February 12th, 2019 by Chris Chapman

After a long few months of damp, miserable British winter, it’s natural to see the spring as an opportunity for a fresh start. As the days are longer and the weather starts to get warmer, a spring clean is a perfect opportunity to brighten up your home and get ready for the year ahead. Our top spring cleaning tips will help you get your house looking better than ever!

Declutter

Before you start cleaning, it’s a good idea to get rid of any clutter left lying around to make your job a little easier. Extreme decluttering is strangely fashionable right now thanks to lifestyle gurus like Marie Kondo, but you don’t have to be quite as strict as her when it comes to throwing things out! You can simply separate items to keep, donate, and throw away into separate bins to help you stay organised. When deciding what to keep and what to bin, you should think about when you last used the item in question (or, if it’s a sentimental item, when you last thought about what it means for you). If you haven’t used it in over 6 months, donate or bin it (unless it’s a seasonal thing, like Christmas decorations). You should also shred or recycle any non-essential letters, notes, and other random scraps of paper you have. This’ll help you organise your essential papers – like bills and bank statements – into a single, well-organised location. Go digging through your drawers and dressers and see what you find – you’ll be surprised at all the clutter that can build up over a year!

Bathroom Cleaning

Sprucing up your bathroom isn’t always the most glamorous job, so it’s a good idea to get it out of the way early. While most people keep their bathrooms fairly hygienic, a spring clean gives you a good opportunity for a deep cleaning session that’ll set you up for the year ahead! It’s important to give your bathroom a bit of extra attention as all the moisture that comes from your baths or showers will encourage mould and mildew to build up on your walls. This is a particular problem if you have tiling in your bathroom as the grouting between the tiles can become drab and discoloured. Some all-purpose mould and mildew remover, as well as a bottle of grout cleaner, will help brighten up your bathroom surfaces and will add an extra layer to your usual bathroom cleaning routine. You can also wipe down your shower, taps, and sink to create a super-bright, relaxing environment in your bathroom.

Deep Clean Your Carpets

If you’ve never cleaned your carpet beyond the usual vacuuming, you might be surprised at the difference a clean carpet will make to your house! Over time, your carpets will collect a lot of tiny particles of dirt, but you might not notice this gradual change as your carpet is something you see every day. Vacuuming regularly will get most of this dirt, but not all of it, and these tiny dirt particles that cling to your carpet will build up over time. This is why there’s no substitute for a good carpet shampoo! Spring cleaning presents you the perfect opportunity to shampoo your carpet and break down all the collected dirt, dust, hair, and other grimy bits that your vacuum has missed throughout the year. This will immediately give your entire home a massive lift!

Kitchen Cleaning

Your kitchen is arguably the place you want to be most hygienic, but over time the spills and splatters will start to take their toll. We’re all familiar with oven grease, smelly fridges, and dusty floors by now, but a spring clean is the time for you to tackle these problems all at once! As with every other room in your house, you should start by rummaging through your cupboards and kitchen drawers to throw out any clutter you might find. If you’ve got an old packet of instant mashed potatoes from 1996 in the back of your cupboard, now is the time to get rid! After that, you can start wiping down your hard surfaces and mopping the floor. If you have a steam mop, you can use some steam detergent to make this even quicker!

Clean Out Your Appliances

Of course, cleaning your kitchen surfaces is only half the battle – you have to deal with the inside of your appliances, too! The inside of your oven, in particular, can be notoriously difficult to clean, with years’ worth of baked-on food and grease all over the inside. We recommend picking up some specialist oven cleaner to tackle this tricky job overnight while you get on with the rest of your kitchen appliances. Clear out old food from your fridge and thoroughly wipe it down to get rid of any lingering smells. If you’re still left with a musty odour in your fridge, cut a lemon in half and leave the two halves on the top and bottom shelves of the fridge. After a while, the foul odours should be replaced by a fresh citrus smell!

Don’t Forget the Outside

While you’re cleaning up the inside of your home, it’s important you don’t neglect your outdoor areas! The winter weather can cause a muddy mess in your garden, ruining paths and fences and encouraging green mould to grow on patios and decking. It’s a good idea to step outside during your spring cleaning session and clean up the garden, too. After all, come the summer you’ll want to spend a lot more time there! You can declutter your garden just like you decluttered your house – simply clear out any old pots, ornaments, or dead plants that you don’t need and bin or recycle them. You’ll notice that this immediately makes your garden feel a little bigger and more open. After that, you can start cleaning up your patio, decking, or your garden path! Chances are you’ll have a lot of green mould growing on your hard surfaces as the cold, damp winter weather encourages it to grow. A quick dose of Simply Spray and Walk Away will see to that green mould and algae, leaving your pathways clean and clear.