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SPRING CLEANING SEEMS like a cause championed by June Cleaver throwbacks and the makers of Borax. Yet many modern folks refuse to chuck the concept in the dust bin, even though the original reasons for warm-weather scouring frenzies — the grime left behind by coal-burning stoves and kerosene lamps — died around the time Queen Victoria did.
"We see an uptick in requests for deep cleaning during the spring — especially after such a harsh winter," says Mia Gallina, owner of Arlington's the Green Mop. Type A's who prefer to do their own dirty work find advice at Housekeepingchannel.com, which reports its heaviest traffic in March, April and May.
"I love the idea of a cleaning that is beyond everyday dusting," says Laura Heinle, 44, a mom of two in Silver Spring. "There are so many parts of the house that you can ignore." With mildewed grout, dusty fan blades and crumby cabinets all vying for attention, some wonder whether it's worth starting something they can't finish. "I like the idea of spring cleaning," echoes Laura Nelms, 36, an environmental consultant on Capitol Hill. "But ... I know I'd be doing it by myself. And cleaning, in general, is not something I like to spend a lot of time on."
Experts seem to unanimously agree that baby steps are best when it comes to tackling your own dust heap. Too bad most checklists seem so all-encompassing. "Really, I'm going to flush out the water heater every spring?" scoffs Erin Rooney Doland, the Reston-based author of "Unclutter Your Life in One Week" ($15, Simon & Schuster) and editor of the popular blog Unclutterer.com.
Instead of taking an A-to-Z approach (arrange stacks of magazines, zap shower mold), chip away at the following chores to make the maximum visual impact. Because who notices the sediment in the water heater, anyway?
Continue Reading "The Clean Season: Spring Cleaning Solutions" »
1) I Can See Chicly Now
Some people inherit old-school cool antiques from their grandparents. But if you, like us, got nothing but a lime-green plaid recliner in Nana's will, Wisteria's new mirror collection ($49-$2,200) brings vintage swank to even the dankest spaces. Retro-inspired pieces include an oyster shell-encrusted oval, several gilded sunburst styles and — our favorite — a shield-shaped, neo-Victorian baby ($329) that Charles Dickens might've owned, had he lived in a hip London loft. Any of them would reflect well over a dresser, sink or dining table.
2) Merit Badge for Tastiness
If you missed ordering your annual Girl Scout cookie stash from a co-worker's kid, don't fret: Starting today, those perky-faced scouts will set up cookie booths at area grocery stores and Metro stops (go online to locate a sales spot near you). In addition to your stockpile of Thin Mints and Samoas, we'd suggest sampling this year's new treat: Thank You Berry Munch (shown, $3.50 per box), loaded with cranberries and white fudge chips There's no use resisting: If the sugar alone doesn't sway you, those sweetly enterprising salesgirls will.
YOU WOULDN'T THINK a pitcher would make you drink more water, but we couldn't get enough of the liquid that flows out of the MAVEA Elemaris ($30). The BPA-free and oh-so-attractive vessel lets you lazily refill through the lid, never releases black flecks into your glass and features a monitor that lets you know exactly when it's time to replace the filter. For eco-fiends, that's another perk: MAVEA will take old filters back to be recycled.
1) Pink Palm Qualms?
Heading to the tropics (or planning your spring wardrobe) doesn't always require sundresses and capri pants strewn with neon flowers or Boca-bright beach umbrellas. Roberta Freymann's surf-to-sunset-cocktails botanic-print tunics ($77), beaded clutches (shown, $198) and sarongs just washed into Hysteria (125 S. Fairfax St., Alexandria; 703-548-1615). Girl's dresses patterned with blue monkeys or pink pigs boast a similar punchy, not-too-preppy island mood.
2) Hoppy Returns
When locally brewed Tuppers' Hop Pocket Ale disappeared from local bars and grocery stores two years ago, every hophead (fan of floury, heavily hopped beer) in town cried into his or her mug. The powerful, balanced brew — discontinued by Chantilly's Old Dominion Brewing Co.— froths over again, thanks to Hampton, Va.'s St. George Brewery, which just released new bottles ($10 per four-pack, Whole Foods). The medium-dark potion tastes swell with gumbo or chili.
1) Preppy Your Face
Palm tree patterns and other tropical prints cover Lilly Pulitzer's retro-chic tunics, swimsuits and sundresses. Now, the line's bright hues headline on a limited-edition MAC makeup collection, in which tangerine lip glosses, sunset pink nail polish and floral-stamped eye shadows (shown, $19.50, MAC Cosmetics, 3067 M St. NW; 202-944-9771) brighten up complexions — even ones that haven't gotten much sun lately.
2) A Flash in the Pan
In third grade, flash cards helped you learn multiplication and division. As an adult, drill yourself on the difference between achiote and wasabi with a Spice deck from Ghigo Press ($11). Cards simmer with lavish shots of culinary stars such as cilantro and sage, and tips on cooking with them. (Who knew lavender tasted great on asparagus?) Similar decks on wine grapes and coffee also help you go to the head of the foodie class.
1) Gourmet To Go
Sleek Logan wine bar/resto Cork attracts foodies for its mix of vino, tapas and nicely low-key atmosphere. The same upscale, friendly vibe extends to the nearby Cork Market + Tasting Room (1805 14th St. NW; 202-265-2674), a new gourmet grocery brimming with cuisine from Cork chefs (buttermilk fried chicken, lemon basil vinaigrette, $6) and more than 80 artisanal cheeses. Oh, and as its moniker indicates, you'll also find 350 types of chardonnay, merlot et al. On the menu next month: regular wine-tasting classes.
2) Anthro Report
We confess to near-weekly treks to style den Anthropologie to scour its frequently updated range of quirky-pretty fashion (such as the Roses Underwater clutch, $98, shown), crafty decor pieces and other beyond-cool ephemera (the stock of vintage housewares rivals that of the Georgetown flea). Now there's one more stop on our shopping route: The chic chain just opened an outpost at the Shops at Wisconsin Place (5406 Wisconsin Ave., Chevy Chase; 301-654-1481), also home to new branches of Sephora and BCBG Max Azria.
DECORATING YOUR PAD used to require devouring shelter mags and agonizing over curtains at Pottery Barn. But now, beautifying a house can start with the click of a mouse. Thanks to the lively, "Myspace or yours?" design blogosphere — with its virtual tours of swank condos and debates on Eames chairs — there are more free decor ideas on the Web than paint colors at Sherwin-Williams. Sites like Apartmenttherapy.com and Designspongeonline.com serve as meeting spots for those in search of DIY hints or peeks at how others feather their nests.
Aaron Able, managing editor of Apartment Therapy, thinks the nesting blog boom stems from, "a generation that learned to go to the computer for help, no matter the subject." Twenty- and 30-somethings are more likely to hunt for beds on Westelm.com than at a brick-and-mortar shop, and they probably prefer blogs to Better Homes and Gardens.
Still, eyeballing photos of an industrial loft or watching a video on furniture-refinishing may not be enough to turn everyone into Ty Pennington. That's why many home bloggers, who range from Web-savvy interior designers to style-savvy amateurs, have launched virtual design services. For less than the price of an IKEA dresser, such e-decorators do everything from weigh in on whether Dad's chair goes with a striped rug to suggest paint hues for your den.
INSTEAD OF CULINARY SCHOOL SNOTS, the man Food Network viewers know as "Ace of Cakes" exclusively hires art school grads to work in his Baltimore bake shop. He'll explain why next Thursday night at the Corcoran. And if you want to get on his good side, ask about his sweet ride (a jet-black '62 Corvette) and his rock band (he's the bass player).
» EXPRESS: How did you realize cake was your artistic medium?
» GOLDMAN: When I first started out, I made a cake for a couple that wanted something Gustav Klimt-inspired. I got this idea that I would do one that looked like "The Kiss." So, the wedding was at this winery, and I was bringing the cake into a barn to put onto a barrel, when the sun started setting. I had used all of these awesome golds and metallics, and the cake just started to glow. And I knew I had to do more of this.
» EXPRESS: Where do you fall on the buttercream versus fondant debate?
» GOLDMAN: All of our cakes have fondant because it's so much more versatile and you can do so much stuff to it. But buttercream tastes better. So, we frost everything with buttercream and then cover it with fondant, so they can peel it off. Fondant is just what you play with. We get all of these people saying it's gross that we touch the cakes a lot and don't wear gloves, but we wash our hands and nobody eats the fondant anyway. So, shut up.
» EXPRESS: How did you get the name Duff?
» GOLDMAN: My real name is Jeffrey. But when my parents told my older brother, "This is Jeffrey," he kept saying, "Duffy." My parents said, "Call him what you want," and then they started calling me Duffy, too. So, when I started school, the teacher reached "Jeffrey Goldman" on the roll cal,l and I didn't say anything. I didn't know that was my name. In college, I dropped the "y" to be cooler. But if my name was Jeffrey Goldman, I'd be a CPA right now.
IF IT WERE up to Deborah Madison, famed chef and author of books such as "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone," squash and melon would never travel farther than from the farm to the farmers market before hitting your plate. She spoke with us about frequenting produce stands, throwing a dinner party using locally sourced ingredients and her new-in-paperback book, "Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating From America's Farmers' Markets" ($26, Broadway).
» EXPRESS: When did you first go to markets?
When I was in college in Cambridge in the '60s. It was Haymarket Square, so it wasn't strictly a farmers' market, but we didn't know any better at the time. It was outdoors with merchants who seemed to know what they were selling.
» EXPRESS: What's their appeal?
Traveling, you get a sense of the possibilities of a region by visiting the farmers' market. I like to find foods that really speak to a place. I live in New Mexico, so our local market has chilies and corn-based foods, like tamales.
JUST BECAUSE THE ECONOMY is suffering doesn't mean that your party guests have to. With 50 bucks — and a bit of old-school home economizing — you can serve 10 pals an ample spread of nibbles.
How to stretch a buck without resorting to Manwich canapes or ramen rolls? Check the fridge or pantry and then work backward. Frozen skinless, boneless chicken thighs morph into satays. A can of beans provides the base for a spicy, not pricey dip. Chef Alison Swope of Restaurant K (1700 K St. NW) calls this running down inventory. "Making things out of what's on hand keeps costs down," she says.
Stockpile ingredients, especially costly proteins, when they're on sale. Like a high-low outfit (Louboutin shoes, Target dress), cost-conscious parties should mix inexpensive basics (bread, beans) with costly garnishes for an illusion of extravagance. Veggie dip even seems ritzy topped with chopped shrimp.
A fancy form can also impress guests more than fancy ingredients. At the new Fyve (1250 S. Hayes St., Arlington), chef Amy Brandwein offers risotto balls as an amuse bouche, turning humble rice into something posh. At home, frying up a batch costs less than ordering pizza. "It doesn't get cheaper than that," she says.
1-2-3 SPINACH-ARTICHOKE SPREAD
Makes four cups
Total cost: $8.68
Note: Three ingredients, three minutes to make. Pine nuts and a drizzle of olive oil would make a nice garnish.
» 2 10-oz. packages frozen, chopped spinach: $2
» 12-oz. jar artichoke spread: $3.99
» 2 cups (16 ounces) nonfat small curd cottage cheese: $2.69
Thaw spinach in a bowl of hot water. Drain in a colander and squeeze out all of the water. Place the spinach, artichoke spread and cottage cheese in a food processor, and pulse until well combined. Serve with sliced French bread or crackers.
Continue Reading "Entertaining on the Cheap: Big Taste, Little Budget" »
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