Spring Cleaning Tips & Tricks

It’s getting to that time of year when the mornings are brighter, daffodils start to appear and cute little lambs can be seen skipping along in the fields. But what’s that you’ve got marked on the calendar? Uh-oh! The annual spring cleaning.

Yes, that’s right, it can’t be put off any longer. It’s time to whip out your feather duster and get cleaning!

Got no idea where to start? Wondering if spring house cleaning is even a real thing? Or why you should bother? We know the feeling, which is why we've put together a complete guide to spring house cleaning.

Below you'll find some handy tips and tricks to help you get started. Plus, a spring cleaning checklist that you can download to your phone or print out, as a little reminder. So now you have no excuses!

What is spring cleaning?

Spring cleaning involves deep cleaning your entire home from top to bottom, leaving no stone unturned. While you likely prioritise cleaning and vacuuming well-used rooms in your house like the kitchen, bathrooms, living room and bedrooms, spring cleaning take things a step further. It's about shampooing the carpets, washing the windows, cleaning the appliances and getting in all those hard to reach places. You know, the things you usually put-off or save until next time!

Here are a few extra suggestions of what you might want to include in your spring clean:

• Cleaning the tile grout
• Washing & sanitising the bins
• Clearing out & cleaning kitchen cupboards
• Washing the inside of the dishwasher & filters
• Deep cleaning the oven and microwave

At NG1 City Cleaners we offer a deep home cleaning service. Our team of experienced cleaners will clean every room in your home and sanitise each area to get rid of germs. It's similar to a spring clean with extra sanitisation. In the current 'Covid climate,' there's no such thing as too clean!

What month is spring cleaning?

Here in the UK, spring 2021 starts on 20th March and ends on 21st June.  The most popular time for people to start spring cleaning is between March and April. However, some are guided by the weather, suggesting that you wait until it's warm enough to keep your windows open for ventilation (from dust and cleaning products). Our advice? Spring clean when you have time. There's no harm in starting early or splitting a deep clean into smaller, manageable cleans each month. Make it work for you!

Why is it important?

First of all, no one’s forcing you to do a spring clean (apart from perhaps your nagging partner). There are no rules – after all, it’s your house! The reason people like to do a big spring house clean is that it involves deep cleaning the areas of the house that may often get missed or avoided in a regular, weekly clean. It’s a way of refreshing your home after a cold winter and getting it ready for the warmer months.

As well as deep clean, many people also like to declutter during the spring. This involves giving away, recycling and in some cases, throwing out unwanted items or moving them into self storage.

What are the benefits?

• Cleaning in spring gives you more time to spend with your family & friends doing fun things in the summer
• It’ll make it quicker & easier to keep your home clean in the future
• It will make you feel better about your home
• It can help get rid of any germs and allergens
• Cleaning supports a stronger immune system
• It can help you sleep better at night
• A clean space boosts productivity (great if you're working from home!)
• Cleaning will improve your mood and help you feel happier

What do you need?

First things first, you’ll need some cleaning products. Head to the supermarket and you’ll find a whole aisle dedicated to cleaning products for all sorts of different tasks. Do you need to fork out lots of money for these? Not necessarily! If you prefer you can make an effective disinfectant spray just by combining 1 part water with 1 part vinegar and adding a few drops of lemon juice. If you’re not keen on abrasive chemicals, there are plenty of alternatives out there. Take a look at our post on eco-friendly cleaning for more info on this. You’ll also need:

Spray bottles – For putting your homemade cleaning products in

Vacuum – For carpet cleaning

Mop or steam mop – For cleaning hard floors

Duster – For removing dust from ceilings / lamp fixtures

Cleaning cloths & sponges – Microfibre cloths are great for streak-free cleaning

Old toothbrush – Perfect for cleaning hard-to-reach areas and tile grouting

Rubber gloves – Optional but good for protecting your hands

How do I start spring cleaning?

We suggest targeting the rooms you use the most first. Work from top to bottom: dusting the ceilings and light fixtures for cobwebs, wiping down the windows, removing marks from walls, dusting surfaces and moving down to your skirting boards.

Vacuuming your carpets and floors will pick up dirt, dust and other nasties, helping to keep the surfaces clean and hygienic. If you’re serious about spring cleaning, we’d suggest giving your carpets a deep clean and steam cleaning your floors.

Shampooing your carpets is a great way to reach some of the deeper levels of dirt and grime, embedded in the fibres of your carpet. Steam cleaning your floors will greatly improve their overall look, whilst making them safer for any children crawling about.

For further guidance, we suggest checking out our carpet cleaning secrets.

How to clean your appliances

When’s the last time you cleaned your washing machine? We hate to say it but you can’t expect it to wash your clothes if it’s covered in grime. If it’s been a while since you cleaned your washing machine, include this as part of your spring house cleaning.

We’d suggest running it on a hot wash without any clothes, using your usual detergent. Next, grab a cloth and wipe around the door seal to get rid of any grime. Finally, open the detergent drawer and give it a good clean. It’ll make such a difference!

Oven 

When it comes to cleaning the oven, you have a few different options. The first is to buy an oven cleaning product from the supermarket and follow the instructions on the bottle. Take care to ensure there is enough ventilation in your kitchen.

Alternatively, you can create an oven cleaning paste with bicarbonate of soda, white vinegar and water. Apply it to the oven and racks, leave over night and rinse and wipe the following morning. It'll take a bit of elbow grease to get your oven clean (especially if you've left it a while) but it'll be worth the effort.

Did you know oven cleaning is one of Brits’ least favourite chores? If it’s something you don’t want to do yourself, hire us to clean it for you! We offer oven cleaning as an add-on service for our regular domestic cleaning and end of tenancy cleans.

Fridge 

To clean your fridge:

• Remove all items & check the use by dates on each item
• Take out the shelves & clean them in the sink wish washing up liquid
• Mix bicarbonate of soda with water, grab a cloth and wipe down the fridge door and walls
• Return the shelves and food you want to keep
• Pop a pot of bicarbonate of soda in your fridge to neutralise any unpleasant odours

Freezer 

Pick a cold day so the food you take out stays frozen.

• Prep the surrounding area with trays and towels to catch excess water
• Turn off and unplug the freezer, leaving the door open
• Use a plastic spatula to loosen any ice
• Remove shelving and any compartments - you'll need to wait until they reach room temperature before you wash them to avoid cracking
• Wipe out the freezer with a cloth and diluted bicarbonate of soda solution
• Switch back on and leave for an hour before re-filling with food

Microwave 

To clean your microwave:

• Fill up a microwave-safe bowl with water, tsp of white vinegar & a slice of lemon
• Set your microwave to boil the liquid and watch the window steam up
• Remove the solution & wipe out the microwave with a clean cloth

Dishwasher 

Funny smelling dishwasher? It's time to give it a clean!

• Start by removing any foot bits - it's not the nicest job but it's got to be done
• Next, grab a clean damp cloth and wipe out your the inside of your dishwasher, paying attention to the door and sides.
• Clean the filter - you'll find it under the bottom spray arm
• Give it a rinse with hot water, before replacing
• Fill up a cup with white vinegar and place it on the top rack of your dishwater
• Put your appliance on a hot wash and the white vinegar will absorb any nasty odours and add a sparkly finish

Upholstery cleaning

Don’t forget to give your upholstery and curtains a good clean this spring. Remove things like cushion covers, throws and bedding and put them in the washing machine. We’d also suggest putting your pets’ bedding in the washing machine too – it’ll get rid of any nasties lurking there.

Outdoor cleaning

Once you’ve finished cleaning inside your home, you may want to make a start outdoors. That way, you can really make the most of the lovely weather when it (finally) comes along!

Here are a few outdoor cleaning tasks to add to your list:

• Patio furniture (pressure washer or white vinegar scrub and hose)
• Outside window panes and frames (Maximise the daylight!)
• Patio / decking (pressure washing can give it a new lease of life)
• Children’s play equipment / toys (soap and water or an anti-bacterial spray)
• Waste bins and recycling area (important for pest-prevention)
• Barbecue (ready for grilling in the sunshine!)
• De-cluttering tips for spring

Looking for a way to create more space in your home this spring? Here are a few questions to consider when deciding whether to keep or get rid of items in your home…

• Do you really need the item?
• Have you used it in the past 6 months?
• Do you plan to use it?
• Does it hold any sentimental value?

Rather than simply throwing the item away, consider whether it can be used by someone else. If it’s in good condition, try selling it on Facebook Marketplace (or another site), giving it to a friend or donating it to charity. If the item isn’t going to be any use to anyone, see if it can be recycled. The less that goes to landfill the better!

Spring house cleaning checklist

As promised, here’s a handy spring house cleaning checklist for you to download and print. We’ve left a few spaces so you can add your own spring cleaning tasks too!

Simply right click your mouse and locate ‘save as’ to save the spring house cleaning checklist to your computer or if you’re on a phone or tablet, tap and hold the image and select add to photos.

Spring house cleaning services

Don’t fancy doing a spring clean? No time to clean your home? Leave it to us! Our professional team of cleaners are available to deep clean your home from top to bottom, ensuring it is left spotless.

We have availability for one-off cleans over spring or if you’d prefer to book us for regular cleaning we can do that too!

All you need to do is head over to our booking page to get a quote. Alternatively, if you’d prefer to speak to a human (and a friendly one at that) simply give us a call on 0115 9486363 and a member of our customer care team will discuss your requirements and get you booked in.

We hope you’ve found our spring cleaning post useful. Please feel free to share it with your friends on social media! And as always, if you have any cleaning questions or want to know more about our Nottingham cleaning services, drop us an email: info@ng1citycleaners.co.uk or message us on Facebook.