Forced to Fall Clean

What to do you get when you mix a germaphobe and a clean freak? ME!!! There is nothing I hate more than germs and messes. And if you ask me about germs you are going to get the ideas like a toddler is talking to you. For some reason when I think of germs I still think of them as little bugs that are always around and all you have to do is kill them and they are gone. So what do I do to kill them? Anything!

This weekend we had gone to a gallery show for my father-in-law and my son was on an eating frenzy. He ate a corn dog, french fries, a ton of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and some crepes. When we pulled up to our house he threw up a little. Poor guy. Then I went and unbuckled his car seat and he suddenly turned into the exorcist. Puke going all over the car seat and myself. I was fine with it because I knew that I could wash everything, but I felt so bad for the little vomit possessed kid.

As I carried him up the stairs, both caked in vomit, and his car seat (also vomit soaked) I thought that it was a great time to start some deep fall cleaning.

So clearly I started with his car seat. We have a Britax Pavillion and I will tell you that was the easiest thing in the world to clean. Everything came right off and we were able to throw it right into the washing machine. I couldn’t find washing instructions online and the thing was too covered to try to find washing instructions on it. So I washed it on a regular cycle in cold because I didn’t want it to shrink. And drying it was tumble dry on a low heat. It came out like it was brand new. And the best part was, it was also easy to put back together. My wife had taken some of the cover off before I could get to it and I am one of those people where if I don’t take it off I don’t know how to put it back on. Fortunately this was not the case because it was so easy to reassemble.

I then decided that it was time to deep clean the babies room. Moving all the furniture to clean the floor boards, vacuum everywhere, wiped down all the toys and walls. I also made sure that all the clothes that we have in there are ones that he is currently fitting in, or going to grow into. Otherwise I packed it up because there is no reason for stuff that he won’t be wearing to be taking up room for new stuff, right?

Now, the master bedroom. Normally I would take everything out of the closet, make sure we still wear it or will wear it, and make sure everything is clean. Well, we recently did that, so I knew that we were good in there and also the drawers. I moved all the furniture out of the room, wiped down all the floor boards and walls, and vacuumed everything. Who knows what bugs could be in there and where they could be hiding. I always have dreams that bugs like to play hide and seek with me and I never win. I can’t ever find them. Well, I cleaned out the whole room so there was no place for them to hide.

As far as the other rooms go, I try to clean them as usual, but moving stuff around just to freshen up the place. I also love cleaning with the windows open. Letting that crisp fall air blow through the house makes things smell so fresh and it also blows new ideas into my home and all the old out the window.

I feel like the laundry tends to be missed, so make sure during fall you don’t let it slide by. Even with all the laundry that I did this weekend of cleaning all the bedding, blankets, and towels I still make sure to clean up the laundry room. I always feel like the rooms that you clean things in should always be the cleanest: bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room. Give the laundry room a little TLC if you haven’t lately. I like pulling the washer and drier out, cleaning out the tube with the lint, and just wiping down the whole back of the machines. Then I push them back, give the machines a good wipe down, and make sure the entire room is neat and organized.

And there you have it. Now your home will be fall fresh and you will love being inside more especially during those windy blustery nights.