by Judith Willson

Created on: February 20, 2010   Last Updated: February 22, 2010

Surrounding the rites of spring cleaning are plenty of myths, misconceptions and mistakes.  We pass then onto each other, sometimes with enthusiasm, yet they do little to make this annual ritual easier, more fun, more useful or improve it at all.   Singled out are five of the most common myths and mistakes associated with the spring clean:

1# It is a solitary job.  It does not have to be.  Many people still assume that just one person in the household should be responsible for each part of the big clean (usually the woman for the house and the man for the garden).  However it will be a great deal more fun if everybody, including the children, joins in. 

You can sort through the junk together, discovering all kinds of exciting things you had all forgotten about.  Making improvements such as repainting could be a joint decision and activity. Choosing new colours and decorations is something most people love doing.  It is easy enough to enjoy doing the spring clean if you do it as a group, it turns from a dull chore into fun family time.  It will also get done far more quickly.

2# Green cleaning products will save the planet.  Well this is what the companies selling these products would like you to think, and then spend extra money on that green cleaner.  Actually these are only marginally better for the environment then their regular counterparts. To make a genuine difference use traditional products such as vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda, salt, olive oil and good old fashioned all purpose soap. 

3# If you can’t see it, it doesn’t exist.  We often have a tendency to assume that all that stuff hidden away can be ignored.  Well ignore it if you like but sorting out the attic, the garden shed and the junk drawer will make save you time in the long run and can even be fun.  This also applies to cleaning.  Dirt and scraps of food hidden behind the fridge do actually exist even though you can’t see them.  As these will encourage vermin to visit for snacks you should clean behind and under things as well as the parts you can see.

4#Germs will kill you if you don’t kill them first.  No they won’t; you can’t kill all bacteria anyway and using strong disinfectant everywhere will cause you more damage than the germs themselves.  Also it smells awful.  Your house should be clean.  Sterile is not

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