Spring cleaning tips

We have been in our homes more than ever before. While many of us have been keeping clean and tidy homes, is there a better excuse to get the marigolds on than the start of spring?

This year, with regional lockdowns starting to (hopefully) lift in the next few months, get a head start on making sure your house is prepared by doing a good old spring clean.

We’ve pulled together some of our top tips for spring cleaning each room – so let’s get started!

Living room

1. First things first – crack those windows open! If it’s a sunny day, let the light in and soak in some Vitamin D. Letting fresh air into the home is a really simple way to improve your indoor air quality and can even be good for your health.
   
   
2. Dust dance! Make cleaning up enjoyable by popping your favourite songs on a spring cleaning playlist or tune in to your favourite podcast. Soon you’ll be done and dusted before you know it.
   
   
3. It can be easy to think the most effective way to clean is to get scrubbing and mopping before anything else. But first, its important to make sure you’ve cleared up all of your clutter, including magazines, newspapers and other bits and bobs you have lying around. This will make the clean-up so much easier in the long run.
   
   
4. Since lockdown, we’ve been on our sofas more than ever before. Make sure you remove your couch cushions and vacuum any crumbs and dirt that have slid down the sides of the couch without you realising. You never know – you may even find a £5 note!

Kitchen

1. You’d be surprised at how much dirt and fluff makes its way into the drawers in your kitchen. Use this as an opportunity to get into your cupboards and re-organise. Once you’ve sorted all of your cutlery, and thrown away the takeaway menus you no longer need, give the drawer a good scrub to make sure all dirt and grime has been lifted.
   
   
2. At the start of lockdown, a lot of us stock-piled canned and pantry goods just in case. Make room for new treats by taking out all of the dried foods in your cupboards and make sure you’re not holding on to anything that’s out of date. This will mean you can re-discover things you didn’t realise you had, and even give you some meal inspiration for the coming weeks.
   
   
3. Don’t throw out your lemons just yet. Lemons can be used as a natural antibacterial bleach. Rub them on your chopping board as a disinfectant, to get rid of any persistent stains, and to leave it smelling fresh.
   
   
4. If you’re keen baker, you may have bicarbonate of soda in your cupboards. This is an excellent cleaning product – it can soften hard water and cuts through grime quickly and easily. Not only that, but it can also cut through grease in blocked sinks.

Bathroom

1. There is no better feeling than putting on a fresh towel after a long bath. One of the first things to do when tackling your bathroom is to launder all your bathroom necessities – towels, dressing gowns, wash cloths and bathmats. Next time you shower you’ll feel as good as new.

• Toothbrushes aren’t just for brushing your teeth. If you have an old toothbrush kicking around you can really get into the curves and crevices of your shower or bathtub with a toothbrush scrub. Excellent at getting between your tiles, toothbrushes are a cheap bathroom cleaning product.
  
  
• We can often pick up the next best beauty products, use them once and put them in the back of the cupboard never to be seen again. Make sure your products haven’t expired by checking the period after opening symbol to know which serums and moisturisers you can save.
  
  
• Get smelly – in a good way. We all associate the bathroom with some unsavoury smells, but freshen up the room by introducing essential oils, wax melts or even candles to the space. Especially helpful if your bathroom doesn’t have a window.
  
  

Bedroom 

1. Have you got drawers filled with bed clothes and sheets that never seems to look organised? Pop all of your matching duvet sets into one pillowcase – and you’ll save bags of room and clutter.
   
   
2. As noted throughout this blog, we know that clutter has become a problem in many people’s homes this past year. Do you have a bedside table or desk drawer that has old batteries, unfinished books and other pieces gathering dust? Do a clear out, de-clutter and find a new spot for these items.
   
   
3. Have you got a closet full of clothes that you don’t wear anymore? Although we’ve not been able to go anywhere recently, it’s never a bad idea to follow the two year rule. Ask yourself if you have you worn that top/pair of jeans/hat in the past two years. If not, and the garment is still in good condition, you could donate it to a charity shop or clothing bank. This will make your closet seem far more organised and save some space for new pieces.
   
   
4. Don’t forget the light switch. One of the most commonly touched areas in any room is the light switch. Make sure you spray the cleaner on your cloth, rather than the switch – this also applies to sockets.