That's Fit

I was in the checkout line at Target the other day and spotted a steam mop on the conveyor belt behind my stuff. I asked the woman behind me about it. She was trying it for the first time. At $40, she figured she couldn't lose. Well, anything but $40. But anyway, it piqued my curiosity. Turns out, it's the hot new trend in cleaning supplies.

A recent Washington Post article on the subject offers a pretty nice overview of the method. As for effectiveness and the potential to provide relief for allergy sufferers, steam cleaners seem promising. They are not a "magic wand," but myriad types of steam cleaners can apparently clean things from floors to outdoor grills pretty well. And because hot steam is touted for its ability to kill dust mites, mold and other allergens, they appeal to allergy sufferers.

Another lure is that the method offers a healthier alternative to chemical cleaners and is therefore kinder to the environment, especially waste water. But as with many eco-friendly efforts, there's an "inevitable weighing of pros and cons." Steam cleaners require electricity to use and energy for production and transport and will eventually add to solid waste in landfills.

Hello, my name is Maggie and I'm a neat freak. My house is far from perfect, but everything has a place and that's how I like it. But the other day I got an itch to spring clean and I ventured into (cue scary music in the background)... the basement. Eew. It may look relatively neat down there, but I found boxes that haven't been moved in ages. There were dust bunnies that were mutating into dust elephants. By the end of it all, I was slightly disgusted at what was lurking in the unseen corners of my basement, but I was happy to have all that dust and dirt removed from my house.

While it's, of course, important to keep your home sanitary and clean year-round the spring cleaning ritual is a great time to get into all the spots you may overlook during regular house cleaning. Some ideas:

• Have your mattresses steam-cleaned.
• Empty closets/pantries and scrub down the shelves and walls.
• Vacuum underneath furniture.
• Move your fridge and scrub the back of it and vacuum any gathered dust.
• Wipe down tops of door frames and other places where dust can collect.
• Steam clean your carpets and furniture.
• Remove and wash drapes.
• Wipe down window blinds.