Spring cleaning is about clearing the cobwebs from your ceilings ö and your head

By Darlene Gunther, Special Advertising Sections Writer

Let's face it: Nobody wants to read about spring cleaning, let alone actually do it.

But clean, we must. And vacuum. And scrub. Because even though there are persistent rumors that people aren't the slaves to their homes that they once were (because, hey, we work outside the home now), most people still spend at least two hours weekly on housework. And a dutiful 40% of the population put in at least four hours weekly attacking bathroom scum and refrigerator grime.

Those numbers come from a recent Yankelovich Partners survey conducted for the makers of Zep Commercial cleaning products folks who can take delight in scrubbing statistics since their livelihoods depend on them. But for the rest of us, let's face it, the chore of cleaning is, well, a chore.

To start spring cleaning, make a list of products you will need to buy. Photo courtesy of ãSpring Cleaning, The Spirit of Keeping Homeä

So here are some tips from the experts (with commentary by a consumer, me) on how to make the task easier, more relaxing, and yes since this is California, it must be addressed even somewhat spiritual:

Don't think of spring cleaning as it was traditionally approached, as an all-or-nothing operation, writes Monica Nassif in "Spring Cleaning, The Spirit of Keeping Home." You can do a little at a time — after all, it's your life and you can do whatever you want.

Get started by writing a list of all that needs to be done, said Nassif. Then have a cup of Earl Grey to lower your stress. Then make a list of all the products or tools you need so you just have to shop once. And don't just buy the old standbys, said Ruth Kelty, a Home Depot interior designer. You could save a lot of time and energy by purchasing one of the new robotic floor vacuums or hand-held steam cleaners.

Change your mind-set about housekeeping before getting under way, Nassif advised. See the job not as dirt busting, but an extension of cleaning yourself. Consider it a mental cleaning that will clear the cobwebs from your head as well as from your ceilings. Nassif considers it a way to celebrate the new season. Sure, sounds Pollyanna-ish, but a calorie-burning cleaning "party" could give you a better outlook.

Before starting, open the blinds and crank up the stereo. Nassif likes opera for the big jobs, soul for organizing drawers and rock 'n' roll for washing windows. (Bruce Springsteen works for her — and me, too.)

I experimented with my own winter-into-spring transitional ritual — the spritzing of the room sprays and the lighting of the candles. (Candles, I think, give any day a sense of occasion.) I started the morning with a hearty pine and peach scent (Winter Forrest by L'Occitane en Provence) and welcomed the afternoon sun with an intoxicating floral (Burn's Gardenia Absolute candle).

And although I didn't do a May Dance after I scrubbed the toilet, using Caldrea's green tea patchouli Toilet Polish made the job pleasant, and having the sweet fix of Fresh's Sugar candle burning in the bathroom kept me going.

Which brings us to the new products! Smart women like The Good Home Co.'s founder/CEO Christine Dimmick and Nassif — who is also president and founder of Caldrea Co. and Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day brands — keep coming out with "aromatherapeutic" products that don't destroy nasal membranes. Imagine: You can now get naturally high on citrus mint ylang ylang while you dust.

Pleasant-smelling products are great motivators. Since I started using Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day's lavender Liquid Dish Soap, I've wanted to wash every single dusty dish in my cupboard. I know, get a life, but honestly, I go through this stuff faster than some guys go through bottles of beer.

And I could write poetry about The Good Home Co.'s Paris Rain Laundry Fragrance. I do my laundry in the garage, and this fragrance blew away the gas fumes and had my car smelling like a French perfume factory. And my mattress pad came out so fluffy and soft! So what if it costs $18 on rubber-ducky.com?

Now if you're macho, scoff at pretty products, and job effectiveness is foremost for you, you can choose from two different approaches when using the tough-guy cleaning materials.

Jeff Campbell, author of "Speed Cleaning" and "Spring Cleaning," said that it's smart to start with a gentler product because "the lighter the formulation, the easier it is on the surface being cleaned. If it doesn't remove the stain, progress to heavy-duty brands, toothbrushes or scrapers," he said. But Zep, maker of professional-strength products, reasons people should use power products first to ensure the job is done right the first time.

To me, it's easy to gauge how extreme you need to go. In a second, I could tell my bathroom counter only needed a sweeping of Cranberry Lane's Sink, Tub & Toilet Cleaner to look polished. (And I had the added smug satisfaction of using politically correct certified organic oils.) But what about that ugly black line of mold against the backsplash? Well, who cares about political correctness! It was going to take the powerful headache-inducing chemicals of Zep Commercial's Mildew and Mold Stain Remover to kill that nastiness.

So now the bad news: Effective products are often specific in their usage so you either end up carting a lot of cans or waste time running back to your supply cupboard.

The good news is: This is your excuse to buy fashionable cleaning accessories.

An apron with pockets is smart because it keeps your hands free — and Sur La Table's vintage-style gingham oilcloth apron (with matching pink polka-dot cuffed gloves) will have you looking as cute as a 1950s housewife. Carrying an antique wood caddy also has its charms. And for those with hotel maid fantasies, Restoration Hardware offers a professional-looking cart for wheeling its new collection of fragranced cleansers.

Well, we've put it off long enough. Pretty products or not, we have work — sorry, rituals — to do. And every housekeeping expert has a different idea on how to approach the room at hand.

Campbell's is all about saving time: Go around the room only once — well, twice, once for the walls and furniture, and once for the floors. Nassif said you can choose between these two strategies: Do difficult before easy (you'll sail through the day after getting the nastiest job out of the way) or easy before difficult (so you'll be buoyed by quick results).

Efficient Campbell will tell you: Don't waste time cleaning already clean spots. Mary Findley, president of the Mary Moppins mop manufacturing company, disagrees. "Prevention, prevention, prevention" is the rule to live by, she said.

I like to take a Pavlov's dog approach to cleaning. I follow a really mean chore (toilet and tub scrubbing, oven scouring and window washing top everyone's worst-jobs list, according to Zep's survey) with a reward — a task that's pleasant. (My favorites: Rearrange the bookshelf. Polish the furniture. Water the plants.)

Regardless of your strategy, still follow basic cleaning rules. These include working from top to bottom. So dust a chandelier first and vacuum later to pick up the particles. And "give your product time to work," said Findley. "It takes time to dissolve that dirt so wait at least 10 or 15 minutes."

And never, ever forget the first and second commandments: Read the labels. And test a product on a hidden spot before going whole hog.

Campbell said the real secret to happy cleaning is to be mindful and think like a Buddhist monk for the afternoon. According to him, if you sponge with your full attention and mop as if it matters, you will get the best results and you might create some zoning-out time for yourself.

So turn on the stereo, put on the rubber gloves and breathe in the cucumber counter cleaner. Spring-cleaning nirvana is but a wipe away.

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