It’s come to that time of year again! The spring season is a period for new beginnings, as the flowers begin to come out in full bloom, and the birds are chirping. It also means that you’ve probably been thinking about getting the annual spring clean over and done with! It might seem like a tedious task, but there is no denying the sense of satisfaction you get from a thorough clear out, and an in-depth tidy around the house. If you’re planning on getting ready to do your spring cleaning, here are a few tips which you might find useful.
Clear out the past to make room for the future
One of the best ways to turn a house into a home is to decorate your home with trinkets and pictures which hold happy memories. However, it’s all too easy to hold onto stuff which you don’t really need, and your spring clean is the perfect opportunity to declutter. Sort items you don’t need into boxes: you could donate some things to charity, or sell them at a garage sale. The more clutter you manage to clear away, the less cleaning you’ll have to do!
Get the family involved
Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be a one-person job! Though you might think it would be less stressful to do it yourself, there is a whole house to get through, so getting the whole family involved will help you get the job done quicker. It doesn’t have to be a dull experience; you can make cleaning fun by playing some music in the background or make it into a game for younger children, where they can earn points or a treat if they get all of their chores completed.
Complete one section at a time
It might be tempting to vacuum the whole house in one go or to go around cleaning all the windows in the house at once, but you might actually find it easier to section off each area of the house and complete every chore within that space first. For one thing, this will help you keep track of where you have been, and what you have to do in each space. If you have managed to rope in some helpers to assist you in your cleaning, a great idea could be to give each person their own room to work in.
Organize your time
Giving your home a deep clean isn’t an easy task, and it can be difficult to make enough time to do everything, especially when you have a busy schedule. This is why it is really important to efficiently plan out your time. Schedule when you are going to do each job (for example, 10am-1pm: clean kitchen) and make sure to write out a thorough to-do list to make sure that you don’t miss jobs. This will help you to prioritize everything that needs doing, and then you can fit all the jobs in over a period of a few days, while still leaving enough time to do anything else you might need to do.
Get the hardest parts out of the way first
There are parts of the house which you only have to clean a few times a year, and it’s just as well because more often than not, they’re the most difficult areas. Chores such as giving the oven a deep clean, or doing outdoor chores like pressure washing patios and windows, are tasks which you’ll want to do first. If you leave the off-putting tasks to the last minute, you’ll probably lose momentum and will struggle to get everything done. If there are certain jobs, such as cleaning the windows, which you don’t want to do yourself, you could always get help in to do it for you, so you should research companies such as LaborPanes.
Getting the right cleaning products
Spring cleaning is a difficult enough task as it is, so you’ll want to make sure you are using the right tools for the job in order to make life a little easier. For example, you might find that there are more effective substitutes than shop bought cleaning products, such as using bicarbonate of soda to clean the oven. Natural cleaning agents are also better for you, and safer for use in homes with young children, as they don’t contain the same harmful chemicals which can be found in so many man-made products.
Small jobs are just as important as big jobs
In the back of your mind, you are probably already thinking over all the big cleaning tasks which need doing; Maybe you think that you’ll need to defrost the freezer, clean out the oven and scrub the barbeque until it shines. While those are all important tasks, don’t forget about the little problem areas that need your time and attention too! Washing the underside of chairs and tables, cleaning small appliances, and even wiping over your light bulbs, are all important cleaning tasks if you want to remove dust, grime and unpleasant smells from home. Though these are not visible areas, they are places which become dirty over time, and so you’ll want to make sure you get them on your to-do list. Small jobs like these are perfect for other members of your family to help out with, as though they are time-consuming tasks, they don’t take a lot of attention to complete.
Don’t forget the walls
It may sound strange, but cleaning your walls is really important. While it may not seem like the most necessary area to keep clean, over time your walls absorb oils, smells and dirt from the air, making them discolored and giving the home a general ‘dull’ appearance. If you have water-resistant paint on your walls, you can simply use a damp sponge and a light cleaning agent. Remember to avoid potentially toxic products, as otherwise, you could damage the paint, and lightly wipe down your walls to dislodge any dirt or grime. Make sure not to saturate the walls too much, and ensure you dry the walls thoroughly, as leaving too much water on the paint can cause it to erode. Magic erasers are also great for removing small visible stains from paintwork.
