Cleaning with grandmother Upstairs

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This is my grandmother: Valborg. I love this picture. I choose this picture even though it had nothing to do with cleaning. You see, there was more to her then just cleaning. It often is.

But today the focus lies on cleaning.

Even though she was not a housewife she took a lot of pride in keeping her house spotless. Twice a year she and her family made an real effort making the house smell and look wonderful. I will now tell you how she used to clean. I am not saying that you should do this, but it really inspires me, and it might inspire you to. I have divided this post in two parts. I call the first one Upstairs it will contain: Wardrobes and bedrooms. And the second part Downstairs is Kitchen, Bathroom, Living room.

Here goes:

Upstairs

Start in your wardrobes. Empty them on clothes and wipe the walls, ceilings and floor with a damp cloth.  Sort out all your winter clothes, like heavy coats and boots.  Clean them as good as you can. Wash them or take them to the cleaners. Grandmother hung them outside in the fresh air all day. Then she brushed them with a clothes brush. Don´t forget to turn the pockets inside out for a good brush too. Clean and prepare your boots for storage.

While you are in the closet see if there is anything you want to donate or sell.

Once it is clean hang it all back. Put your winter gear in storage or in coat bags. Don´t forget moth repellent if the coats are made of wool.

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Once you are done with the closet move on over to the bedrooms. Empty your beds and take all the pillows and covers outside. Let them hang there all day, and when night comes they are nice and cool.

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There are a few things that should be done in every room.

Start by moving all the furniture to the middle of the room, or even better into another room. It is so much easier then.
And open all the windows.
Remove everything loose. Take curtains, sheets and table cloths and throw them in the washer (grandmother did not have one back in the 40´s, she washed it by hand) and wipe or wash everything else in the kitchen sink. Don´t forget the pictures on the wall.

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Wipe all the surfaces with water and soap. Start from the top. Ceiling and walls, and all the furniture.
Don´t forget lamps, radiators, and doors.
Vacuum what you can. Stuffed furniture such as beds and sofas.
Clean the windows and the window frame.
Vacuum the floor and scrub them by hand using a brush and a rag.
Since grandmother did not have Spotify I am sure she had the radio on, and don´t forget to snack on something every now and then.

PS: I usually keep a notebook and a pen at hand, because for some reason i get so many great ideas while cleaning. =)

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This is how I want my bedroom to feel when I am done cleaning. Fresh and clean. This is from the visit at Anna´s house.

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Or like at Sara´s house. From this visit.

12 Comments

Join the discussion and tell us your opinion.

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Jodi Anderson
April 27, 2010 at 17:59

These posts on cleaning are SO inspiring.

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Monika
April 27, 2010 at 18:13

‘Don´t forget lamps, radiators, and doors.’- I hate these things. Vacuuming or cleaning the windows is so obvious, but these seem to be totally unnecessary though you can not avoid them.

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christina
April 27, 2010 at 18:18

I love this post!
And the first photo of your grandma ist so wonderful it almost made me cry! – honestly.

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Minna
April 27, 2010 at 19:17

Nice, I love the attitude you have. I should also make a spring cleaning.

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Ccino
April 27, 2010 at 19:45

This actually was inspiring. I love the oldfashioned ways of the grandmothers, although I’m a bit too lazy to do so myself ;)

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Nix
April 27, 2010 at 21:28

Some of my fondest memories are of cleaning with my mom or watching her clean.
I just found your blog and adore it.

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AK
April 28, 2010 at 13:18

Jag trodde att fotot på gavelen var Mormor och Morfars hus, tills jag såg Franks mobil, det gula täcket är väl till och med från dom.

Hah ja precis det e ju vårt hus. Täcket är från Jens släkting Ella.

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Cleaning with grandmother Downstairs | DosFamily
April 28, 2010 at 16:48

[…] the list of stuff from the last post, there are many things that my grandmother did when she cleaned her kitchen. Here they […]

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nath
April 28, 2010 at 19:14

Valborg is SUCH a beauty. you definitely look like her.

and i love all this cleaning lark. i did a lot of Spring cleaning a few weeks back and it was SO satisfying. however, i did miss a trick by a) not listening to Footloose and b) not wearing high heels. but next time, next time will be different.

and hello Jenny, it seems like ages since we last ‘spoke’!

Jenny: Yes it was a long time ago. My bad I know.Did you want me to hook you up with those origami faces?

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nath
April 30, 2010 at 17:02

hook me up! yeah! tell me what you need me to do! thanks, that might be timely as i think Iris is about to get chicken pox!!

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Jonas
May 8, 2012 at 10:55

Det där är väl Gunnel? Alltså borde jag vara bra på att städa.

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Jenny Brandt
May 9, 2012 at 09:18
– In reply to: Jonas

Jonas: e du inte det då?