Why do we love Spring Cleaning?

So many emotions are conjured up by the phrase "Spring Cleaning". I can still see my mom's Spring Cleaning face with a little dust on it and a "glow"; women in Hahira (that's in South Georgia for the uninitiated) do not sweat.

I recall her beauty, and her religious fervor against uncleanliness and sloth; this fervor rose to a fever pitch in Spring. So, I became an expert cleaner at an early age.

I know I've told you this before, Mom, but thanks for teaching me how to clean. Next time we visit I'll bring my squeegees and you can make the sweet tea.

Ladders

Ok, this blog entry is only for the men. No offense to the women, but today I have a message just for the men.

Gentlemen, I know you can handle that ladder. You have the skills and experience to place it safely against the side of the house, level it out, and climb is like it like a flight of stairs. In fact, your wives, girlfriends, neighbors, significant others, and children already know that you are manly enough to suspend off of the highest reaches of your ladder and clean the furthermost windows on your own. They also know that the cleaning job you do will be superior to any service you could purchase.

Heights? You ain't afraid of heights. Safety? Pshaw, you've never had an accident before. Besides, all those safety rules are for stupid people.

(Sidebar)

Ladies, I know you are still reading . . . Let him know you don't question his manliness. Tell him that the neighbors don't question it either, and in fact the kids admire his machismo. He is strong enough, has great ladder and squeegee skills, etc. Just tell him how you think that his precious time is of greater value doing other things. (You know, things that don't involve ladders and cleaning.) Relay to your man that if you happen to call schedule Hardwick Window Cleaning to tackle the windows at your home, well it is not an insult to his male ego or his testosterone-laden thought process.

(End Sidebar)

Anyway, men, you don't need it, but if you are too bored or otherwise preoccupied to clean the windows, you can call. 706 - oh heck, nevermind. . . Well, wait. Dad always said I should finish what I started, so here's the number, 706.248.7051.

Your Friend,
Steve

Look at your windows at night (I'm serious.)

I ate dinner tonight at one of the restaurants that has me clean its windows once a week. This downtown Athens, GA restaurant has very large windows. Some of the largest windows in Athens.

I tried to hide my glances, but I peered up periodically to see if I could locate any areas that required a touch-up. I couldn't find any, but I digress. How can you test to:

A) see if your window is already really clean, or
B) determine if your windows need a good cleaning.

The test of a really clean window is to look through it at night. Look from both sides of the window (the inside and the outside . . . but you knew that). When it is dark outside, the inside lighting will often reveal any marks or dirt on the windows. Simply move window treatments out of the way and look at your windows. You may see plenty of things that don't belong there. Then walk outside when it is still dark and look into the lighted windows. Any smudges or dirty build-up on either side of the glass should be easily seen.

Homemade Cleaning Wipes

Here is an article about how to make your own cleaning wipes that we are going to try out over the next week or so and see how it works.

I want to make both a general cleaning wipe and a window cleaning wipe (since my job is cleaning windows I am a bit skeptical about this last one). Hmmm. Wonder if I can make one to clean our little girl still in diapers - or am I being crazy?

Stay tuned to see how these wipes turn out.

Try it and let me know how it works for you, then post your thoughts here.

Got a make-your-own recipe to share? (It doesn't even need to be original to you.) Post it here.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Soon after starting my window cleaning business my wife decided we should make our own clothes washing detergent. I wash a heap of very dirty towels every evening, and often they are heavily soiled or even worse . . . greasy. These towels require a little something extra to get really clean, and the store-bought detergent was only doing an mediocre job removing the stains.

My wife found a homemade laundry detergent recipe on a blog (click here) and whipped up a 5 gallon batch super cheap. Result? Towels cleaner than I had gotten them in months, and after a few washes even some of the old stains started to fade. It was inexpensive and easy to make. The cost savings is a bonus, but the job this detergent does on all our clothes is what gets me excited.

Try it and let me know how it works for you, then post your thoughts here.

Got a homemade cleaning 'recipe' to share? (It doesn't even need to be original to you.) Post it here.