Is anyone starting spring cleaning? Do you use commercial or home made solutions for deep cleaning?

 

 

I use both home made and commercial cleaners, depending on the job.  One thing I do is, after vacuuming the couch and chairs in the living room, is wipe down the upholstery with white vinegar.  It is amazing the amount of dirt that this will remove and leaves the upholstery brighter and fresh smelling. 
Patrink

What kind of fabric is yours?

I like to use home made when I am doing regular cleaning but I like to deep clean with a commercial disinfectant.

 

 

Brandy, my couch is a coarse blue and white fabric, probably polyester based that looks like cotton but probably isn't.  Two of my wingback chairs are blue damask and one is navy blue damask.  I think most upholstery fabrics nowadays have at least some polyester to resist fading and make it wear longer.  A couple of years ago we had a water spaniel that used to literally wipe herself off on the front of the couch, leaving a brown stain clear across the front.  The wipe down with vinegar took it all off!!  I also use vinegar for my wood painted furniture.  I do like heavy duty commercial cleaners for deep cleaning bathrooms and kitchens etc.
Patrink
EDA:  I have one of those little steam cleaners but I am too chicken to use it!

I'll have to try this one, thanks!

 

I use a commercial cleaner, but just a regular one (nothing fancy) and usually a 'green choice' one with no phosphates etc. I have a deck-scrubbing brush that I use on the linoleum once every few weeks for a deep clean (it has a bit of a texture printed into it that seems to catch the dirt).

I did 'Flylady' for a while so I try to keep on top of the cleaning and not have to do any major jobs, just get into the nooks and crannies that I miss. Also take stuff out of the closets and shake out the dust a bit. 

Spring cleaning?  What's that? :)

maybe we get more time because it snowed last week-

We rug doctored the carpets for Easter, and they will come clean the ducts and dryer vent next week, applying a germicide to the ducts. I'll spray out the permanent furnance filters.  We need to rip up the whole kitchen floor, the water leaked from the fridge and the subfloor is moldy- anyone jealous?  Insurance said it was not covered because it did not happen  "spontaneously."  Any one had luck with insurance companies?  The linoleum store quoted $3400.

Sorting, decluttering, rotating clothes is a weekly battle- so uninspiring.  Dh is a packrat.  

Hopefully you guys will inspire me- what I love is the expensive but delicious smelling Mrs. Murphy's soaps- I do clean more when I have them.   How about lack of discipline?

Tracy 

 

LOL! Well, if I don't spring clean now, it will be too hot soon. This is the time of the year when it's warm enough for shorts but a cool breeze blows.

 On the mold...oh yeah, look here lady, if you have more mold than I do, we have issues. But seriously, how does mold happen spontaneously? It's not like you penciled in a date for it to happen.

Believe me, I am constantly picking up clutter, wiping something off a surface and re-organising some space.  But I need to get into really cleaning out cabinets and such and scrubbing everything from top to bottom. Are you referring to Murphy's Soap Oil and what does it smell like?

 

 

Thanks for this tip of wiping down the upholstry with vinegar. I deep cleaned our bedroom yesterday. We have our couch in there temporarily, until the living room is complete. The couch is a hand me down and smelled like a dog so bad at first that I didn't know if we could keep the couch. I found out that the previous owners had thier dog use this couch to sleep on all day. I want to try this method to see if the couch will smell fresh after all.

Forgive me ( I feel stupid asking this) but how do you wipe down the furniture with vinegar. Do you just wet a cloth with it then wipe it down? Is there a special type of vinegar? The vinegar I have smells horrible.