Spring Cleaning

I can’t wait to start my spring cleaning.  Don’t get me wrong, I hate to clean (ask my husband).  In fact, I’m a distinguished graduate of the “lick and promise” school of domestic science.   Still, this past winter has dragged on so long, I’m ready to get down and dirty.  Gardeners eagerly anticipate the final freeze date; I can't wait until Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day, April 27.  On this day between 9 AM and 2 PM, I (and other Boone County residents) can take my toxic, flammable, and corrosive chemicals to the Boone County Solid Waste Management District Office at 416 W. Camp Street in Lebanon, and they'll dispose of them.

I’ve been reading up on how to fight dirt, clutter and mold.  I started with SoulSpace: Transform Your Home, Transform Your Life.  The title alone sent tidy shivers up my spine.  Transform my life? SoulSpace was a good start:  thoughtful, informative, and, believe it or not, eerie.  Author Xorin Balbes was forced to perform a cleansing ritual after discovering the house he had purchased was the site of a grisly murder.  (Really!  It's documented in Steve Hodel’s Black Dahlia Avenger.)

I then moved on to Spring Cleaning: The Spirit of Keeping Home.  Spring Cleaning is very short (less than 90 pages), but attractively packaged with good advice for cleaning every corner of your home.  From there I dipped into Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life and let author Gail Blanke cleverly coach me on how to eliminate my life’s “plaque.”  Still on my "to read" list is What's an Organized Person to Do? 317 Ideas, Tips, and Lists to Unclutter Your Home and Streamline Your Life by Stacey Platt.  After that, I should be ready for The Pocket Idiot’s Guide to Garage and Yard Sales by Cathy Pedigo and Sonia Weiss and The Essential Guide to a Successful Garage Sale by Bryan J. Mangam, two helpful primers on staging a successful yard sale.