A Ten Minute Solution to Spring Cleaning

Posted on 12 May 2010

Today’s guest blogger really needs no introduction, but we love her so much she gets one anyway. It’s Elizabeth Owen of Mabel’s House blog! Elizabeth, a contributing writer for At Home (see her work here and here) joins our Spring Guest Blogger Series with her philosophy for, you guessed it, spring cleaning! Read on as Elizabeth, ever so witty, is sure to have you rolling with laughter…

There’s nothing like the early morning coo of doves outside my window and a coat of pollen turning my white car pale yellow to alert me spring has officially arrived. Every year at this time I find myself overwhelmed with an urge to redecorate my house. I plant caladium bulbs, take a deep breath of fresh air and think about airy window sheers and white painted furniture a la a seaside summer cottage. But then I realize, “I can’t redecorate! I have to clean this rat’s nest first!”

Spring cleaning, we all dread it. What shape is my house in? I’m ashamed to say there are a few hidden pine needles from the Christmas tree lurking in the corner of the living room. The floors need to be scrubbed, the windows washed and don’t even get me started on the refrigerator. It’s a mixed bag of horror with a mysterious Tupperware container in the back that my husband and I are currently having a standoff over, each of us refusing to take responsibility for the offending item.

I’ll admit, as a busy working woman, cleaning often gets the best of me. I’m far too stingy to hire a house keeper. When it’s all said and done I’d rather bite the bullet and clean, giving myself the cash. After all, Target’s new spring Liberty of London line is calling my name. But still, it’s daunting to consider losing an entire Saturday of gorgeous spring weather to wash the curtains, replace shelf liners and scrub grout with a toothbrush.

And so I’ve been pondering spring cleaning. It feels insurmountable. But whenever I think about the concept of true ‘cleanliness,’ I think of my grandmother, Meme.

Meme is a fascinating woman. In my opinion, she’s always had one foot in two different generations. For the first part of her life she was an ironed, pressed, high-heel wearing housewife who ran a tight ship and cooked every day. As my uncle says, “Her floors are so clean you could eat off them.”  The second part of Meme’s life started when her children were in high school and college. She got her first job and eventually became one of the most successful jewelry saleswomen in the Dallas area.

It’s the ‘working woman’ phase of Meme’s life that I remember. I recall her perfectly manicured nails, long with a pale coat of pink polish. I recall the click of her heels down the long hallway of her house, a purse in one hand, a pile of laundry in the other.  Meme’s cleaning philosophy was simple, “Do a little everyday and life won’t sneak up on you.” Ten minutes before she left for work I could find her loading the dishwasher. Ten minutes after she got home she dust mopped the kitchen floor and swiped the baseboards in the hallway. With her ‘ten minutes here, ten minutes there’ philosophy Meme kept her sanity and a clean home.

I’d like to say I’m as chic as my grandmother. But sadly, my nails are often chipped as I run screaming from the house, “I’m late for work! What’s that smell? I don’t have time to take the trash down!” But I think Meme’s philosophy is truly genius. Do I mind folding laundry for a few minutes each evening? No. Do I mind a two day marathon of vacuuming, ironing and bleaching? Yes.

So this year I’m taking a different approach to spring cleaning. I won’t lose an entire Saturday. I won’t slave away to the fumes of Pine Sol for an eight hour stretch. I’ll just do a little cleaning in the morning, a little cleaning in the evening, and if I’m feeling particularly energetic, an hour on the weekend. Because let’s face it. We’re all far too busy to maintain a June Cleaver level of clean. It’s superhuman. It’s unreasonable. It’s boring.

So happy spring ladies. Set your stove timer for ten minutes. Clean as much as you can. And when the buzzer rings put away your feather dusters and do what we all want to do, sit back, sip some iced tea, read a decorating magazine and plot your next redecoration project.