Spring cleaning is the process we employ after a winter of inside-living, to start fresh and clean with our environment.  I always imagine our grandmothers who were the most ambitious spring cleaners, flinging open the windows in the Springtime to allow an “airing of the house” and once again hanging clothes out to dry on the clothes lines.  The dilution of microbes trapped indoors with fresh air and the disinfecting ability of sunlight, made major contributions to a good spring cleaning and a healthy environment- and probably a healthy attitude, too.  

 

Pets can be a great asset to our health for lots of reasons.  This article from, Everyday Health.com gives you a dozen good reasons to share your living space with a pet.  http://www.everydayhealth.com/pet-health-pictures/ways-your-pet-makes-you-healthy.aspx?xid=fb_EH_sf#/slide-1

 

But pets can also make a contribution to household dirt and debris (and that includes nanobugs).  I have a beagle (the 13-inch model) and I have found ways to manage pet hair, pet stains, and the other environmental issues of living with a dog.  Here are a few necessary housekeeping activities I recommend:

#1.  Vacuum once a week for each member of the family (including pets)

#2.  I use the Pledge Pet Hair Sweeper – it is disposable and works great for

       picking up pet hair on the bedspread, couch, etc.  

#3   Wash bedding (I use old receiving blankets and tee shirts for bedding)

       every other week or more, as required.

#4   Establish a schedule for walking a dog to discourage “inside jobs” and

       meticulously manage litter boxes for cats

#5   Clean pet stains on carpet ASAP and use an enzymatic cleaner – I prefer

       Resolve Pet Stain Formula in trigger sprayer because it has a scent that I

       can tolerate and it eliminates the pet odor so even a Beagle doesn’t go back

       to the same spot.

#6   Keep an old towel at the door where your dog comes into the house – so

       you can clean those paws before they track water, mud or snow all over.

#7   Take preventative action against flees and ticks in the summer. In addition,

        keep your eye out for these pests inside the house and treat immediately.

 

I guess pets are like other members of our family – they can be our greatest treasure and also a messy and annoying contributor to our indoor environment.

Spring is officially here.  The recent sunshine is probably exposing the need for spring cleaning of your house.  What are you waiting for?  Put it on your schedule and pick your process. But where do you start? How do you get the family to help? The decision to Spring Clean is first (it's usually an upper household management decision made by MOM) and the rest of it can be decided by the contributors.  There are many approaches to this nanobug busting process. Here are some suggestions: Start with the high work – ceilings, lights and fans, tops of bookcases, etc. Then do floors and floor coverings throughout the house – moving furniture and dusting baseboards, cleaning carpet and stripping wax as needed. Or, how about the “room a day method”? It is manageable and your incentive to complete the project builds with the accomplishment of each clean room.  Start in the kitchen and bathrooms. Then if you don't finish the whole house, you will have done the "hot spots" and can take it up again on some rainy summer day that when you are not lured outside.

Over the years I have a established a process that works well for me. It involves 4 major steps accomplished on the weekends: #1 declutter (which usually leads to a garage sale sometime later in May), #2 focus upon the kitchen and bathrooms, #3 other rooms in the house  #4 basement and the garage and on into the yard as weather permits.  

Pick your process and just DO it!  Put the nanobugs in their place - some belong back outdoors, some need to exit via the sink drain, and some need to die.  You might even encourage some to grow and thrive if you build a backyard compost.

Spring Cleaning is defined in Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary as: “a thorough cleaning of the interior of a house, etc. as conventionally done in the spring”. I define spring cleaning as either - the engagement in cleaning activities that are ONLY preformed once a year (or maybe twice – the second time in the fall).  This might include things like having rugs or carpets cleaned, vacuuming draperies, moving the stove and refrigerator to clean under and behind them, cleaning out cupboards and drawers – clearly things that are not part of our usual housecleaning activities.  The other interpretation of spring cleaning is to “deep clean” the interior of the house – more specifically, routine cleaning done more thoroughly than usual.  Regardless, spring cleaning really helps keep the house clean and free of reservoirs of microbes that can affect the health of the family.   

The signature color for the month of March is definitely Green.  With spring just around the corner, the grass and trees will soon be dressed in shades of green. And as St. Patrick's Day approaches, people will be searching their closets for  something shamrock green to wear in celebration.  It is traditional to pour green coloring into and onto food on St. Patrick’s Day – but why not just eat and drink healthy things that are already green? Like asparagus, avacados, green peppers, spinach salads, broccoli, a cup of green tea, or maybe a shot of wheatgrass or put it all together in a green smoothie?  Green is beautiful and delicious.....except in my line of work.  Infection prevention is all about helping people AVOID the wearin' of the green.  Green-colored pus coming from a cut or a wound usually indicates an infection is present. The greenish color is created by the breakdown of bacteria by white blood cells as they digest the foreign proteins in a process called "phagocytosis".  In any discussion of green and microbes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa takes center stage. This water-loving bacterium appears green under the microscope. It belongs outdoors in the soil or pond water and not in the house or the hospital.  Be careful with the water in a vase of fresh cut flowers - when you change the water or throw it out – take it outside - not to the kitchen sink or the bathroom sink. And  don’t forget to wash your hands before handling contact lenses or eye make-up. Pseudomonas can be really damaging to your eyes.

So, I have mixed feelings about "the wearin' of the green". My advice? Wear it only in good health and you can experience the associated good luck.