Spring Cleaning

article by Cindy G. Foust

Spring is in the air BayouLife nation and I hope this column finds our loyal readers basking in the blooming buds and warm temperatures of spring. Actually, spring seems to have kicked off in our region the past few days, with temperatures in the 70s…and then the next few nights, we will be back in the 20s. What in the world?

But it is what it is in this bayou community that we live (that kind of sounds like a country music song,) and pretty soon we will be dying eggs and preparing for graduation. But not this month, no, this month we are just going to enjoy the sites and the sounds of spring. I mean, this time last year we were in the middle of the Snowcopolypse, so at least we aren’t snowed in, right? Right.

But here we all are waiting on the warmer temperatures and looking forward to doing all the things we enjoy. For me, that’s working in my flower beds, grilling out with friends and spring cleaning. Well, that’s a lie… I don’t really like to spring clean, but I am married to Mr. Clean (the real one) and if I don’t get my garage cleaned out, I will have to move back in with my parents. Which might not be so bad, actually, because I know my clothes would be clean and my dinner would be on the table every night when I got home from work. Yeah. Admittedly that’s kind of how things are now, thanks to Mr. Clean.

Anywho, I am making a concerted effort to do some spring cleaning, including cleaning out (I wish I could put that word in capital letters) and getting control of the disorganization that is currently plaguing my life. 

My co-worker walked in my office the other day and I was hiding under a pile of receipts that had been in my purse. And my briefcase. Anybody with me? Listen, I am taking this so serious, that I actually bought poster board and created “rooms” of my house so I would know what I needed to do when I got to each place. Do you have organizational envy yet?

Now, to be clear, I used to be a routine purger, because I do not like clutter, but things have been a little “hairy” at my house over the last months and an organized house kind of took a back seat. And since I was raised that if it wasn’t attached to the floor, throw it out, I decided to spark my motivation, and my family’s, and get the wheels moving. 

Speaking of how I was raised, and while we are on the subject of cleaning, let me just shock the nation by saying that when I was growing up we didn’t even have a dishwasher. As a matter of fact, when my sisters and I left home, my dad bought a dishwasher, a television with a remote control and a riding lawn mower. Man, were we mistreated. Oh, and how lucky was my brother? Yes, Angel and Shelley (my two sisters for those readers who have a hard time staying caught up with me) and I had our housework down to a science… we took turns washing, drying and putting up the dishes (except on Shelley’s night to wash, and suddenly she’d have a stomach ache and disappear to the bathroom for what seemed like hours, and me and Angel would just give up and wash on her night. Looking back on it, that was pretty strategic.); we knew exactly how many lines there were in our yard using a push mower, and divided it up accordingly; and we took turns vacuuming and raking the carpet.

Yes readers, my mom had us rake the carpet after we vacuumed it, but sometimes we would let the vacuum cleaner run, like we were busy bees, but we didn’t actually vacuum the carpet, we would just rake it, so it still had that “just vacuumed” look. We were strategic, astrophysicists before our time. Oh, and speaking of science, my sister Shelley (whom I hope doesn’t read my column, although, that wouldn’t be very sisterly of her), was famous for the science experiments she conducted under her bed. Goodness sakes, she would aggravate the mess out of me and Angel, because when mom did make us “spring clean,” we would have to help Shelley, because she was the youngest and she would cry that she needed help, so we would have to help her disinfect and identify her bowls that were formerly known as milk.

But the good news is, for those readers out there with a Messy Marvin (or Martha), Shelley turned into an excellent and organized house keeper who likes clutter less than I do, so, there’s hope. But this column isn’t about creating little housekeepers, or teaching our kids to clean their rooms, because, well, I just think it’s too controversial of a subject, you know, like whether or not to breast feed your kids, and I really didn’t feel like biting that off this month. I’m not saying I’m not for starting our kids early, but perhaps not as early as some researchers suggest. In fact, I contemplated writing this column on the simple premise of “How To Make Your Child a Good Housekeeper,” but I just couldn’t side with those experts that say we should start our 2 year olds sorting laundry or helping load the dishwasher.

So, instead I decided to stick with what I know, which is cleaning out and organizing, and getting your kids engaged in the process. If I can get my family involved…so can you! To get your project off the ground, start by pumping up the music. Music just puts you in a cheerful mood and if you have the right playlist going, it will be fun to take a few breaks while everybody belts out Y.M.CA. Next, make sure you have plenty of bins and containers, and if you are overzealous (I simply love that word), a label maker. You also want to make sure you have ample cleaning supplies ready for the big job. I would suggest starting with any closets you have in the room and start sorting into piles. Be sure to have a pile near or outside the door that will be headed to the Goodwill store or passed down to younger family members. To me, sorting into piles make the process go smoother and quicker.

Most everything in your child’s room is a candidate for its own storage container and it’s an inexpensive way to keep things organized and just see what you have. Next, be brave readers, and head under the bed (I’m going to make a rhyme every time.) Be prepared, however, for what you might find, including food (or what was once food), loose change, toys, and socks.

Finally, and something that has through the years taken over my kid’s rooms, is their “art” projects. I figured out years ago that you just simply have to part with some of it or you will have to build a new house to store it all. A really helpful idea for me has been to buy a plastic storage container for each year they are in school. Keep it close to where you unload their backpacks, but if it does make it to their rooms, and it will, just let your children help you decide what’s a “keeper” and what’s a “thrower.” As they get older, you will be able to consolidate years into the same bins, but it’s a great way to also store things you want to keep for the year like school programs, pictures, etc. I do realize that some rooms might require you block off an entire weekend rather than a Saturday afternoon. Don’t beat yourselves up. We are all busy and the bowels of a kid’s room can get out of hand quick. Just try to turn the project into a fun filled time as you pry the 1st grade coat hanger pumpkin project out of your 4tIh graders hands! And who knows, the spring cleaning epidemic might just motivate your little helpers to reach outside their rooms and you might come home to your spice drawer being alphabetized! Happy spring cleaning readers, and I’ll see you next month when we might morph this spring cleaning action into a “family” affair and head to the garage which might morph into a garage sale and save my marriage. I’ll keep you posted.

Cindy G. Foust is a wife, mom, author and blogger. You can find her blog at the alphabetmom.com for weekly columns about home life,  parenting, small business stories and insight with a smidgen of literacy. Give her a like or follow on Facebook and Instagram.