Been meaning to do that Spring clean but putting it off?
There are some things that we tend to do every day when it comes to keeping our homes clean, such as vacuuming the carpets in high traffic areas, a quick spray and tidy up. But in just seven days, you can deep clean your home for Spring, or for getting ready to market. You can do this by tackling one room or one thing at a time.
So where has the term spring clean come from? One explanation is that it is basically due to the fact that at this time of year the sunlight floods through the windows and highlights every single speck of dust that you hadn’t noticed.
It probably is though ready for a deep clean. If you are really quick or have help, you can probably manage an entire deep clean in just a single weekend. Or you can take it easy and split it over a couple of weekends.
There are a couple of jobs that are probably better if a professional take care of them. Consider hiring a professional carpet cleaner before you start your deep clean, or just after. Most people can benefit from a professional carpet cleaner and would be surprised how much dirt and grime is hiding in the carpet-even if you vacuum every day.
A good place to start is where food preparation happens. The kitchen. And although there is no doubt that you clean the kitchen, every single day, it’s time to do it in detail. And since it is a deep clean, it is designed to get into all the nooks and crannies. Where those elusive crumbs manage to hide.
Start Big
Oven
Luckily we can now pick up complete packages, filled with the correct chemicals to help you clean your oven with ease. They are designed to be kept on for an hour or two and come with all the necessary bags and tools, and they do a fantastic job. There are also some homemade mixtures you can do with bicarb of soda and vinegar.
Microwave
This one is super simple; you can fill a jug with water and lemon. You then pop that into the microwave and turn it on for a minute or two. When you see some steam that is an indicator that some of the caked-on stains will now be easier to remove. Take the jug of water out and remove the trays, soak thoroughly, and then you can scrub the inside. Warm soapy water will work brilliantly. You will have to give it a once over for rusty spots or damage. And make sure that you dry the inside thoroughly.
Return the trays and then get to work on the glass of the outside door. Newspaper and vinegar will make this job super simple.
Fridge Freezer
It’s time to take all of the food out of the fridge and scrub each shelf carefully. You can use a toothbrush to get right into the corners and into any grooves. Removing the shelves will actually allow you to make this deep clean more efficient. Take out any drawers, egg holders, and so on and give those a soak and a scrub too. The handles on the fridge freezer can get very grubby, so give those a deep clean too.
Small Electrics
The smoothie maker, breadmakers, toasters, and kettles… Take any parts that you can and scrub them. Make sure you empty any crumb catching trays, and if there are any filters, now is the time to replace them.
Cabinets and Drawers
A scrubbing brush and your favourite all-purpose cleaner will be able to help you tackle this in no time. Make sure that you get right up into the corners. Take everything out to clean, then re-order your things. Put food items that need to be used first at the front and the items with a longer best before date at the back. You can do the worktops as you move from cupboard to cupboard.
Windows
The kitchen windows can often be neglected. But you can get good window sprays, or even vinegar and some newspapers to get them glistening.
Bathroom
Bath/sink/shower basin
You’re going to need your old toothbrush again – one that you don’t use. And it’s time to really give it some elbow grease around the plughole, around the taps, and all of the other small details where there can often be mildew, calcium buildup, and more.
A bicarb and vinegar mix with some lemon can really lift those pretty quickly. Make a paste and leave it on for a few minutes while you do the rest of the bathroom. You can wipe down the mixture after a few minutes, or even 20 minutes with a damp cloth.
Toilet
This isn’t the most fun of jobs, but if you have been keeping on top of it and cleaning it weekly, you probably aren’t going to have to do much more than pop in a little bit of toilet cleaner and a bit of a scrub.
Just remember to do underneath the seat around the back of the seat and the underside of the toilet bowl.
Storage
Your trusty multipurpose cleaner and a scrubbing brush or damp cloth can help with all of the worktops and any shelves, and now it’s time to throw out any empty bottles that have escaped your attention previously. If you have any bath mats and shower curtains, now is the time to pop them in the washing machine.
Bedrooms
The first thing you’re probably going to need to do in any bedroom is some decluttering. So you can make like Marie Kondo and declutter to your heart’s content. Once you have gotten rid of unnecessary items in the bedroom, cleaning becomes much more manageable.
Curtains/blinds
Take down any curtains and give them a good wash; if you have blinds, then you can use a sock on your hand to get between all of the slats and dust them down really well.
Shelves and Window Sills
Using a trusty cloth and your multipurpose cleaner will work perfectly well here.
Windows
Much like any of the other rooms, you can use vinegar and newspaper to get your windows sparkling clean.
Bed
It is time to flip that mattress. You ideally should flip the mattress once every six months. And if there happen to be any stains, you can use a baking soda trick to lift them.
Living Room
Many of the tips for windows, window sills, cupboards and drawers can be reused here. But for the rest of the living room…
Sofa
If there are any stains on your sofa. You can use baking soda and a cleaning cloth to remove them. Give the sofa a really good vacuum, and get into the corners, remove the cushions if you can. Sprinkle some baking soda onto any of the stains and leave for around 20 minutes. Then scrub them with the brush attachment for your vacuum.
This can lift almost all stains.
General
While you are going from room to room, doing your deep clean, now is the perfect time to do things like checking bulbs, and light switches, and clearing out the clutter too. If you happen to have an airing cupboard, now is the ideal time to wipe down all of the shelves, and work from top to bottom.
Refold the laundry (yes, not the most fun job) and return it to the shelves. Now is also a great time to add a scented drawer liner.
If you have a tumble dryer that has an exhaust tube, make sure you take the time to vacuum it out, the buildup of lint and dust can actually be a fire hazard.
Once you finish the inside, it makes sense to do the outside. Sweep down your patios, decking, or paths and if you don’t have any of those simply sweep down the space around your back door. Take a stroll around the garden and pick up any stray toys, or forgotten gardening tools, and take a minute to pull up any weeds too.
Break the whole plan into a week, and tackle it in sections. Take on small jobs as you go and you will soon deep clean your home for Spring
