There are a few big cleaning jobs that I have been putting off for quite some time, but with Muski’s birthday on the weekend I now have the last minute kick up the bum and motivation I need to tackle them. So if I am scare around here this week it could well be because I am up to my elbows in cleaning or perhaps that I have succumbed to the fumes of some terrible chemical cleaner as I try to get the house all sparkly and shiny for the visitors.
Actually I don’t think our house will ever be all sparkly and shiny. Our house is old. It’s a Californian bungalow which was shifted out here from the suburbs of Melbourne about six years ago. It has so many beautiful old features, it has a tonne of character, but it is a little bit old and shabby around the edges and not super easy to keep clean. So, shiny it may never be, but I am hoping for the majority of it to be tidy and clean by the weekend, which has probably not happened since we moved in, so it is going to be mighty a big job!
Bath Ring?
Have you read The Cat in the Hat Comes Back? Do you remember the pink ring the cat leaves in the bath?? Well we have one just the same, except ours is blue.
The Baldy Boy thinks it is something that came through the new solar hot water service when it was first put in that has stained our ancient enamel bath with a blue ring and blue streaks here and there. I’ve tried a few half hearted attempts to get it off with little success. I try not use horrible chemicals (we have a clear water septic system so it really isn’t a good idea to fill that full of chemicals that will kill all the poop eating bugs) but I even resorted to bleach a while back, which didn’t budge it.
Short of getting the Cat in the Hat to bring is ‘little cats and their voooom’ to get rid of my ring I am thinking of forking over an obscene amount of money for a fancy bathroom cleaner and giving that a go. Can anyone recommend something that might actually work?
Dust and De-cobweb
Being an old house we have pretty high ceilings (though not as high as in our last house!) and living out in the country we get a lot of bugs and therefore a lot of Daddy Long Legs who like to live in the corners of my ceilings. Add to that the wood burning heater which seems to circulate a fair bit of dust and I really need to get up high and get rid of the cob-webs and the dust of all the odd surfaces around the place. The tops of windows, the ceiling fans, the door frames.
I quite like to vacuum, or at least I would, if it didn’t involve a screaming child clinging to my leg while I did it. Muski is just like his sisters at this age, petrified of the vacuum cleaner. I still think that the vacuum is the best way to go to get cobwebs and to dust though, especially for high places. I usually get one of those swiffer floor sweeper cloths and elastic band it over a small vacuum attachment (like the upholstery one) and then go to town on the dust….. I just need to find a way to not scare my child in to a panic every time I do it.
Walls
With three small children and me in the house, our walls are a bit grotty to say the least. We are a messy bunch, so there are dirty hand prints, the odd splash of bolognaise sauce not to mention the odd crayon master piece on our walls. At least there was all those things in our walls… the other day I gave the girls a damp cloth each and a little spray bottle of watered down detergent and told them to clean the walls. They had a ball and now my walls are sparkling – well up to the head hight of my four year olds anyway!
There are other things I probably should tackle before the weekend but I have to admit I can’t see it happening…. so if you are coming to Muski’s birthday can you please not mention how filthy my windows are, and just don’t open the oven ok?
So what are the ‘big cleaning jobs’ that you always put off? And what is your best tip for tackling these jobs?
Wow those are some big jobs good luck!
I had to laugh about your vacuuming problems. I have a fantastic new upright Dyson vac but I hardly ever use it because my 2 cats are so terrified of it; if I vacuum they slink around the rest of the day giving me dirty looks and I feel so bad! (Of course if they didn’t drop fur in the first place I wouldn’t need to vacuum so often…)
Maybe before you fork out for expensive bathroom cleaner, try a paste of bi-carb soda? It’s supposed to work well, though I haven’t tried it myself. But I think if bleach won’t get it off, you might not find anything that does…. Our bath has a bit of a staining problem too, I can get it off with bleach, but after a time, it always comes back in the same spot, so it’s never really gone I guess. Also, I heard that vinegar and lemon juice are good natural cleaners, but in what proportions, I’m not sure (maybe try Google).
My big cleaning things that I always put off are dusting, and cleaning the vents of exhaust fans! I hate doing that stuff. Really hate the way dust settles over everything all the time, I wish it would stop!!
oh the windows …inside and out , the window tracks . I have to clean too before the teen’s party and then the Twins … less than two weeks.
I need ideas.
No idea except gumption for the bath and ‘magic eraser’ (serious it’s a product ) maybe ?
I did my oven/grill and microwave convection Sunday – 2hrs it took me …then the Toolman puts pizza to reheat with no trays …
we can keep each other inspired.
It costs a bomb but enjo marble paste is really awesome for stains – Audrey had some metallic pom poms get wet that stained the tub and the marble paste recovered it nicely. It’s a really great environmentally friendlier “hard core” cleaning product – great for stove and ovens, does soap scum brilliantly etc :)
My walls and windows are grotty too, I won’t notice LOL
Well done for your efforts so far. Good idea getting the girls to clean the walls. Must try that one.
I used to HATE cleaning my oven, mostly because of the oven cleaners. Then I found out that a small bowl of ammonia and a bowl of boiling water in a warmed oven (turned off) overnight works wonders. Just let the fumes escape before you start cleaning, but nearly everything just wipes off! It’s a miracle.
My stove top is another story…how do you get black stuff off the burner rings?
Hmmm… my “heavy duty cleaner” is washing powder, cold power or drive, a small amount tipped straight onto a damp sponge and a bit of elbow grease, works a treat on the bath.
Good luck.
I have these (dreadful) thin ventian blinds that love nothing more than to gather dust. I have been putting cleaning these off for ages. I cant even commit to doing them now, I hate it so much!