Spring Cleaning

Winter is almost over, so get ready to step into spring! Celebrate the start of spring by throwing open the windows and freshening your home with a spring clean. We have put together an easy spring-cleaning checklist to help get you started!

1. Declutter

Be ruthless – if you don’t use it or it doesn’t serve a purpose, it’s time to get rid of it. Decluttering will help your mental well-being and kickstart your spring cleaning! Go through each room and eliminate the clutter. Tackle the piles of old magazines, receipts, and letters that are simply collecting dust. From your kitchen cupboards to your bathroom cabinets, throw out any old products or food that has passed its use-by date.

2. Wash Your Windows

Cleaning your windows will instantly make your rooms look brighter and fresher. Be sure to undertake this on a cloudy day, as direct sunlight may dry the glass too quickly, leaving you with unwanted streaks. Before you begin, it is always best to take down any blinds or curtains and wipe down the windowsills and frames.

Whether you use a simple soapy water solution, a natural vinegar and water mixture or a window cleaning fluid, be sure to invest in a non-abrasive sponge and a squeegee. When it comes to drying, don’t forget to use a lint-free cloth, there’s nothing worse than ruining your hard word at the last hurdle!

3. Clean Above And Below

A spring clean gives us the chance to focus on all of the places we usually forget to clean during our weekly housekeeping. Use this opportunity to clean door frames, door handles, and light switches. Give your remote control a wipe and clear the crumb tray in your toaster. Move the sofa, roll up the rugs and vacuum those dusty floors!

4. Revive Your Carpets

You may regularly vacuum your carpets, but often this only removes the surface dirt. To revive your carpets, it is recommended to give them a deep clean at least twice a year. You could call out the professional cleaning services or hire a steam cleaner. But, if you would rather take on the hard work yourself, why not try using baking soda and water, or equal parts of water and white vinegar, with a few drops of your favorite essential oil. These natural solutions will leave your carpets looking new and smelling fresh!

5. Refresh Your Bedding

Spring is the perfect time to refresh your bedding and to flip over your mattress. On top of your usual laundry, be sure to also wash your duvets and pillows. According to The Fine Bedding Company, we should wash our duvets at least twice a year and our pillows around four times a year.

Dirt, dust, and sweat can cause bacteria to quickly build upon our bedding, so it is important they are not neglected. Duvets with synthetic filling can be washed at home, whilst duvets with feather fillings need to be professionally dry cleaned.

6. Deep Clean Your Closet

With spring approaching, it will soon be time to pack away our warm jumpers and knitwear. So now is the perfect time to deep clean your closet and drawers.

Begin by taking out all of your clothes. Sort through each item and be sure to recycle or give to charity any items you know you will never wear again. If you pack away your winter essentials, be sure to store your them in air-tight bags or plastic storage boxes to protect them from being damaged by moths. Before reorganizing your closet, thoroughly wipe down the insides and vacuum all corners.

It may be a long process, but you will be left with a clean, organized closet and plenty of space for new spring clothing!

7. Descale Your Shower Head

Try this great, simple cleaning method, that will leave your shower head sparklingly clean:

1. Half-fill a re-sealable plastic bag with white vinegar.
2. Place the bag over the showerhead, ensuring it is completely submerged, and use elastic bands to keep the bag in place.
3. Leave for a few hours or overnight.
4. Remove the bag and scrub off any remaining limescale.
5. Turn on the shower to wash off any vinegar.

(Note: if your shower head is brass do not leave to soak in the vinegar for any longer than 30 mins!)

8.Tackle The Oven

While it may be necessary, no one enjoys cleaning the oven. There are plenty of oven cleaning products out there. However, Oven Pride is a great way to give your oven and oven trays need a deep, thorough clean. Regardless of what product you use, always make sure to wear rubber gloves and carefully follow the instructions.

9. Scrub the Microwave

Believe it or not, it’s possible to get your microwave sparklingly clean with a simple lemon. Unlike, other natural cleaning options, such as vinegar, using lemons will leave your entire kitchen smelling fresh and clean.

Simply cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice into half a bowl of water. Put the lemon halves into the bowl and then place it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. Leave the microwave to cool for around 10 minutes. Then open the door, carefully remove the bowl of lemons and thoroughly wipe down the insides of the microwave. The steam from the lemon water will have softened all of the stubborn stains!

10. Freshen Your Fridge

It will make it easier to deep clean your fridge if you do so before your weekly shop. Take out the removable shelves and drawers and wash these separately in warm, soapy water. This will make it easier to thoroughly wipe down the interior of the fridge.  After drying and replacing the shelves, remember to reset the temperature. Don’t forget to give the outside of the fridge, such as the handle and door, a good clean too!

Bonus Tips

• Stock up – Be sure to stock up on all the equipment and supplies you will need for your spring clean. Why not save money and try green spring cleaning this year? Make use of the great natural cleaning supplies already in your cupboards, such as white vinegar, salt, lemon, and baking soda!
• Enlist help – Getting the family involved can drastically speed up the spring-cleaning process! Turn spring cleaning into a chance to spend time together. Try playing games as you clean or offer rewards as incentives to make the kids a little less reluctant!
• Room by room – Be realistic! Don’t try to fit in all of your spring cleaning into one Saturday afternoon. Tackling one room at a time, over the course of a few weeks will make the task much more manageable.

Happy Spring Cleaning!