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Cleaning Up:  Spring Cleaning, Farmhouse Style...  |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 12 2006 : 12:03:39 PM
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It's coming up on that time of year around here - when I work like crazy to get the house in tip-top shape so I can spend the busy spring-autumn seasons outside. How do all of you ladies go about organizing the springtime cleaning ritual? I try to really get things into shape so I can spend the rest of the year (until the holiday season) just doing basic "maintenance" cleaning - nothing crazy like washing curtains. This year, I'm using cleaning products that I make, as well, as I must admit, a little bleach here and there, especially since we've been battling the stomach ick around here for a few days. I'm just starting, and could use a little motivation this year... Any ideas?
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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TejasFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
105 Posts
Dawnn
Bartonville
Texas
USA
105 Posts |
Posted - Feb 12 2006 : 1:25:32 PM
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Hey Libbie - good for you. I always feel better after a good "pre spring cleaning" and I am sure you will, too. I always start with a closet. If something has not been used or worn within 12 months then I put in a donate or recycle pile. I do this with all the closets, drawers and pantry. It takes some time but it is well worth it. I am very interested in making my own cleaning products - what do you use?
Dawnn |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Feb 12 2006 : 1:47:48 PM
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Dawnn,
I have a couple of books that I really like - but my favorite is "Clean House, Clean Planet" by Karen Logan. It has really good recipes in it.
For the most part, I use baking soda, white vinegar, Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds, club soda and essential oils, in various combinations.
I have found that I can clean most things with Sal Suds and baking soda, with a vinegar/water rinse - and I always add essential oils, usually lemon, lavender and orange, because I just like to smell good things when I'm doing the dirty work!
What types of cleaning products are you wanting to make - as in, what do you want to get clean? Maybe I can help...
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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TejasFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
105 Posts
Dawnn
Bartonville
Texas
USA
105 Posts |
Posted - Feb 12 2006 : 6:03:02 PM
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Hey Libbie--countertops are my biggest problem. We have black engineered stone (quartz) with a high sheen -they show every fingerprint and smudge. Our house is on the market so I need to keep them clean all the time and I just hate it! Most the time I just use an antistatic cloth to polich them but looking for something new - all the natural cleaning items are so pricey! I really love lavendar so I would definately want to add some Lavendar oil. I can't wait to sell this house and move to our 4 1/2 acres - the house will have butcher block countertops!! No fingerprints! Thanks for all your advice-I appreciate any recipes you could share.
Take care!
Dawnn |
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catscharm74
True Blue Farmgirl
4687 Posts
Heather
Texas
USA
4687 Posts |
Posted - Feb 20 2006 : 7:23:21 PM
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| I start with all the closets, drawers, underbeds, etc- all those places that stuff gets shoved. Once those are organized, I start with the smallest room in the house and start cleaning and organizing. I try to take as much out of the room as possible and clean it top to bottom and wall to wall and then put back just what I want. I keep boxes somewhere in my house for donate, store, recycle, garbage, etc. I also make space for to do or finish projects- painting, sewing, just finishing something up. I do this in March and after 4 weeks my house is good to go for the next few months. I use all natural store bought products and found the best freshener is elbow grease and open windows!! Good luck!!!! |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Feb 20 2006 : 7:46:57 PM
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| Good old vinegar and water works great on high sheen stone counter tops! :) It cuts the grease and polishes. Basically your counter tops are a black mirror I bet! Also (its not natural but would help) try some Gel-Gloss. It has Caranuba Wax in it and is recommened for marble and fiberglass and such. It puts a protective barrier down (think like waxing the car)so you just have to wipe with a dry rag and stuff just comes right off! |
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl
1045 Posts
Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2006 : 04:40:19 AM
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Who cleans?
I figure spring and summer will come, regardless. I just do the same ol' same ol', and let the seasons come. My house isn't super clean, but I'm serene. 
It sounds like you enjoy yourself, though. More power to ya!
"What another would do as well as you, do not do it. What another would have said as well as you, do not say it; written as well, do not write it. Be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself, and there, make yourself indispensable." ---Andre Gide |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2006 : 10:23:25 AM
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Sorry so late in the return answer of the countertop cleaner stuff - okay, Dawnn - here's an idea that I think will work well on engineered stone - club soda. Yep - just plain old club soda with a few drops of lavender oil in it, since you like that smell. I use it on mirrors and windows, so I am assuming that it will shine your countertops right up.
Lucky you with the upcoming butcher block! I love mine, and one of the advantages is that every year or so - OK, maybe every other year, I sand them down lightly and they are just brand spankin' new!
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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TejasFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
105 Posts
Dawnn
Bartonville
Texas
USA
105 Posts |
Posted - Feb 21 2006 : 5:31:37 PM
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| Thanks for the suggestions Libbie and Alyssa! I will give both a try...can't wait to sell this house!! Keeping it clean with 3 small kids and a dog is nuts. I am looking forward to the new "old" house with concrete floors and slip covers. Take care1 |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Feb 23 2006 : 07:24:02 AM
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Just an update on my spring-cleaning goal of getting it done in February - the downstairs is finished (except for the basement furnace "room," really, a large, square dirt/rock hole...)! I think I'm going to make it!
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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TejasFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
105 Posts
Dawnn
Bartonville
Texas
USA
105 Posts |
Posted - Feb 24 2006 : 2:53:20 PM
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Good for you, Libbie! I bet it feels great to accomplish that. I think I am going to tackle going through the kids' baby clothes this weekend - it is so hard to part with the clothes but I know I am not going to have any more kids and I am sure someone could use them so they will definately go into the donate basket. Good luck with the rest of your project!
Dawnn |
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HollyDee
Farmgirl in Training
45 Posts
Holly
Coburg
Oregon
USA
45 Posts |
Posted - Feb 24 2006 : 4:14:20 PM
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Hey Libbie, good for you. Vinegar has become my favorite cleaner. I even started putting it into the washer machine for the clothes and they come out much cleaner with less soap. Eventually I will make my own soap but that will come later. We have a well and a septic. I read in a library book I borrowed called. Newmans Own Organics guide to a good life. That vinegar kills germs really good. There is 6 of us and we live on acreage with some small animals and It seems to keep things clean. Hard to give up bleach I know but I heard it was bad for the septic and us. So I still keep it around but use it less. Did you use Dr. Bonners? Take Care. Remember to rest.
Holly Dee |
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Jana
True Blue Farmgirl
482 Posts
Jana
Eau Claire
Wisconsin
USA
482 Posts |
Posted - Feb 24 2006 : 7:04:13 PM
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I don't really do anything special to clean seasonally except the outsides of windows and rugs by the door (I do those as often as I can, even on a winter day if its above freezing and sunny so they can dry).
I did pull the stove out and OH DEAR what a mess! I'm in the process of using up some of the expensive store bought cleaners before I use the home made, but I did use vinegar to clean the stove itself and the drawer. A little soda took off some scratch marks made by kettles. I love this!
I tried club soda on a mirror and windows and it really worked great. Now all I need is warm weather, at least near 50, so I can clean outside. My front window is a disaster.
I guess I was raised to do a little cleaning all the time so there isn't so much to do all at once. This spring I have curtain rods to hang and panels to sew as it is! Plus getting raised beds built!
Jana |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Feb 24 2006 : 9:07:40 PM
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Dawnn - That's so funny that you're doing kids clothes this weekend - that's my next area, too. Those little things breed in the chest of drawers, I think! It's really hard to let go of some stuff, for me, too - it is so good to pass things on to people who can use them, however. I just try to remember how much it means to me when my mom gives me some of her old things, which are never THAT old, and I really like them...
Holly - Thanks for the care and rest advice! I took today off and made sure to go over to another farmgirl friend's house for tea (okay, and chocolate!) - I knew vinegar was good stuff, but I haven't used it in the laundry - I'm going to for sure, now, however. It's lambing season around here, and that makes for some DIRTY laundry. Yuck.
Jana - that is so very smart of you to do a little at a time so you don't get overwhelmed. I think I'll head in that direction after this "once-over." I'm glad the baking soca and club soda worked for you - I love them!
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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LJRphoto
True Blue Farmgirl
760 Posts
Laura
Hickory Corners
MI
USA
760 Posts |
Posted - Mar 09 2006 : 7:58:04 PM
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Does the club soda have to be fizzy or can I just stick it in a bottle and use it as needed? I tend to clean a little at a time so I wouldn't be able to use up a whole bottle while it was still carbonated.
I have read that spring cleaning is an outdated notion, but my carpets are seriously dirty from the wet winter and dogs and boots and shoes tracking in damp dirt. Also, I bet that there are a lot of farmgirls out there that have wood burning stoves heating their homes.
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." -Mark Twain
http://ljrenterprises.blogspot.com/ |
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ali2583
True Blue Farmgirl
404 Posts
Alison
Winnipeg
Manitoba
Canada
404 Posts |
Posted - Mar 10 2006 : 10:47:07 AM
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I hadn't really intended to do a full all-out spring cleaning, but I ended up falling into it, since I decided to paint my kitchen. And boy, the tops of my cupboards were dusty! And under my stove, and the baseboards, which run into my living room, and...well, you know how it goes. Now that I have a fresh coat of paint and a clean and shiny house, I'm just waiting for spring to get outside!
"God's gift to you is life. What you choose to do with that life is your gift to God" |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Mar 10 2006 : 9:51:41 PM
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Laura - nope, the club soda can be flat - it works just as well that way (maybe even better!).
I sure hope that spring cleaning doesn't become outdated - it is SO nice to head into the "outside" seasons without the heaviness of big chores to be done inside, too...
I've been using vinegar in the laundry - I think I'm an addict!
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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akcowgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
296 Posts
Valerie
Homer
Alaska
USA
296 Posts |
Posted - Mar 20 2006 : 9:55:48 PM
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This whole post is so funny, i was just on the phone with my mom and she and i are going to get together and clean out my house this weekend. Dp and i are total pack rats so by the end of the winter you can imagine how the closets and storage areas in my house look. Then hopefully when the house is clean we can keep working on it(it is not finished). good luck everyone i will use some of the tip here.
Alaska Girl all the Way |
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bboopster
True Blue Farmgirl
1140 Posts
Betty Jo
West Bend
Wisconsin
USA
1140 Posts |
Posted - Mar 21 2006 : 9:30:38 PM
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HELP!!!! Hello, I new here. I have been looking into Earth friendly laundry soap and it's so expensive. I have been reading about the vinegar you are using. Are you using it instead of laundry soap or with commercial laundry soap. I am looking at switching to makeing my own cleaning supplies and have ordered the book Clean house Clean planet but I'm out of laundry soap today and really don't want to buy a new bottle of that yuckie commercial stuff. Also my husband is a mechanic, he wears a shop coat most of the time to save his clothes but what should I use on oil stains.
Pray for our troops to come home safe and soon.
Enjoying the road to the simple life :>) |
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tiffany01
True Blue Farmgirl
134 Posts
Tiffany
Indiana
USA
134 Posts |
Posted - Mar 26 2006 : 05:40:00 AM
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http://www.uvhhw.org/recipes
I've used a number of cleaning solutions from this site and love them all. (I got the site from this forum last Fall I think). I don't know about vinegar in the wash but I am hooked on MaryJane's hydrogen peroxide solution (in the back of her book) for whiter whites. The directions read: mix 1/3 cup hydrogen peroxide and 2/3 cup water in a glass and add it to your final rinse water. |
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Destiny~
True Blue Farmgirl
195 Posts
Dar
west
TX
USA
195 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2006 : 06:00:07 AM
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I put the vinegar in the dispenser where the fabric softener is supposed to go. Hubby has a bad habit of using too much soap when he washes his uniforms daily so I rarely add any soap when I do my laundry and by adding the vinegar I know that it eliminates all the excess. My machine was a year old in November and even with our extremely hard water there is no film or saopy residue on the glass door.
Bboopster, you might want to try some Murphy's oil soap on the oil stains. Let me know if you do and how it works. |
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bboopster
True Blue Farmgirl
1140 Posts
Betty Jo
West Bend
Wisconsin
USA
1140 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2006 : 06:12:54 AM
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Hello,
I have a front loader machine. Should I use the same amount or less. Thanks for the help.
Pray for our troops to come home safe and soon.
Enjoying the road to the simple life :>) |
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Destiny~
True Blue Farmgirl
195 Posts
Dar
west
TX
USA
195 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2006 : 2:50:38 PM
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Betty Jo, I have a front loader also and it requires less soap then traditional because it also uses less water, especially on the 'enviro' selection or whatever it's called. I fill the dispenser for the fabric softener with the vinegar at differing amounts depending on how full the machine is with clothes.
If you're going to try the Murphy's I would just rub some on the worst stains and then maybe just use very little laundry soap, if any at all. You could try it with a small amount of laundry soap or none at all and see how that does.
I hope this helps. |
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lonestargal
True Blue Farmgirl
607 Posts
Kristi
Texas
607 Posts |
Posted - Mar 29 2006 : 6:05:24 PM
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| If you can find it, I use Fels Naptha soap on my oily and greasy stains. I also use it to clean carpet stains. I can find it in my local grocery store in the laundry section but a lot of stores don't carry it. It's a yellow bar of soap and it's covered in a white paper cover. It's wonderful stuff, lasts forever, and very cheap. I know you can order it online if you need to or if you are interested in trying it, I would be more than happy to send some. |
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ladybugsmom6
True Blue Farmgirl
128 Posts
Tami
Horicon
WI
USA
128 Posts |
Posted - Apr 20 2006 : 09:02:38 AM
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Spring Clean?? HA! It is easier to move! Which we do quite often! But once a year,when we stay that long, the basement must be cleaned/organized so here we go!
-Tami
now ladybugsmom7, the newest farm girl Danielle elizabethwas born March23, Danielle Elizabeth |
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Mar 17 2007 : 11:41:52 PM
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So, it's about that time again - at least around here! 'Hard to believe that it's been a year already, isn't it. Are any of you giving your house the good old fashioned spring cleaning?
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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Cleaning Up: Spring Cleaning, Farmhouse Style... |
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Spring Cleaning, Farmhouse Style...
