallpaper. If there are too many hooks (not used), and holes where objects were hung by previous owners, those hooks may be removed at this time, and the holes they leave filled with plaster patch. It is also a good time to choose the paint color to coincide with the existing wallpaper.

You may decide to paint another room, possibly the living room just for a change, and to add some new decorative items that coincide well with the existing furniture and design. You might want to shop around now to get an idea as to the type of decorative articles (pillows, plants, paintings, etc.) you like or need. It is better to wait to begin the painting jobs when the weather is warmer so you can open doors and windows for ventilation of fresh air. You can get an early start on the painting jobs, however, by checking out some color charts in paint or department stores, take some home and get a feel for how they will blend with your décor. You will be ready to get started painting when the weather allows.

By doing some of the inside work now, you will eliminate a portion of your spring cleaning now. You will be ready to get outside and begin working on a garden, cleaning windows or just enjoying the out-of-doors sooner.