Spring Cleaning

March in Maryland...warm one day, cold the next. The trees are blooming, though, so it is definitely spring. The Guidos have been cleaning up around the house a bit. We've done a little bit each weekend as to not be overwhelmed. Some may call it spring cleaning, I just think it's a nice opportunity to purge. It only takes a quick glance at shows like "Hoarders" on A&E or "Hording: Buried Alive" on TLC to make you pick up your Swiffer and start filling trash bags.

Credit: TLC

That's enough to make anyone queezy. So what have we been up to? Well, as part of our normal routine, each weekend we like to tackle a bit of vacuuming, bathroom wipe downs, and the kitchen surfaces. But, here's what we've done that's a bit more rare and a part of our spring cleaning:

1. Dumped out all my clothing drawers, removed anything I hadn't worn in a while or didn't fit for donation, and neatly placed back everything that was still good. Similarly, I went through my closet and pulled out anything I don't wear anymore. I packed up two trash bags for donations. I'm still bugging Joe to do the same.


2. Went through all the paper work we've been acquiring of the years - old bank and investment statements, receipts, insurance statements, etc. and PURGED! I'd say 75% of it ended up shredded and in the trash.

Credit: Costco

3. On a different note, well past the time of our builder doing any more work on our place, the condo is still settling. Which means, things that were once perfect are no longer. Specifically, all the molding around the stairs (and boy do we have a lot of stairs) was coming away from the wall. Example:

Credit: greenspirationhome.com

In some places this was just a tiny crack, in others I could stick a pencil in the crack between the molding and the wall. So, being the handy woman that I am (ha!), I got out some spackle and went to town. Success!
We also cleaned all the molding from the 1st to 4th floor - want a clean house? Don't have a black cat...

4. Similarly, I got out touch up paint and went after all the scuffs on the walls, specifically in the stairwells.

5. Found the hose a home. Silly, I know, but it has made a big difference in our garage.

Credit: Walmart

And now I'm on my way downstairs to pull the appliances away from the wall and vacuum behind them. I also want to make sure the dryer vent is clean and change the filter for the furnace.

This post written in hopes of inspiring others to throw some sh*t away!