NATCHEZ &8212; All spring-cleaning is not equal. A trip to one of the biggest, grandest houses in Natchez is one way to illustrate the point.

At Melrose, a part of the Natchez National Historical Park, the mansion gets a spring-cleaning every year.

And even though its furnishings and overall value range in millions of dollars, owners of much smaller homes can benefit from some of the tips provided by Lynda Bahr, Melrose curator.

Perhaps most important to know is that routine maintenance is important &8212; do not put off cleaning for only one time a year.

At Melrose, the rigid regular schedule includes vacuuming and dusting every day in different parts of the house.

In almost every home, some special object has a place of honor &8212; a bowl passed down from Grandmother, a rocking chair from Uncle Harry or a wood carving done by a now-grown child when he was only 10.

In many Natchez homes, at least a couple of antiques mingle with traditional modern furnishings.

Regardless of the style or age of furnishings, some rules at the big house also apply at the average or little house.

&8220;In a sense, less is more,&8221; Bahr said, describing the gentle cleaning methods used by those who care for Melrose.

&8220;You don&8217;t want to handle something too often,&8221; she said of important items in the home.

&8220;Be mindful of how a piece of furniture is made, especially of loose objects. Be careful how you move a piece of furniture.&8221;

At Melrose, chemicals are taboo. Dusting materials are diaper cloths, and dusters wear white gloves. &8220;That&8217;s to protect the furnishings from the oil in your skin and to keep from getting fingerprints on objects if you should have to move something,&8221; said Bahr, curator since October 2005.

In homes where families live day to day, cleaning techniques in some areas will be different, of course, she said. &8220;You clean your house both for appearance and sanitation.&8221;

For best results in vacuuming, Bahr recommends using allergen filtration bags &8212; available for just about any brand of vacuum cleaners.

&8220;Otherwise, you pick up the big pieces of dust but spit the smaller pieces back into the air,&8221; Bahr said.

In a family home, it is important for everyone to know &8212; but especially for anyone who is going to dust or vacuum &8212; which pieces of furniture are special, she said. &8220;Stress the importance of being careful.&8221;

Diaper cloths are good for dusting because they are non-abrasive. Feather dusters are not welcome.

&8220;We don&8217;t allow any organic materials in the house because they attract other pests,&8221; she said. &8220;And a feather duster does more harm than good. It flings the dust around rather than picking it up.&8221;

The window blinds get a once-a-year cleaning with a barely damp diaper cloth during spring-cleaning. So do baseboards.

With filters on the air-conditioning system, all the windows closed and the doors opened only to allow visitors into the house for tours, Melrose has fewer cleaning needs than the house with family members in and out and living among the furnishings, Bahr said.

Still, &8220;every time you touch or move an object, you&8217;re putting stress on it.&8221;

That is good to remember when it comes time to clean around those special pieces. &8220;Not handling those pieces frequently helps to slow down the aging process.&8221;