Spring Cleaning

Anne here, musing about "spring cleaning," it being that time of year in the northern hemisphere.
And even though it's autumn here in Australia, I've just had a mini-spring clean as well. It's a little bit part of my ongoing decluttering process, but it was also a very definite spring clean, where I went through everything in my old-fashioned walk-in pantry and tossed a lot of stuff out, washed all my storage jars and relabelled those that needed it, and scrubbed down the shelves. And didn't it make me feel good when it was done?

I also went through my wardrobe and put a stack of my summer clothes, and a good few of last year's winter clothes that I no longer want, to be put out to the chartity collection that's coming. And while I was at it, I completely emptied the wardrobe, and wiped it out with a damp cloth, and then again with a cloth sprinkled with lemon myrtle oil. Lemon myrtle (backhousia citriodora) is an Australian native plant which has a fresh lemony scent with a slight eucalyptus tang. My wardrobe smells gorgeous. 

But I don't dare decide to attack the whole house at once. I tend to get a bit perfectionist, and so have trained myself to only do a small chunk at a time. Not for me the whole week of dusting, scrubbing and polishing that my female ancestors used to do. I have vague childhood memories of it. Such a drama — and yes, the house was beautiful and clean afterwards, but . . . a whole week? To clean? Not for me.

These days "spring cleaning" is probably something we do at any time of year, whenever we have an extra-big cleaning session, doing once-a-year kind of jobs — or expecting guests. But in the past, in cold climates, after the long, cold winter months, when people were warmed by wood fires or coal fires, and the dark nights were lit by candles and oil lamps, I can imagine how it must have felt, once the weather turned warm and the sunshine beckoned. People would want to open up the windows to let the fresh spring air through and blow away the stale, wintry fug. And keep the cleaning going.

It would have been irresistible for the house-proud person to turn out the house, scrubbing down walls to remove the soot, smoke-stains and grime, taking carpets and rugs outside to beat with a carpet-beater, washing druggets, curtains and blankets — knowing that the weather was finally warm enough to dry them outside.  (What is a drugget, you ask? A heavy cloth, usually woollen, that was often laid over a carpet to protect it from mud, wear, dropped food or dripped wine. You can see one in this illustration.)

A common final cleanser/disinfectant was to mop and wipe down surfaces with a herbed vinegar mix. And then you'd maybe gather some spring flowers or branches of fresh new leaves  to bring a little bit of spring inside.  And the fresh clean fragrances and the knowledge that everything is clean and free of dust and dirt — it's such a satisfying feeling, isn't it?

Whether it happens in spring or not, almost all cultures have some traditional time for a big "spring clean."  It's often before the new year — the Scots do it before Hogmanay (new year's eve), the Japanese also before the advent of the new year,  the Chinese prepare for their new year with a housecleaning that is also designed to symbolically rid their home of any negativity and any lingering spirits.  Jews do their big spring clean before Passover, when not a crumb remains, Muslims do theirs in preparation for Ramadan, and Orthodox Christians clean house on the first day of Lent in preparation for Easter. 

A survey done by the US cleaning institute found that 72% of US households engage in some kind of spring cleaning, "the bedroom, kitchen and bathroom topping the list of rooms that need attention. In addition, they are apt to tackle projects that typically fall to the bottom of the list, such as windows (79%), blinds and curtains (73%), closets and drawers (71%) and ceiling fans (68%)."

These days, a thorough clean of the house is much easier than it was in the past —unless you had an army of servants doing it, of course. We have so many products and machines that make it quick and easy. And look at that man scuttling away — clearly it was women's work!

I'm not so sure that I would undertake the kind of spring cleaning that many did in the past. They'd start from the top -- of the house, if it was multi-level, and from the ceilings, which would be dusted, scrubbed and maybe repainted or whitewashed. Then the walls, every item of furniture and its contents, and the floors were washed or dusted or cleaned according to the methods available. If boards are very dirty, a handful of unslaked lime thrown into the water assists in cleaning them; or wood-ashes, used with soap, will make the boards very white and sweet.

Stains would be attacked by various means — grease and oil stains might be absorbed by chalk, brick dust and pipe clay, for grass stains people might use alcohol, lemon and onion juice or kerosene, and so on. Each household would have their favored remedies, and once household cookery and advice books began to be published, they contained recipes for various cleaning agents and methods.

Mattresses would be thoroughly aired in the sunshine, and depending on the contents, might be replaced. Mattresses stuffed with cotton or woollen flocking would be emptied and the stuffing, which would have formed into lumps during the previous year would be teased by hand back into softness, and the mattress restuffed and resewn.

Of course, not everyone enjoys spring cleaning. In researching with topic I found a number of pieces written by men and women (and moles) bewailing the advent of spring cleaning. Here's one by American writer Susan Fenimore Cooper (daughter of James Fenimore Cooper) describing the upheaval involved in spring cleaning in Cooperstown, New York in April 1848. It's from this post.

The great spring house-cleaning [is] going on in the village just now, and a formidable time it is in most families, second only as regards discomfort, to the troubles of moving. Scarce an object about a house seems in its proper place – topsy-turvy is the order of the day: curtains and carpets are seen hanging out of doors, windows are sashless, beds are found in passages, chairs are upside down, the ceiling is in possession of the white-wash brush, and the mop ‘has the floor,’ as reporters say of Hon. M.C.’s. Meanwhile, the cleaners, relentless as Furies, pursue the family from room to room, until the last stronghold is invaded, and the very cats and dogs look wretched.

And here's one of my favorites, the opening of The Wind in The Willows:

“The Mole had been working very hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home. First with brooms, then with duster, then on ladders and steps and chairs, with a brush and a pail of whitewash; till he had dust in his throat and eyes, and splashes of whitewash all over his black fur, and an aching back and weary arms….It was small wonder, then, that he suddenly flung down his brush on the floor, said ‘Bother!’ and ‘O blow!’ and also ‘Hang spring-cleaning!’ and bolted out of the house without even waiting to put on his coat.”

So, what about you — do you do an annual spring clean, or do you do it in bits and bobs, as it occurs to you? And do you do it in springtime, or at some other time of year? Or are you with Mole (and some of those men in the pictures) and are all "Bother" and "O blow!" and want to escape it altogether.

Comments

[Mary T]

I remember Spring cleaning. I did not like it. Now I don't do much of my own cleaning at all. You should see me with a vacuum in one hand and a cane it the other.

When you were talking about wiping everything down with a herb vinegar mixture, I remembered that vinegar and water was a common cleanser back in the day. I rediscovered the wonders of vinegar water recently to help me with an ant problem I had. I wanted something non-toxic and it worked pretty well. I still see a renegade ant or two, but the hordes are gone.

[Denise Morris]

Nothing annual, but when a room, drawer or closet begins to overwhelm I attack it. I do move clothing spring and fall and I am really trying to pare it down. My husband does the windows twice a year and mops the floors when they need it, so I have help there. I do find the older I get the less the dust bunnies bother me 😉 I didn’t realize I was using a drugget all those years when I had a large piece of oilcloth under the children’s highchairs at mealtimes. That’s why I enjoy reading your posts, I learn something new every day.

[mary jo putney]

Anne, what a fascinating and terrifying post! Spring cleaning was never A Thing in my family, an attitude I've carried into adulthood. But as you describe the dust and soot of winter, it sure makes sense.

[Margot]

As children we each had our chores and yes we did have one or two days a year in which we had to do a more thorough job throughout the house.
Now I do it bits and pieces. I do like clean widows going into winter and clean them again in spring when the screens are put in. I do not like to clean - too many other things I would rather do. Had to do it all when the there were others sharing this home - now its me and a cat and she does not complain. The job gets harder when company comes as there is more to hide.
I love the old pictures you found and back then they did not have all the new toys we now have to clean the house.

[Anne Gracie]

Yes, Mary, the use of vinegar as an environmentally-friendly cleanser has returned it to popularity. Ants can be a nuisance, can't they? I remember one year during a long drought, ants appeared in my shower recess — they were after the water.

[Anne Gracie]

You sounds wonderfully organized, Denise. I don't wash my windows nearly often enough. My sister does them every month! If not more frequently! A drugget makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?

[Anne Gracie]

Terrifying is the word, Mary Jo. One of my grandmothers was an excellent housekeeper and cook, and it was from actual experience I learned about teasing out the lumps in mattresses, through luckily she only had flock pillows. I think I was about four, but it branded itself on my consciousness.

[Anne Gracie]

Those "toys" are wonderful, aren't they Margo? I could not imagine doing all the things some women did each year, with no labour-saving devices to help. Glad you enjoyed the pictures.

[Sue McCormick]

No, I do not do immense "Spring" cleaning. Before St. Louis rid itself of coal soot, it was a true necessity for the area, so I remember it well.

But I don't have the stamina for it and I DO have the allergies against it. I try to do a corner of each room each week. We don't get that overall freshness, but we don't build up too much clutter either.

[Mary M.]

Charming, just charming! (This post, of course, not the cleaning. ;-/ )

[Annette N]

I do not do the entire house anymore - but like you - when I have done some special place or area - it makes me smile.

And I tried getting rid of sugar ants with vinegar - they laughed at me.

But, I think the shot gun was overkill.

[Teresa Broderick]

I do it in bits and pieces although at times I feel like I'm cleaning all the time. That's what happens when you are a stay at home wife and mother. I always feel like I have to be doing something as I see it as my job. Saying that, I hate housework and get so fed up of it. I treat myself to a good reading session after a days cleaning.
Enjoyed the post.

[Anne Gracie]

Sue, I've never experienced a coal fire, nor lived in a city where everyone was burning coal, but I can imagine that the soot gets everywhere. Doing a corner a week makes good sense, and keeping clutter to the minimum is even better. "stuff" is my weakness.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Mary

[Anne Gracie]

LOL on the shotgun, Annette. Ants can be a pain, can't they?

[Anne Gracie]

Teresa, I'm with you -- housework as a never-ending chore is a drag. Thank goodness you have books to look forward to at the end of it. I remember interviewing a lady once who mixed up her p and f sounds, and she said she worked as a housewipe -- I thought that was the perfect description.

[Janice]

I would much rather read than clean, so guess which I do most.

Somebody here, I think it was, mentioned the "clean as you go" strategy, and I rely on that a lot, so that things don't get too out of hand. Since I never smoke and don't cook a great deal, and I live in LA where the windows can be open all the time, I don't need to go in for the wall washing and detail scrubbing my mother used to do (she was Scots, she fried everything).

I used to worry a bit about how my place would impress visitors, but I decided that they might take it as they find it, after I realized I didn't like things about their places either. People can have flowers on their walls, and I can have movie and science fiction posters on mine, and the universe still turns. But it's fun to see the stunned faces sometimes. And once in a while, some delivery guy goes Omigod, you've got that! I have that too! :)