The big spring clean

Wave goodbye to winter and stride on into spring with a clean home and a clear conscience. With the days getting longer, now’s the time to grab a few hours and get everywhere ship-shape, ready to sail into the better weather with your house in good working order. And if you’re still feeling a little short on motivation, why not take your cue from our step by step guide and break the task down into more manageable chores.

Clear the decks before you start cleaning

Don’t be daunted by what needs to be done, you can make life easier by first de-cluttering to free up floors and surfaces for easy cleaning. Keep it simple and spend as long as you dare bagging up any unwanted items for charity, recycling or the bin as you go, ready to take away at your first opportunity.

A place for everything and everything in its place

With a bit more space about you, enjoy taking a moment to find a home for anything that’s staying for another season. Warmer weather is the perfect excuse to get that winter gear washed and stashed away and we can all make do with fewer layers weighing us down as spring marches on.

Get your cleaning kit in a caddy

Now the tidying is done, do as the professionals do and save yourself some serious legwork by putting all your cleaning kit in a portable tote or caddy. A little preparation goes a long way and having all the right cloths and cleaning products with you as you move from room to room will get the job done much faster and with much fewer wasted journeys.

Reduce the workload by cleaning all year

Spring cleaning has traditionally been about deep cleaning your home, but a little effort throughout the year will mean there’s less work come springtime. If you’re someone who’d really rather be doing anything but cleaning, then try to treat this next part as exercise with extra benefits… the more effort you put in, the more you’ll get out.

Work from top to bottom

Like washing a car, it makes sense to clean from the top down so, starting with upstairs, work your way around the house cleaning one room at a time.  Bathrooms and kitchens require a slight variation on the theme, but for most rooms, the routine will remain essentially the same, so get the radio or your favourite tunes on and enjoy the workout

1. 1. For general dusting, try using a damp, clean microfibre cloth which really grabs the dust without the need for spray and, for radiators and any hidden expanses of skirting behind heavier items of furniture, try using our flexible duster, Flatmate.
   2. Get your windows gleaming on the inside so you can make the most of the sunshine without seeing smears and, while you’re nearby, give blinds and curtain poles a quick wipe with the duster to pick up any offending dust.
   3. Onto the floors now… so be prepared for some bending. Move what you can to give forgotten stretches of flooring a glimpse of daylight and a more thorough clean. Give all carpets and floors the once-over with a vacuum cleaner, making sure to use the nozzle attachments where necessary to do away with unwanted deposits of dirt, dust and fluff.  Treat any high-traffic carpeted areas to a deeper clean and refresh wooden or hard floors with a timely clean and polish.
   4. For bathrooms and kitchens, stick with the top to toe routine for dusting and vacuuming, but accept a helping hand from some specialist products to restore the sparkle without too much elbow grease. For the best results, apply deeper cleaning products straightaway then leave them to work their magic while you get on with another chore; it will mean you can go at a much faster pace and there’ll be much less scrubbing to be done in the long run.
   5. Refresh tired bathroom suites with our bath reviver range and remove any unsightly black spots from silicone seals and grout using our Blitz that Mould range. Take the cleaning up a level when you tackle the tiles, splash backs and glass; for a satisfyingly easy way to achieve a spotless finish and shine in next to no time, steam clean your way through the stubborn soap scum caused by the gradual build up of shampoo, conditioner or shower gel.
   6. It may be the smallest room in the house, but it’s a room we all spend a lot of time in so, with the sink, shower and bath sorted, give your loo a little extra attention. Leave it smelling and looking fresh, clean and loved by investing in a new toilet brush and an overnight toilet bowl cleaner, then pop some drain cleaner down your plugholes before moving on to the next job.
   7. When you get to the kitchen, mop up any burnt-on mess in your oven in minutes with Oven Mate’s mighty cleaning kits which lift stubborn grease and baked-on food to leave your oven the cleanest it’s been (product refs for Oven Mate). Show your ceramic hob the same level of simple TLC using our Hob Heaven range which will soon have your cooker gleaming and looking like new.
   8. Wipe down worktops with Worktop Wonder and introduce your sinks to our Bar Keeper’s Friend which removes stains so effortlessly that, when you’ve tried it once, you will be a fan for life. Stay at the sink and treat mucky plug holes to a quick scrub before adding a generous glug of drain cleaner to keep your pipes free-running and clear of food-related blockages.
   9. Last of all, after a hard day’s housework, finish with a flourish by steam cleaning the kitchen floor, ready to put your feet up for a well-earned cup of tea.