I don't know if I would consider myself a "clean freak" exactly but I definitely like things neat and organized! Much to the chagrin of my husband who would rather spend his weekends playing WoW (World of Warcraft) or just hanging out the three of us! :)
So this past weekend, after suddenly finding the most energy I've had since the beginning of this pregnancy so far, I broke out the buckets and old washcloths and took to the house. I think I actually like fall/autumn cleaning alot more than spring even though it means the coming or shorter days and colder nights. I love the smells that come with fall, the pumpkin and pumpkin spice, apple and cinnamon.... now I'm drooling.
Do you have a ritual you follow for cleaning, or just kind of go with the flow while saying a prayer or two? Here below are some ideas to start or add to your current cleaning schedule!
The most obvious and probably one of the first things you can do is sweep. With your household broom sweep up all the dirt and dust from your floors or into a nice little pile then suck it up with the vacuum. (My favorite because it gets up more than using a dust pan) Then you can go behind with your magical broom and, with the bristles just barely touching the ground or not at all, sweep away any negativity in each room.
If you wipe counters and cabinet doors in the kitchen or attack the bathrooms like I do, and are looking for an added kick,
dragonkingdoms.com has some great recipes I just recently came across for various cleaning products for around the house. Of course, there's the good old water and baking soda to fall back on too.
For a quick de-odorizer for the toilets in your home, throw one cup of baking soda into the toilet, leave for an hour and then flush. This will not only take care of any odors but clean it as well. You can give it a little scrub along the sides with a scrub brush if you've got anything stuck as well.
Open the windows! Nothing makes me feel better than after a long hot and sweaty summer (because, really, what other kind is there here in Eastern NC? lol) than opening all the windows and letting in the clean freash smell of Autumn. I especially love it when the wind is strong and someone is burning leaves or wood! :) Of course this also helps air the house out if you have any smells from cleaning supplies you want to get rid of.
You can also do a smudging if you would like. Either make your own or grab some from your local store. Light a smudge stick and walk clockwise around each room making sure to get the smoke in each corner. Be careful of ashes though as you - try carrying a plate or bowl with you and hold that underneath your smudge stick.
For me, the last thing I do is make sure I have my Brigid's crosses over each doorway. Right now I have one over the front door, back door and one hanging in my kitchen. Later I will make smaller ones to hang over the doorway for each bedroom. At Samhain I will either burn or take them apart to make new ones for the next year and say a little prayer while hanging each of them up in the house. Not exactly "cleaning" per se, but it's how I finish off. :)
Happy Autumn!
