Spring cleaning is a time-old tradition that allows you to declutter, freshen your space and prepare your home for summer. If you’re ready to give your home a proper spring cleaning, but not sure where to start, we’ve got just the thing for you. We teamed up with Sarah of @mybudgethome to provide you with some top tips to help you focus your spring cleaning efforts.
My top cleaning products have always been multi-surface wipes and multi-purpose spray cleaners. Both of these I like as the wipes are quick and handy and can be used pretty much anywhere. The multi-surface spray cleans almost everything including all surfaces around the house so you can just carry the one bottle with you without having to use separate sprays for each room – except for the bathroom.
When picking a product, I tend to purchase ones which are safe around the home and often use brands like Astonish as they are cruelty-free.
Looking for a more natural way to clean your home? Read the blog Cleaning Your Home The Natural Way.
Regardless of the time of year, whenever I feel things are getting on top of each other and in need of a hard reset, I tend to do a Spring clean. However April and May is the perfect time to kick start this, we’ve got winter out of the way and it’s time to look ahead to the warmer months. I like to start at the top and work my way down, so the first rooms on my list are bedrooms.
Struggling to get rid of the clutter? Follow 10 Easy Ways to Declutter.
When spring cleaning bedrooms the most important thing to tackle is wardrobes and drawers.
Go through them all and donate or even sell any clothes you no longer use.
– If it doesn’t fit, is broken, or hasn’t been worn in 6 months it’s got to go.
– If it’s not worn often but you still want to keep it, think about getting some vacuum bags. They’re great for maximising storage space, whilst also keeping your clothes fresh for the next season.
You can’t do a clean without washing all of the bedding, so next, they get stripped and put in a wash. Whilst I’m there I like to use a fabric disinfectant spray on the pillows and mattresses.
I’ve got a 6-year-old daughter, so if you have children make some time to go through their toys, with the same rule as clothing. Anything broken should be binned, and anything that’s been outgrown or unwanted can be sold or given to charity. My daughter has her own personalised storage boxes to make it easier to keep toys organised.
When cleaning furniture in the bedrooms I like to use antibacterial wipes. I take all items like lamps and ornaments off of the surfaces and put them to one side. Once the surfaces are clean I make sure to give the ornaments and lamps a wipe over before putting them back on.
In a similar process to cleaning the bedroom, I’d start by de-cluttering your surfaces – everything from your shelves, tables, to chest of drawers. Not only will this make them easier to clean, but a tidy room gives you mental clarity. This will really help you bring your home back to life.
For sofas, curtains and cushions etc. give them a once over to check if there are any stains and decide if they need washing or a bit of stain remover. Also, check down the sides and under the cushions for crumbs (or loose change!) and then give it a quick hoover with one of the smaller attachments.
As we don’t have carpet in the living room, it’s really easy to keep clean and every now and then I just check down behind the sofas for any dust build-ups. Other areas worth checking for is dust pile-ups behind the TV and on lamps and light fittings.
Don’t forget to spruce up your home workspace this Spring. Read our 5 Simple Steps To Spring Clean Your Study and our tips to Spring Clean And Organise Your Desk.
The first thing I do in my bathroom is to use a bathroom spray to clean the sink, toilet and bathtub. All areas should be scrubbed including taps, toilet seat, lid and base. Every so often I replace all toothbrushes, so when doing that, I make sure to give the toothbrush pot holder a good clean as well. Use a little bit of bathroom spray in the bottom and give it a good scrub.
If you’ve got tiles, a quick bleach and scrub of the tiles and grout will keep them looking clean and bright.
Don’t forget to change over your bath mats, too.
Cupboards – Cleaning out my kitchen cupboards is often reserved for when I do a spring clean. I start with the non-food cupboards, take all things out and give the cupboards a wipe down, then I reorganise, restack and throw away any broken or unused items. When cleaning out food, I like to place everything by dates. So check your foods for any out of date items. Once the cupboard is clean, I organise them by most eaten/ date. The foods I tend to eat the most and with the shortest dates go at the front so they can be easily accessed.
Fridge – I clean my kitchen daily, so most things are pretty clean. But there are a lot of larger items that need cleaning every so often. This includes the fridge. For this, I take all food items out, then use dish soap and hot water to clean the inside of the fridge. It’s easier to take the shelves and drawers out, wash them and then put them back.
Washing machine – To clean my washing machine I like to use my antibacterial wipes to clean all surfaces. I then take the drawer out and give it a good clean. Powder and old softener can build up inside and create mould, so it’s important to clean this regularly. You can purchase washing machine cleaners but I prefer to add a capful of Zoflora to the drum of the machine, and a capful to the drawer and then put it on a hot cycle. A little tip my mum taught me was to always leave the washing machine door and drawer open after using so it can dry. This prevents any mould and damp smells lingering in your machine.
Waste bins – Nobody likes emptying the bin, let alone cleaning it! Giving your bin a thorough clean every now and then is essential and can be done quite effortlessly. Take your bin outside, fill with boiling water and disinfectant for around an hour (as mentioned above, I love Zoflora!) Give the lid a quick wipe, pour the water out and leave to dry.
Kettle – We’ve got quite hard water in our area, so every few months I like to clean our kettle with all-purpose Oust descaler. This can be quite easily purchased from local supermarkets.
Iron – Now most of you know that I don’t iron that much but I do get a lot of people asking about how to get burn marks off irons. I discovered this tip quite a few years ago and it’s really inexpensive to do. Turn on your iron and then while protecting your hands with a heatproof glove, rub a paracetamol tablet, (rather than a capsule), across the iron. Be careful when doing so as to not burn your fingers and use a slightly damp cloth to rub away the burnt residue.
Microwave – When cleaning your microwave I feel like the best possible thing you can use is a bowl of water and a squeeze of lemon. Put the bowl in your microwave and then turn on for approximately 6 minutes. This will allow the water to boil and any food which is stuck to your microwave will soften and become loose enough to wipe off easily with a cloth or kitchen roll.
Stainless steel surfaces – Stainless steel is probably one of the hardest things to try and keep clean. Most people, including myself, have a stainless steel cooker hood, but some also have a stainless steel splashback, which I know can get very dirty from things such as fingerprints grease marks and food. My top tips for cleaning these types of surfaces is baby oil. Any brand will work just simply add a couple of drops onto a microfiber cloth and rub it in, this will get rid of any stains quickly!
A brilliant way to bring Spring indoors is to accessorise your furniture with beautiful floral arrangements. Here’s how we would use flowers for an evergreen Springtime look at home.
I like to go over the dining table daily with either my trusty multi-surface wipes or multi-purpose spray cleaners and a microfibre cloth. I have a glass dining table, so when doing a good clean I’ll use a vinegar and water solution which is also great for cleaning windows. I begin by making a solution using 50% water and 50% white vinegar in a spray bottle, I’ll then spray the solution over the table and wipe it around using a microfibre cloth – this is great for getting rid of any greasy fingerprints and smudges. Make sure to also give the table and chair legs a quick once over as well.
Have you got new furniture you want to take care of? Read on for expert tips from Oak Furnitureland.
While I’m at it, I take the opportunity to wax and clean any hardwood furniture. Your standard household cleaner is quite likely to damage the finish of your furniture over time so for everyday cleaning, I’d advise using a detergent designed for hardwood. I wring the cloth out so it’s almost dry and then gently scrub the wooden surfaces. Every six months I freshen up my wood with furniture wax, this keeps it nice and shiny and also protects the wood. Read the blog for a guide on How To Care For Oak.
Sarah is mum to 6-year-old Dakota and runs Instagram account @mybudgethome. Sarah’s account is dedicated to her passion for cleaning and also includes Interior styling and DIY posts.
Sarah runs Instagram account @mybudgethome.