Spring Cleaning

Safe, Sound and Family Friendly

By Jacqueline Rupp

"I put on some good music, grab my cleaning supplies, bags and boxes. I start in the kitchen, pulling everything out of the cabinets, cleaning them inside and out, drying them and laying new paper. Then it's on to the walls. I clean them, dust the fans, then the counters, the stove, dishwasher, refrigerator, then mop the floors on my way out of the room. Then come the bedrooms, taking all the clothes out of closets, getting rid of stuff, boxing it up and going through dressers. The bathroom is easy: Change shower curtains to summer curtains, change towels to match the curtains, hang summer pictures and I'm done."

That's how PJ Phillips of Del City, Okla., describes tackling her spring cleaning head-on. Even if your approach is this methodical, with all the dusting, vacuuming and polishing, it's easy to overlook some important things.

Cutting down on clutter, following some safe cleaning rules and practicing some often-ignored seasonal home maintenance will get your house and your family ready for a fun and stress-free summer. Read on for some tips every mom should know.

Besides cleaning, organizing is usually a high priority for families in the spring. Somehow, though, year after year, many of us face the same disorder that had just been tackled the previous year. Make this the season to implement a foolproof organizational plan.

Janet Taylor, professional organizer and founder of the Philadelphia, Pa.-based Totally Organized design firm suggests asking yourself a few questions to begin the process. What areas do you want to tackle (the garage, basement, attic or closet)? Next, decide on a goal for this space, such as clearing the clutter from the garage so the car no lon

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