The Spring Cleaning Checklist 1.0
5 Comments Published by Joel March 19th, 2007 in Chores. Share This
In the spirit of “The Wardrobe,” help me build a checklist of once-a-year spring cleaning duties that we should all get off our asses and do before the warm weather causes a toxic bloom of bacteria and funk from our winter sloth.
• Change batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
• Change water filter.
• Change furnace, AC, and any other air filters.
• Beat rugs.
• Clean and store winter clothes and bedding.
• Order plants and seeds for gardening. (Just you wait until next week’s theme.)
• Wash windows.
• Start brushing animals.
• Polish hardwood floors.
• Organize shelving.
• Clean garage.
• Clean attic.
• Clean out freezer and refrigerator.
• Check fire extinguishers.
• Wash deck and driveway.
• Trim trees.
• Change oil in cars.
This feels pretty haphazzard. Some things like “change oil,” for instance, should probably be done more than once a year, while “brush pets” is really more a “get ready to do this every day for the next three months” thing rather than a one-time job. Feel free to strike out as well as suggest “must do” chores.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve still got 9 foot high snow banks in front of my house :) But I’ll put this list on my fridge for late April… or mid May….
J.
Locate screens and prepare to replace storm windows. Check for rips or holes in the screens and replace as necessary.
If you’ve got a wood fireplace or a wood stove, clean the ash out of it and possibly call a chimney sweep. If you have a gas fireplace, at some point you might want to turn off the pilot light and close the gas valve so you’re not drawing gas all summer.
Go through all the stuff in your kitchen and get rid of the tools you don’t use. Check the pantry for non-perishables that are past their prime. Dented cans, stale croutons, moth-infested flour, etc should all be tossed.
Great list! You should add a Checklist category because I hate to fucking search. ;)
Go through your medicine cabinet and first aid kit. Toss all the scary old tubes of antibacterial goo and be sure to get rid of expired medicines (both prescription and OTC). You’ve probably got like 3 bottles of antibiotics that you never finished taking – throw em out! I usually then go through and make sure I restock all the standard first aid stuff that got used up over the year.
Screw brushing the animals every day for three months–you got it right the first time. hold them down and brush them ’till there’s nothing left but whiskers and trauma. No more shedding!