Ok, first I'm embarrassed to admit it, but this is probably the first time I have swept the garage since last fall.  (hey, don't judge) So, I suspected there was going to be a lot of dirt.  But as I swept it became increasingly clear that there was WAY more than I anticipated and I was shocked to find a think layer of salt that had adhered itself to the garage floor.

Many people were taking advantage of the weather on Saturday to do a little outdoor spring cleaning.  People were opening their windows for fresh air, some were raking leaves and taking out the deck and patio furniture in anticipation of summer. Even Friends of the Lakewalk were tidying up one of Duluth's favorite attractions to keep it beautiful for locals and scores of tourists that will soon be visiting.

I was actually in charge of cleaning, organizing and vacuuming the basement.  Putting the winter coats, hats, mittens and scarves away for another season (YAY!).  As I was vacuuming I thought there had to be a way to avoid all the sand, gravel and even rocks that had found their way into my basement.  That was what lead me to being out in the garage sweeping out the source of my frustration.

As I swept, I revealed a lump of dirt that was for lack of better word, unsweep-able.  So I got the giant ice scraper and scraped a huge pile of dark, packed soil from the floor (see left of pic) and that was just one of the piles.  I found the same thing under all four tires!  I was also surprised at the amount of crystallized salt particles that had to be scraped from my garage floor (see right of pic).  It just amazes me that the car picks this up, drips it off in our garage and then re-crystallizes without leaving huge gaping holes in my paint.  Oh, I know it will start to rust in time, but look at how much there is from one winter, shouldn't my car look like swiss cheese?

Finding time and exerting effort to clean is one of the hardest things to accomplish on a weekend when you'd rather be relaxing.  But, I can't even begin to tell you how gratifying it is to get into my detailed car, pull into my nicely swept garage and walk into my basement that is free of dirt and debris.  I'm glad I stopped making excuses and just "did it"!  Next, I have to tackle my closet and switch over the winter to summer clothes....give me strength!

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