Yesterday I just had it with the dirt on the front porch. A summer full of kids collecting rocks, pebbles and sticks on the porch, spiders who decided to move in under the eaves and raise generations of offspring, and a door mat that had collected enough dust to make Pig Pen proud had made me reach my limit. I took drastic measures.
My middle child had just been seen off on the bus to Kindergarten, and my youngest was playing happily by himself. Knowing that my window of time was limited, i decided to forgo my usual careful cleaning with a spray cleaner and some paper towels. Instead, I pulled out the big guns.
First I used the porch broom to sweep away the cobwebs and their ug egg sacks. Disgusting. I took the mat off the porch and shook it out few times; then a few more, and then a few more. The resulting cloud of dust could probably rival the one over San Francisco.
A cursory sweep of the porch got rid of the stray leaves and the remaining dust. Then the real fun began.
I filled up a bucket with non toxic cleaner and water. I grabbed a large wall paper sponge (pliable, thick and easy to grip) and a brush on a stick. I outed the garden hose from under the pachysandra and up and around the front plantings. Then I got to work.
I scrubbed down the entire door, door jam, porch supports and the one wall of the house. I got up near the ceiling of the porch and anywhere where dirt dwelt. Ha ha.
I checked on my youngest who fell asleep under the dining room table amongst the lunch crumbs. Ah, well, the crumbs would have to wait.
I turned on the hose and sprayed and sprayed until everything ran clean. I dumped the remaining soapy water on the porch floor and sprayed that too. I wondered if the water would get in under the door and wet the inside hallway scatter rug (it did a bit), but I didn’t care. In about 15 minutes, I had a spotless and gleaming porch.