It is almost that time of year when we all get our mops, feather dusters and bleach out to give our homes a good, old-fashioned once-over in preparation for the bright and sunny season of spring. This can be a time consuming and an agonising task in reality – how can we do it faster but still well? We have tips lined up for you to help you get that fresh feeling in your home.
To get the task done quicker, we advise that you tackle the furnishings, appliances and carpets. Once you have covered these tasks, it will make the rest of the spring cleaning a lot speedier.
Make your welcome-mat more welcoming
Starting at the point of entry to your, aim to refresh or replace your doormat. To get rid of dirt and grime that has built up, soak it in warm soapy water. Follow this up by scrubbing and brushing the doormat – even hit it if need be! Leave it out in the sun to dry and your doormat should be as good as new (almost).
Finish your floors
In order to protect your floors in your kitchen from another year of wear and tear, you should apply sealer or wax, following the instructions on the label. To finish and protect your floors, the simplest method is to use a combination of wash and wax floor cleaner.
If you have wood flooring, move your furniture and rugs to the side and apply a wood cleaner. This can be either liquid or paste polish to clean and add a new wax coating.
Clean the lights and ceiling fixtures
Over time, the things in hard to reach places such as ceiling lights and fixtures are bound to collect a lot of dust, dirt and even bugs. Be sure to remove the built-up dirt with a vacuum cleaner and then wipe the fixtures down with a damp cloth.
Clean your lights with all-purpose cleaner, a sponge and a polish cloth to make the lights sparkle in your newly-cleaned home. Consider using a step ladder or an extended-reach feather duster or something similar. You can get both of these at most local hardware stores across the country.
Clean the carpets and the upholstery
Fabrics will have absorbed plenty or oil, dirt and germs over the last year and it’s time to give them a deep cleanse ready for the year coming up.
If you are using a carpet shampooer, you should practice on an unobtrusive area to make sure have the hang of the machine and so that you know the treatment will not discolour the fabrics or cause the dyes to run.
As the carpet dries, it is best to open the windows to speed up the process – be aware that this could take a day or two.
Clean the fridge
Somewhere people often forget about it the fridge when it comes to spring cleaning, probably because it is full of stuff! This can be a tedious task, but it has to be done.
You should aim to clean the fridge’s condenser coil, which is typically found behind the toe grille. To do this, you should use a long-handled bottle brush and the vacuum cleaner with an attachment hose in order to remove dust and lint. Having built-up dust in this area can actually cause the unit to shut down by causing it to overheat.
To remove dust from the coils at the back of the fridge, pull out the fridge out several feet carefully and vacuum it thoroughly. Whilst it is exposed, sweep or vacuum the bit of floor which is usually covered by the fridge – this is likely to be extremely grimey! You may even find some lost treasure down there.
