Today I’m thoroughly cleaning my dining room, getting it ready for Spring, dinner parties, Easter brunch, Family Night and other celebrations.
QUICK THINGS TO DO TODAY:
- If you’re a coffee drinker, is it time to clean out your espresso or coffee machine? Run a cycle of hot water and vinegar through the machine? Take inventory of your coffee filters – need to add them to your shopping list?
- Made plans for your kids for Spring Break?
- If you’re sending your children to Summer Camp, do you have your reservations in place? Around here camps fill up by April 1st.
- Need to water any houseplants, or rotate them into the sun?
- Set your clocks forward tonight when you go to bed. Don’t forget the clock in your car!
- If you have an overflowing personal email inbox, try to answer a minimum of 10 emails tonight.
TODAY’S PROJECT: Dining Room
My Spring Cleaning project today is doing a full overhaul on my dining room. Because I keep it fairly clean and do something every day or two to maintain it (changing the tablecloth, sweeping, wiping the table, etc) my task today should take less than two hours. That leaves plenty of time for relaxing, visiting friends, going out to dinner, walking my dogs, and the other things I want to enjoy on this rainy Saturday.
Remember that during Spring Cleaning, we’re not just simply cleaning. We’re sorting, repairing, maintaining, and improving. So if you’re taking down your curtains and notice they’re frayed, it’s probably time to take a look at your budget to see where you can make room to buy new curtains. As you’re dusting your baseboards, notice if any are chipped, scratched or stained and need to be replaced. Wiping down walls, look at how your paint job is holding up – is it time to repaint your dining room? Do all your dining chairs have their foot pads so they don’t scratch your floor, or do you need to replace some? Is your heater vent attractive, or is it time to think about replacing it?
Following is my list of things to do to spruce up my dining room today:
- 6 Dining Chairs – Sponge off seats, let them dry, dust wood slats thoroughly, clean off felt pads on feet
- Table – Move to mop underneath; dust thoroughly; set with a lovely tablecloth and fresh flowers
- Floor – Mop wood, take out rug and beat dust out of it outdoors
- Curio Cabinet – Remove items, wash any dirty glasses, dust cabinet, replace items, try to de-clutter and get rid of dishes and teapots I don’t actually use regularly
- Chandelier – Dust, and replace two burned out light bulbs.
- Side table – Dust, replace dead houseplant with a new one, set with a pretty placemat
- Heater vents and baseboards – Dust and clean.
- 2 windows – Wash windows, and get inside the window sill to get it clean
- Curtains – Take down and launder tonight, store in the closet; replace with spring curtains, lighter than the heavy ones I’ve hung for winter
Tomorrow night we’ll eat dinner in a restful, clean, peaceful dining room, set with just enough decor to be homey but not any unnecessary clutter. The dining table gets used every day by my teenager during her study hours, too, making it a very important room in our home.
LOVELY BLOGS: Eat, Drink, Chic
Amy’s blog offers style inspiration, adorable free stationery printables for parties; plus ideas for entertaining, weddings, the home, gifts, food, and fashion. Recent posts include new looks for spring, new spring totes, colorful wedding details, and some chic color-blocked notebooks.
LOVELY LINKS FOR TODAY:
Asparagus and Cilantro Baked Omelet (Worth the Whisk)
Blood Orange Sorbet (Annie’s Eats)
Cabbage Flexes its Muscle 3 Ways (NY Times)
Palazzo Window Treatments for Spring (Interior Styles)
St. Patrick’s Day Recipes (CHOW)
A Simple Tomato Soup (101 Cookbooks)
6 Jawdroppingly Beautiful Alexander McQueen Dresses for Fall 2012 (Glamour)
