Let There Be Light

I can get a little goofy when it comes time for SERIOUS cleaning.  There is the everyday type of cleaning which I do not get too worked up about.  You know what I mean when I say everyday cleaning, I am sure.  Just the basics; make beds, sweep floors, do laundry and dishes, etc.  Then there is the SERIOUS cleaning.  The type of cleaning which is performed prior to house guests arriving. Well, I am in the SERIOUS cleaning mode in preparation for my parents arrival next week.  Dusting ceiling fans, cleaning lamp shades, washing baseboards, etc.

I was busily cleaning and dusting yesterday; humming a happy little tune to myself, when I began working on the lamp shades.  A simple enough activity, one would think.   Remove shades, cart out to the garage and blast with an air compressor.  This works wonders for getting dust out of the strange fabric which seems to cover all of my shades.  It is probably perfectly normal fabric but affixed in such a way that I cannot throw it in the washing machine (my preferred method for cleaning).  While blasting the shades, I noticed the two from my bedroom were showing serious signs of age.  Perfectly normal considering I have had these lamps for at least a decade.  However, normal looking or not, I did not like the aged look.  Neither am I  one to run out and buy a replacement unless I absolutely must.  So I grabbed a can of spray paint and had a little fun.

The shade on the right is what each of these looked like prior to my painting frenzy - yuck.  The left sports a fresh coat of spray paint and a new lease on life.  In just minutes, I was able to transform something old into something not so old, also known as new (to me).

Granted, the odds of anyone commenting on the interior appearance of my lamp shades are slim.  However, it makes me feel better as a hostess to have things as neat and fresh looking as possible.  It is just a thing with me.  Obviously, I have been a homemaker for far too many years and need to get out more.  ;)  But that's a story for another day.

Top Down Cleaning

My parents are coming for a visit!!  You know what that means?  It is time for a thorough cleaning of the house; ceilings to floors, it all gets done.  Having guests over is one of my favorite things.  Not only do I have a chance to visit with family and friends in a relaxed environment, I also use these types of visits to do some serious cleaning.

Today's cleaning begins with the ceiling, namely the ceiling fans.  I love having ceiling fans!  Here in Florida, fans are perfect for keeping a cool breeze flowing throughout the house.  However, they accumulate some serious dust bunnies.  Especially so when I keep the house open throughout the majority of the year.

Several months ago, I was reading household cleaning tips found through searches across the Internet.  And yes, I am one of those oddball people who study cleaning tips.  One of the many clever ideas I kept coming across involved using a pillowcase to clean ceiling fans.  Turns out today was a good day to give it a try.

The instructions are simple.  Turn the fans off (obviously), find an old pillowcase and place it over a fan blade.  Wipe, pull off and repeat.

This clever cleaning trick worked wonders!  Not only was I able to clean the four ceiling fans quickly, the pillowcase trapped the majority of the dust.  Simply stated, the pillowcase trapped so much dust, I did not have to immediately clean the floors and furniture to prevent tracking the fluff throughout the house.  I did however, take the pillowcase outside, turned it inside out and released the dust bunnies back to their natural environment.  ;)  One final note, use a pillowcase you do not need or want.  Ceiling fan dust does not wash out easily.  It stains.

Next on the list of cleaning chores - lampshades.  I have the air compressor warming up as I finish writing this post.  All that is left is to remove the lampshades, take them to the garage and spray them with some air.  Ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom, done!