spring cleaning: chalkboard

i'm spring cleaning.  and i love it.

of course, i prefer to clean on rainy days.  if it's pretty out then you know i'll be outside.  but if it's a rainy day....and i'm not engrossed in some delicious book....then i'm cleaning.  or snuggling with cute little ones.  or cooking.  or...well, today we're talking about cleaning!

friday i cleaned our bathroom.  i even shared a tip on cleaning bathtubs with jets.  i still have to clean the light fixtures and work on a few water spots on our cabinets.  BUT everything else is spotless.  love that feeling.

moving on to monday.....my boys are back at school after spring break.  i love school breaks.  i'm so ready for summer.  but until then i'm taking advantage of 2 of my big messy makers being back at school.

so how about another Pinterest cleaning tip??  in my kitchen i have a chalkboard door.  

i've been meaning to repaint it for over a year now.  it has desperately needed a new coat of paint.  {or so i thought!}

late one night i stumbled upon a cleaning tip via pinterest.  however, i didn't pin it.  {gasp!} after searching i think this was the pin.  but i found another one here.  

i always use wet paper towels to wipe off our artwork.  but i couldn't get rid of that stubborn chalk residue!  

i had planned to repaint, but instead i just used soapy water.  Dawn dish detergent and warm water.  that was it.  i scrubbed and scrubbed, even dumping the soapy water and starting with a fresh batch.  then i rinsed the door with clean water.

this was the after picture.  yes, you can still see white residue.  but it is AMAZING how much better it looks!  in this picture it still wasn't even completely dry.  {i'm impatient like that.}  but after it dried completely it was much better.  i plan on doing it again and trying to get off that pesky remaining residue. 

i even found a tip about using my beloved vinegar to clean it.

p.s. we don't have a dog.  or a cat.  i need to replace that door.  or get a dog.  but not a cat.  definitely not a cat.

so, how about you?  spring cleaning?  any tips to share???