Vacuum Bags and more

Let's admit it, a parent's worst nightmare is to leave town for a day or two and to come back to a house full of empty beer bottles, broken vases, stained couches, and holes in the walls. For all those non-parents out there: no, it wasn't a burglary, but the teenage kids you felt were 'mature' enough to leave at home.

Your first concern might be the antique clock (actually, it'd probably be something inappropriate about immature teenagers) that has been passed down through the generations-the generations of your in-laws. Your second though will probably be how to fix it, how to clean it, how to hide it so your in-laws don't find out. Whether that includes your teenagers or not, there are tips to help the early/late spring cleaning.

Mattresses: comfy, springy, and nearly impossible to clean. They are also highly absorbent, so using too much water while trying to get those stains out could be a bad thing. Less water and a milder dish soap will work best-and don't scrub too hard. Soggy mattresses don't make for a good night's sleep.

Leather is another oh-so-fun material to clean. There are special conditioners and cleaners depending on the type of varnish and polish used. Note scruffs, rips, or marks before attempting-and don't attempt your favorite belt first either. Practice makes perfect and all that. Here's an excuse to buy that extra bottle of alcohol: you want to clean some stainless steel. Be careful with your cleaning products though (especially the alcohol), they might smell pretty (insert alcohol joke here,) but they won't taste it (insert second alcohol joke here,) especially to curious children.

Cleaning carpets is another task just as exciting as paying bills. Calling in the professions might seem as just another way to add to said bills, but it might just be worth it. Pools can go either way, there are special vacuums and such to help, but those bills might start getting heavier.

Then again, unless you're a teenager, this information may be moot point. Really, it's them that are going to be doing the cleaning.