Spring cleaning can be overwhelming - but having a plan will take away so much of the stress and let you concentrate on one manageable task at a time.
By prioritising rooms and cleaning them accordingly, your home will be spick and span in no time. We asked cleaning experts BizzyBee for their top tips - read on for our room-by-room cleaning guide.
1
Living room
To organise and remove clutter, leave a carrying basket on the living room table to place things like toys, clothes and books. Pass the box around, making sure that each person claims their own belongings and puts them in the right place.
Dust your TV with a microfibre cloth, pressing lightly. Don’t be tempted to wipe with tissue or a harsh cloth as they can scratch the surface.
Run a rubber glove along your carpet, rugs and upholstery to gather and remove pet hair – it’s much cheaper than using a lint roller!
2
Kitchen
Thanks to socialising, laundry and cooking, the kitchen is likely to harbour a lot of grease and grime, but you can have it looking clean and tidy in no time using a few household ingredients.
Raid your cupboards and refrigerator for food that’s out of date or has seen better days. Clean the insides of your cupboards and freshen them up by filling a bowl with baking soda and leaving for a few hours to absorb any smells.
Mix a quarter of a cup of baking soda with enough water to form a paste to clean your oven window and door. Spread and leave for at least 20 minutes or longer, depending on how stubborn the stains are, and then wipe off with a soft scourer. The grime should lift straight off.
To add some sparkle to your glassware, wash it in a plastic bowl with washing up liquid. Give it a final rinse with warm water and a couple of drops of vinegar, then gently buff dry with a microfibre cloth.
3
Hallway
Make an amazing first impression by putting away shoes and coats and clearing up all the dirt that gets brought in. Sort through shoes and store away the unused pairs out of sight – try to limit the number of shoes in the hallway to one pair per person.
Astroturf mats are great for the outside, while a sturdy nylon mat is best for indoors to stop dirt coming into your home. Take mats outside and shake or beat with a tennis racket to remove the trapped-in dirt.
4
Bathroom
Light-coloured bathrooms are prone to more visible dust and water marks. To improve the overall look of your bathroom, brassware, ceramic tiles, shower doors and mirrors should be gleaming.
To clean your glass shower screen, mix bicarbonate of soda and clear vinegar to a paste and apply with a nylon scourer and a little elbow grease. Leave for a few minutes, then rinse off and buff dry with a microfibre cloth.
For limescale, use neat or diluted white vinegar to spray on taps, tiles, the toilet bowl and shower heads. You can also add a drop of lemon juice to make it smell nice.
5
Bedroom
Clear your room so you can sleep well in a clean, dust-free environment.
Start by vacuuming your mattress to whisk away dust, then rotate it; flip it over both end-over-end and side-over-side. When your bed linen isn’t in use, store it with a couple of lavender bags. While the smell might be lovely to humans, moths can’t stand it.
6
Odd jobs
Now that you’ve got those jobs done and dusted, it’s time to do those forgotten jobs and get in all those nooks and crannies:
- To clean discoloured grout between tiles, scrub with a toothbrush dipped in white vinegar.
- Gloves or a cloth wrapped tightly around the hand can be great for cleaning and wiping those mini blinds. You’ll swipe off the dust and get in all those little awkward areas.
- Give your kitchen bin a good scrub with soapy water and let it dry completely before putting in another bin bag.
- Don't forget your ceiling when cleaning – hoover up cobwebs and give it a sweep with a broom or wipe with a mop.
