Apr
It’s that time of year again when the evenings are lighter, the weather is (supposed to be) warmer and the flowers are coming out in bloom. Yes, it’s spring, which means it’s time for the annual spring clean! To help you, we’ve compiled some top tips to make it a little bit easier.
1. Make a checklist
If you make a list of things you need to clean or do, you can tick them off as you go along. Breaking a task down into smaller, more achievable tasks makes it feel easier and helps to avoid procrastination. It also gives you a sense of completing something as you go along.
2. Put some music on
It’s nothing to do with cleaning, but you just feel better when your favourite music is playing. This way, you can sing along and concentrate on the music, meaning that cleaning will seem less like a chore.
3. Open the windows
You’d be surprised what a difference this can make – it allows stale air to get out and fresh air to get in. This is especially useful when dusting or using cleaning chemicals so that the room is ventilated.
4. If you don’t remember using it, get rid of it
Unless there is a specific spring/summer purpose for something, if you don’t remember having used it, you probably don’t need it. Some people even set themselves a time, e.g. if I haven’t used it in the last X weeks/months, there’s no need for it. Consider taking it to a car boot sale or donating it to a local charity shop.
5. Use 3 boxes
This will help you to keep your things organised as you tidy – use one for rubbish, one for things you want to donate or sell and one for things you’re not sure about. Once you’ve finished a room and see it nice and neat, you may decide that it doesn’t need all the clutter, so you can then put it in one of the other boxes.
6. Start in the living room
This means that it’ll be done first, so that when you finish for the day or need a rest, you have somewhere that’s clean and tidy to relax in without having to look at more cleaning!
7. Clean from top to bottom
You should start with your highest shelves so that any dust or crumbs that fall onto the floor are picked up last, rather than having to sweep the floor every time you’ve cleaned something.
8. Get the family involved
If you have children, you could turn it into a game – give them a list of chores and each completed chore gets a point. They will need a certain number of points to win a prize.
If you don’t, get your partner or even parents involved, but you might have to reward them with dinner afterwards!
9. Don’t forget your furniture
Many people will focus on decluttering, hoovering and dusting. But have you cleaned your sofa recently? Now is a great time to flip the cushions and move the sofa out and clean underneath and behind it. You can also hoover the sofa itself to make sure the cushions are clean.
10. If a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing properly!
Use this as an opportunity to really scrub your home. Use the right tools for the job and it’ll be easy – clean out your fridge, oven, microwave and other places you don’t always remember to clean. If you do it properly, it’s easier to keep clean and you won’t have to scrub it again for a while.
Armed with these tips, cleaning will be much easier and more effective, making your home sparkle in no time! If you have any more useful tips, let us know in the comments below!
