Season of Spring - Spring Clean Your Home

	Season of Spring

Spring Clean Your Home

Spring Cleaning - Sparkle and Shine

It’s that time of the year and you have decided that it is time to do some good Spring Cleaning. It is time to make your home fresh and clean. Have a look at the ‘Declutter’ page on this site to get some helpful advice before you start with your Spring cleaning. A house that hasn't got clutter around is a house that makes cleaning much easier and faster.

To achieve the best results, start with a manageable chunk of work. If you go for a complete Spring Cleaning marathon you may end up leaving your house in a very messy state. Tackle small jobs and if you run out of time or energy you will feel so much better knowing that you have accomplished a bit and have not left your house in a complete tip.

The best way to Spring Clean is to tackle one area or room at a time instead of emptying every cupboard or taking down all the curtains all at the same time. If you lose your enthusiasm halfway through or need to do something else, this will ensure that the whole house will not be turned up side down.

Cleaning tips !!!

Start at the top and work your way down when dusting.
Tackle one room or job at a time.
Clean often as it takes a lot less time to remove new dirt than old.
Use old cotton socks as mitts for cleaning difficult woodwork.
Rub heel marks with pencil eraser to remove marks.
Wash walls from the bottom up to avoid any streaking
Shine windows using newspapers.
Rubbing alcohol can remove that dull haze from mirrors.
Dust before vacuuming or washing the floor

Kitchen Spring Cleaning

Cupboards/Cabinets - Considering the weather is not at its best; take an hour out of a rainy afternoon to clean out your pantry and kitchen cupboards. Make sure to throw away any out of date foods and empty containers. It is also important to go through your medicine cabinet - replace anything past its use-by-date.

Dust the tops of any cupboards before you wash and polish them

Use a mild detergent and a damp cotton cloth wash down all the exterior and interior doors and shelves of your cabinets. For a beautiful shine use furniture polish and a dry cloth on the outside doors and drawers.

Pots and pans - If you feel your copper pans have lost their shine, dip half a lemon in table salt and rub the exterior of them, then rise and dry with a soft cloth. This combination lightens the copper and brings out the color.

Oven - Cleaning your oven is a job that gets overlooked as it is a very messy job. If this is a job that you dred doing, call a professional oven cleaning service to get the job done.

Utensils and Cutting Boards

Use boiling water to sterilize wooden utensils and chopping boards.

Plastic boards can be sterilized in the dishwasher.

Sinks and Dish Drains

Brighten up dull taps by wrapping them in a cloth soaked in limescale remover, lemon juice or distilled white vinegar and leave for a few hours. This method should not be used on gold-plated taps.

An old toothbrush can come in very handy when you need to clean areas that are not easily accessed. It can also be used to get rid of grease on tiles. Simply slip on some rubber gloves, dip the toothbrush in a solution of sugar soap and scrub.

Tidy up the sink by scrubbing away any lime scale and grime with a sponge or brush. Replace old scouring pad and sponges with new one at least every month to keep up good hygiene.

Use a drain cleaning product to cleanse your kitchen sink drains. This will help to cut the grease and grime build up in the pipes and create a fresh smell around the sink.

Tiles

Use an old toothbrush and a mild bleach mixture to scrub away the grime from the grouting.

Refrigerator

Have a go at empting out all the out-of-date products in your fridge. If the products have expired discard them. This will make it easier to wash and wipe down the internal fridge. Using a mild detergent and wet cloth wash all the shelves and walls of your refrigerator. When you have finished place an opened box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda inside to help the fridge smell clean. The baking soda will absorb the odors.

Dust and wash the top and outside wall and doors of the refrigerator.

Skirting Boards

Wash and wipe down all the skirting boards using a mild detergent and damp cotton cloth.

Bedroom Spring Cleaning

Beds and Bedding - Once washed, hang out duvets and pillows to dry. To stop the filling from dropping to the bottom and going lumpy be sure to give them a good shake every hour. Turn over mattresses. After washing, re-hang curtains whilst they're damp. Vacuum blinds and curtains on low suction.

Bathroom Spring Cleaning

A bath and/or shower can be one of the most unhygienic areas in your home.

Purchase a shower squeegee and wip away all traces of water immediately after taking your shower. This helps in two ways - prevents unsightly water spots and reduces the amount of bacteria laden residue.

Tiles - Use an old toothbrush and a mild bleach mixture to scrub away the grime from the grouting.

Living Room Spring Cleaning

Upholstery - When you clean upholstery with a rented cleaner, practice first in an unobtrusive area to make sure that the treatment does not discolor fabrics or cause dyes to run. Make sure that you know how to use the machinery.

Keep your leather furniture in good condition by dusting it with a soft clean cloth first, then removing the grime by wiping the surface with a damp cloth.

Dusting - Start at the top and work your way down. Use a duster to clear away cobwebs from the cornicing and tops of all hanging pictures. Dust any hanging blinds. Dust all your furniture using furniture polish. Don’t forget to dust all your knick-knacks and ornaments.

Sofa, Couch, Settee - Take all the cushions of the box frame. Vacuum the sofa area and down in the side cracks and crevices. Spray the cushions with a disinfectant spray and beat to fluff up and loosen any particles and vacuum. Use a mild detergent based cloth and sponge clean the fabric (test a small area first to make sure you do not harm the fabric).

Vacuum or Mop - Once you have finished dusting everything in the room it is time to vacuum or mop the floor. Give the room a few minutes to let all the dust and cobwebs settle down to the floor level.

Carpet Boarders - Using a carpet cleaning spray, a toothbrush and a small container of water; clean the build-up of dust and dirt away from the carpet edges. Spray some of the carpet cleaner on the carpet edge; dip your toothbrush in the container of water and scrub away to remove any build-up of dust and dirt. You will be amazed at the difference this makes to the appearance of your rooms.

Skirting Board - After you have vacuumed the floor now is a good time to clean the skirting boards. Using a mild detergent and clean damp cloth go around and wash all the skirting boards as dust will have accumulated and vacuuming will not get rid of this dust and grime.

Bedroom Spring Cleaning

Beds - Strip all bedding, vacuum the mattress and spray with a disinfectant spray to kill all germs. Allow the mattress time to dry. Once the mattress has had time to dry, vacuum again to get rid of any loose particles and then turn your mattress over to the other side (you should turn your bed mattress over every month). Do the same process to the new turned up mattress - vacuum, spray, dry and vacuum again.

Storing winter clothes

Winter Coats - Take all your winter coats and jackets to be dry-cleaned and then store them in the closet. Keep the plastic bag/covers over your coats to help protect them from dust and dust mites. On that note, be sure to purchase some cedar block or ball to place or hang in the closets to help keep away moths and dust mites.

Blankets & Covers - Before storing away your blankets and covers either wash them or have them dry-cleaned. For best storage place them in vacuum sealed bags. To give them an added bonus of freshness try placing scented soaps or scented balls in between the folded layers.

Spring Clean - All Rooms

Curtains and Drapes - All net and lace curtains should be washed regularly. If they are washed regularly it will remove all the dust collected and help to keep them bright and white.

Once you have washed the curtains re-hang them while they are still wet as this will help keep their shape.

Use your upholstery nozzle on your vacuum and gently vacuum the dust from your drapes and curtains.

Lamp Shades and Light Fixtures - When Spring cleaning, don’t forget those forgotten jobs of lamp shades and light fixtures.

Lamp Shades (depending on their material) Cloth lamp shades should be vacuumed carefully and then use a clean, damp cloth on the lampshades to remove any dirt and grime by wiping gently. Glass and plastic shades should be wiped down with a clean, damp cloth and then dried with a lint-free dry cloth

Light Fixtures – Put the shine and sparkle back in light fixtures. Vacuum away any dead bugs and dust that have collected in the fixture. The best way to wash your light fixtures and chandeliers is to take them down and give a good wash with a mild detergent and then dry them with a lint-free dry cloth.

Spring Clean Services

In some countries there are Spring Clean Services available. If you don't have the time, energy or ability to Spring Clean your house try to contact a Spring Cleaning Service or Agency. If you cannot find a Spring Clean Service in your area check with the different Cleaning Services/Agencies to see if they offer any kind of one time only cleaning.