Spring Cleaning

SPRING CLEANING PLANS

FROM THE AMERICAN CLEANING INSTITUTE Courtesy of Carmen Long

For spring cleaning, plan your work, then work your plan. You can tackle your spring cleaning in even the smallest chunks of time. Each of the tasks on our list takes just a few minutes, so you can decide how many you can squeeze into your already busy day.

Prep:

Inventory your supplies and add what’s missing to your grocery list. Make a to-do list for what you want to clean, then divide it up by task or room.

Window Blinds/Curtains:

If you try to clean all the blinds in one day, chances are that you may not be as through on the later ones. Pace yourself and only clean one or two windows (or one room) a day. Take down curtains to wash or take to the cleaners or vacuum them and use a fabric refresher to neutralize any odors.

Walls:

Use a vacuum with a soft brush attachment on the hose to clean up any cobwebs in the corners

Ceiling fans:

Wipe or vacuum the blades first to get any loose dust, then spray your cleaning cloth to keep any cleaning product from staining your ceiling. Upholstered furniture: Vacuum the cushions and under them. Use a fabric refresher to neutralize any odors.

ABC’S OF SPRING CLEANING

However long it takes you, American Cleaning Institute, (ACI) has a few suggestions for addressing the ABCs of spring cleaning.

A IS FOR ASTHMA AND ALLERGY TRIGGERS:

During this challenging winter, many of us were snowed in with our pets whose dander is one of the most common triggers. Compound that with a few months of everyday dust and the

tiniest unwelcome guests who seek shelter in our homes during cold weather, and it’s time to do away with the "A." Have an allergen control plan.

Clean one room at a time, starting with where an asthma or allergy sufferer sleeps. Wash their bedding and curtains. Dust surfaces and vacuum the carpet clean the window sills and frames. Wet mop floors. ACI also has extensive online information on removing asthma and allergy triggers.

B IS FOR BACTERIA:

From the front door knob to kitchen counters, the telephone and remote control, ACI recommends giving every surface in your home the thorough cleaning it needs with the goal of reducing the likelihood bacteria sticks around for spring. Prevent mold and mildew from accumulating in the bathroom by using a daily shower cleaner. Mold and mildew remover products are effective if you have to use them. Use a disinfectant to kill the mold and mildew. If you’re in the kitchen, give the surfaces a good cleaning and disinfecting. Make sure you allow enough time for the germ kill, per the product label instructions.

C IS FOR CLUTTER:

Sort it out. Take everything out of the closet, dressers, shelves, under the bed and off the furniture. Put stuff in separate piles. Separate out what you don’t need anymore and donate if you can. Keep similar items together so children know where to find things. Put items inside drawers, closets, covered boxes or plastic containers so dust can’t collect on them. While the furniture surface is clear, use an electrostatic dust sheet.

Buttercrunch Lettuce

A New Gardening Season

WRITERS & PHOTOGRAPHS Delores Kincer & Judy Mitchell

Viola Yellow Jumpups

Have you noticed when you step outside how much the light is changing? How fresh the air seems now? It is quite a spell that the first signs of spring cast over our senses. Mother Nature begins to paint us a brand new picture for yet another growing season.

Everyone who gardens knows this is the perfect time to get excited. For those who don’t garden, most will admit this time of year does make them think about it. The past year has been so heavy with gloomy emotions and uncertainty the coming season should bring with it a chance to think positively and fill ourselves with hope and promise by planting a garden. Whether you are more enticed by flowers or maybe vegetables, or trees, shrubs and perennials, it doesn’t really matter. Gardening brings beauty and a sense of renewal and purpose to life, not to mention the pay-off. Bright colors scattered across our landscapes and vegetables feeding our families, what more could you ask for?

Early March is a good time to cut back roses and summer flowering shrubs if they need it. Also cut back ornamental grasses and lirope or monkey grass now. The dead tops of last year’s hostas and daylilies may be just pulled off now if you haven’t already, before they put out new growth. Do not cut back spring flowering shrubs now or you will be cutting off their flowers.

In the first part of March, it still may be just a bit early for some things to be planted. Plant pansies and violas now — they don’t mind the frost. Here in zone 7, don’t usually begin to plant warm season seedlings until late April or early May. However, make no mistake beautiful gardens are not just limited to annuals. March is still a great time to consider your whole landscape, borders, smaller gardens and beds. Perennials are safe to plant as well as most trees and shrubs. In fact, March is about the time they begin to come out of dormancy, so if you will give them a shot of fertilizer after planting, you will have them off to a healthy start.

If you are eager and just really want to be doing something, starting some of your own seeds indoor in the beginning of March is a viable plan. You can easily start kale, lettuce and spinach in a sunny spot outside in March, as they like cooler weather. Broccoli and cabbage may be transplanted into the garden now. Carrots and beets may be sowed directly into the garden. As they are root crops, they do not like to be transplanted. Tomatoes and peppers may be started inside in a warm, sunny spot. However, unless you take the time to carry them outdoors and back inside on cool nights, you probably are going to end up with very fragile and leggy plants. This is really not a good way to start them off when you put them in to the ground. I recommend a trip to your nearest garden center or plant nursery to purchase plant plugs or seedling plants. They have had a better start in life and generally will yield a stronger, more disease and pest resistant plant. If you choose to do the latter, you can plant the plants mentioned before straight into the ground starting in mid-April.

While you still can sow seed directly now, the ground is still a bit cool to promote healthy germination times of the seed. Squash, cucumber and bean seeds or plants may be planted into the garden in mid-April if the weather stays warm enough.

While you are waiting, go ahead and clear out all debris that is left over from last year and remove any coverings you may have put over your existing perennials. Condition your soil and prep your beds—it won’t be long now and the world will burst into bloom and the world will smile again. At least we hope so anyway.

Don’t forget, to fertilize your shrubs, perennials, berries and fruit trees!

Follow your heart, right outside into the spaces where joy is soon to grow. Breathe in the fresh air and take a trip to your local garden center, browse and plan. In no time, you will be the queen or king of your garden kingdom. Happy Gardening!

To learn more contact:

1088 W. Dalton Road, King (336) 983-4107 www.mitchellsnursery.com

201 N. State St., Yadkinville (336) 679.8816 825 N. Bridge St., Elkin (336) 835.4288