Margaret Arnold • May 17, 2025
A Happy Cleaner: Four Decades of Family Moves & Experiences

When my four children were in elementary and middle school, an annual Christmas card and letter that arrived each year gave me a glimpse of the life stage that awaited our family. I recall the usual family news but what struck me about this particular holiday update was the amount of moves her four children made in those college and post-college years and the loving assistance she provided. Little did she know she was modeling how I wanted to be, and have been, for my children these past 13 years and 18+ moves (counting three for my husband and me).


From college dorm room to first apartments and now to first homes, I have had the joy of helping my kids settle into their spaces. What an exciting time it is for them!  A key role I’ve played during these move-ins and occasional move-outs has been that of a cleaner. I like to clean – I mean I really like it. Not only do I enjoy the physical work I especially like the mental and organizational challenge and doing this domestic task better, deeper and, in the last three years, more sustainable.


A KEY ROLE I'VE PLAYED DURING THESE MOVE-INS ... HAS BEEN THAT OF CLEANER.

I enjoy cleaning and “resetting” so much that I mentioned to my husband several times during my public relations career that I wouldn't mind cleaning professionally. Eventually, this became reality. During a summer when I lived up north in the "year of temporary living," friends who owned a vacation rental property management company approached me about joining their team. After initially declining, their persistence paid off — they came back a third time offering flexible hours. I accepted and spent the summer learning invaluable lessons through vacation property turnovers (sometimes four in one day!) and caretaking stunning private homes along Lake Superior's shoreline. The summer flew by, and I added new practices to the 40+ years of taking care of my own spaces.


As my cleaning interests and techniques have evolved, I have compiled favorite tips for smart and sustainable cleaning discoveries. Cheers to summer and the joy of our family and friends’ spaces!


Gear – Organize a tote of cleaning supplies and cleaning cloths (microfiber and old kitchen flour sack towels). I use a gardening tote I received from a friend. It allows me to be on the go in the house or on the road. I can keep a few extra tools in the small pockets like:

  • Small screwdriver (pro tip: wrap the tip with a cloth to easily get into tight spaces and seams on appliances and cupboards)
  • Measuring tape (there is always a space to measure during a move or cleaning project)
  • Small glass scraper
  • Cleaning gloves
  • Scouring pads
  • A step stool


Sustainable tip: Take the scouring pad and cut them into quarters and use a smaller, easier-to-mange size for scrubbing to save product and money.


Products –  Smart sustainable cleaning means you use less product and more natural and eco-friendly products. My favorites include:

  • Vinegar and water
  • Expired baking soda or Bar Keepers Friend for tough scrubbing
  • Denatured alcohol* added to Windex (one-part denatured alcohol to four-parts Windex mixed in a spray bottle for glass and mirrors)
  • Method products (see links below)
  • Multi-surface cleaner (see link below or a few squirts of Dawn soap in hot soapy water for all-purpose cleaning as an alternative)


Try to use up your existing cleaning supplies before purchasing new ones, and then streamline your products for both quantity and storage. When we moved from our large family home, I collected at least a years’ worth of product spread throughout the house and changed my ways after that.


Personal note: For disinfectant purposes, I still keep Soft Scrub with bleach on hand for kitchen and bathroom sinks.


Keeping Engaged – It is easy to keep engaged working and visiting with family or friends on special move or cabin cleaning projects. But most days I’m on my own so I often listen to audiobooks, podcasts or Broadway musical soundtracks (Wicked and Les Mis are favorites). I also stay engaged by catching up with my sisters, children and a few friends on the phone while cleaning.


Silverish Simplicity Links


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Past Blogs

An Earth Day Project to Last a Decade

By Margaret Arnold • April 26, 2025
Earth Day has significant meaning for me. Beyond falling during my wedding anniversary week (4.23), this global day has involved cleaning ditches with my children and outdoor spring projects. It's ideal for honoring Earth's wonders as nature awakens in Minnesota. For a third year, my gift to Earth is a forest management project first shared last year on LinkedIn . My husband and I have tackled buckthorn eradication , transforming our woods to reveal 300-year-old oaks, black cherry, cedar trees and the land's natural contour. While I attempt to embrace simplicity, this conservation project isn't simple! Eradicating this invasive shrub (and larger old trees) from our forest will take a decade or more. It demands physical work and resources, but the rewards extend beyond restoring native habitats in my corner of the world. my gift to the earth is a forest management project ...

Miles, Enduring Friendships and Loose Change

By Margaret Arnold • April 13, 2025
Last Sunday, three friends and I celebrated spring birthdays with a long walk and brunch. Though still brisk walkers as former "runner girls," we paused to appreciate the beautiful spring morning as we wound through streets, a wooded trail with frozen ground, and finally a shared-use path. Greeting passing runners reminded me of my younger self, but I've grown content with my natural walking habit. Four years ago, I retired from decades of running for a consistent walking routine. I no longer feel compelled to justify my walking routine against running and have fully embraced this new habit and discovered unexpected treasures beyond the well-known health benefits. EACH WALK OFFERS BRILLANT SUNRISES, UNIQUE CLOUD FORMATIONS, CHATTERING BIRDSONGS ...

Warranty Wisdom: A Mother’s Lesson

By Margaret Arnold • March 30, 2025
While I'm not an expert on warranties, I am the daughter of a mother who took advantage of them for small home products. With three daughters in the house, she purchased a few blow dryers especially when her three teenagers cared enough to wake up early and style our hair. I remember our mother packaging up a non-operating Conair blow dryer and shipping it to take advantage of the product warranty at the time (today it’s three years). Decades before the internet, there is no doubt she kept the product literature to reference the important warranty and shipping information. In her last months of life, she once instructed me to look up warranty and replacement information on her favorite Ottlite sewing lamp she had in her office that wasn’t working. She loved this lamp and was determined to have it in use again. I remember lovely conversations with the customer service person explaining the issue, what we should do next and even a friendly follow-up email! In that spirit, and with the ease of the internet, I have taken advantage of a few product warranties. My research and approach are based on my love of the product itself and doing a quick cost-benefit analysis, including product quality, time and shipping costs. However, I have found the first step is to create a simple warranty tracking system for my favorite products – whether through browser bookmarks, email folders or paper files – just as I’m sure our mother did with her product literature as there wasn’t a piece of paper she won’t hold on to “just in case.” "A Customer is never out of warranty, even if his product is." Seth Godin