Winter has finally arrived in our little corner of the world; compared to those in more Northern locales winter in Arkansas can be fairly mild (by mild I mean dealing with cold and the occasional slick roads instead of piles and piles of snow).
I read yesterday that it’s something like 78 days until Spring, so it will be over before we know it.
In the meantime, winter has it’s own merits; roaring fires in your fireplace, fuzzy socks, hot chocolate or cider, and reasons to randomly snuggle up under a blanket while binge-watching Netflix.
In this Chick’s opinion, all the above makes winter my favorite season, even trumping fall, which is absolutely gorgeous for scenery of course.
But there is one thing about winter that makes it an inconvenient season, an element that can make keeping your dwelling tidy and sharp-looking an exercise in futility . . .
Seriously, Winter; what is with all the dust?
Winter is the worst time for dust- it feels like an uphill battle to keep your floors clean and orderly (even more-so than usual for me, who is constantly sweeping up behind a toddler and two dogs, one of whom sheds like OMG). You can think you’re doing alright and then you look around during the sunniest part of the day and realize it’s coating everything in your house; your floors.
Your windowsills.
Your baseboards.
You.
Didn’t you JUST dust like a week ago?
So why does it look like it’s never happened before?
No fear; this happens to everybody, and you don’t have to abandon all hope or become a slave to your can of Pledge.
I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I am happy to share that will help you combat the dust and spruce up your humble abode in no time at all.
- Go in a specific order. I always dust my surfaces (end tables, furniture, what have you) first and allow the dust and debris to fall where it may; this is no big deal since my grand finale is always a sweep and mop. I use Pledge since they make the promise that they control dust and allergens right on the can- is this true? I don’t know. But as is the case with most cleaning products I use, it seems to work and it smells good.
2. The baseboards and windowsills are next, and they always seem to be the problem children; when I’ve tried spraying them with furniture polish or cleaner and wiping them down I seem to spend 3 times as long pushing dust (and hair, yuck) around which feels like it isn’t worth my time. Then I read a life-hack post about cleaning that made an awesome suggestion so bizarre that I just HAD to try it; wiping windowsills and baseboards down, dry, with dryer sheets. No kidding. The anti-static element apparently attracts the dust and debris to the sheet and leaves behind enough of it’s anti-static mojo to repel dirt and dust; this will also help stretch time between cleanings. I get all excited and giddy and run to give it a shot- and it WORKS, yo. It gets all of that crap off the places you want it off of in like 3 seconds; no more fruitlessly pushing the goods around in a pool of cleaner. Plus, they smell good- pick your poison.
3. And this is the home stretch; time to sweep (and mop, if necessary). Of course there is no replacement for the thorough nature of wielding a broom for getting all that collects (or is tracked in) off our floors. But in the winter, you almost have to have a little more help getting all those hopping (and swirling in the forced air heat) dust bunnies up; again, we’re all busy so time is of the essence, right? My heftiest weapon to keep winter outside where it belongs (and off my pretty floors) is my Swiffer Sweeper. Not the fancy Swiffer Wet Jet, but just the plain dry sheets you tack on to the low-techy techy Swiffer Sweeper stick. It also attracts dust and hair similarly to the dryer sheet trick, helps you get in corners, and makes getting the dust off the stairs a cinch as it’s so lightweight. It can help stretch time between mopping, saving time and effort, but still keeping our houses as gorgeous as we are.
And really, that’s it!
All of that can be knocked out in less than 15 minutes; it keeps Winter outside where it belongs (and off the inside of our homes) and gives you more time to enjoy the beauty of the season (if you are able to see it through your lust for Spring).
Until next time, all!
Love,
The Chick and her Chickadee