The change in seasons usually is a signal to give the house a nice big clean. Of course you’ve heard of spring cleaning.
With winter behind us, and a lot of us having spent a fair bit of time indoors lately, the change in seasons is the perfect time to give the house a nice deep clean and start preparing for the warmer months ahead, and what better way to do this than with a big spring clean.
What You Need: The Essentials in Spring Cleaning
Spring cleaning is a lot easier if you have the right cleaning tools with you – so make sure you’re prepared and grab the following:
- Microfibre cloths
- Mop and bucket
- Vacuum
- Cleaning agents for different parts of your home (toilet cleaner, window cleaner, etc.)
- Broom or floor cleaner
Cranking up the tunes will definitely help make this task as enjoyable as possible!
Spring Cleaning Your Bedroom
Your bedroom, which was once warm and cozy, will soon begin to feel stuffy with some of the seasonal items you’ve been using. Start by removing your winter linens and blankets and have them laundered before storing them. Vacuum and rotate your mattress. If you use an electric blanket, make sure to roll it instead of folding. Folding an electric blanket could damage its insulation.
Open your window to let some fresh air and sunlight in. This will help the room’s air quality. Dust your furniture using a microfibre cloth. Avoid using a duster as they can just swirl particles around instead of picking them up. Clean your windows with a window cleaner and then wipe it dry.
One of the hardest things to tackle during spring cleaning is your wardrobe. But we’ll give you some good tips below.
Spring Cleaning Your Kitchen
Many households neglect their kitchen, often forgetting that they might be harboring molds and bacteria from food items that have expired, or from not cleaning certain appliances thoroughly. Now is the time to really clean up your kitchen!
The stovetop and oven aren’t as well-maintained or cleaned as often as other kitchen appliances. Sometimes a wipe here and there would do but over time oil, grime, and even food might be causing your oven to be a haven for pests and bacteria. Your stovetop should be wiped clean with a damp microfibre cloth after you cook. For grime and oil stains, directly spray on the area with a solution of soapy water and white vinegar. Let the solution sit for at least half an hour before you use a cloth to wipe off the surface. As for your oven, remove the racks and scrub them thoroughly using a metal scrub. Check the interior of your oven for any remnants of food. For more deep cleaning tips, check this out.
Begin with your fridge. Deep cleaning your fridge can be a tedious chore and we highly recommend availing our domestic kitchen cleaning service. This will ensure that appliances like your refrigerator are thoroughly deep cleaned. For the meantime, check out food items first and throw out ones that have expired or are near their expiration date that you don’t have any plans to use.
Leaving expired food inside your refrigerator can be toxic and bacteria can spread to other food. Now is the time to defrost your freezer too. Take our meat products that have been stored too long in the freezer. Generally, raw meat can be stored for months in the freezer:
- Beef: 6-12 months
- Chicken parts: 9 months
- Chicken fillet: 6 months
- Whole chicken: 12 months
- Salmon: 6-8 months
- Ground meat: 4 months
- Bacon: 6 months
- Hotdogs: 8 months
- Sausages: 4 months
- Steak: 8 months
- Chops (lamb and pork): 6 months
As a general rule and for safety reasons, raw meat and poultry should be stored separately from cooked food. Never refreeze defrosted meat and poultry.
Go through your kitchen cupboards and also check for food items that have expired or that you don’t like anymore. Food items such as canned goods that are still edible can be donated to your local charity organisation. Once you have your cupboards cleaned, get a damp microfibre cloth and wipe the inside of your cupboard to catch any dust particles that might have settled, especially in corners.
Your dishwasher will last longer if it is properly cleaned and maintained. Check for the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning your dishwasher. Cleaning the dishwasher should be a weekly cleaning task to make cleaning it annually easier. A daily and weekly cleaning would consist of scraping off food as soon as you see them to prevent yourself from cleaning those off from the filter; cleaning the filter every week; and also paying attention to the rubber seals.
Give your countertop a good washdown. Remove all items and give the surface a splash. Inspect if your tiles need to be regrouted.
Spring Cleaning the Living Room
Remove covers from cushions and have them laundered, or take them outside and dust them. You may also choose to vacuum the cushions.
If you have any rugs or if your living room is carpeted, read the care instructions for cleaning. Better yet, get a carpet cleaning service to handle this task for you! If the flooring is cemented or tiles, sweep the floor first and then mop. Wood flooring only needs to be swept and then waxed. Water will damage its finish.
Now is the time to move your furniture to clean spaces you wouldn’t normally reach on a regular basis. Areas like under the couch, chairs, and tables, as well as behind TV cabinets are magnets for dust and all sorts of rubbish. You just might end up locating the remote control you thought you lost!
Wipe surfaces, figurines, and any other items on display in your living room. Some people find it refreshing to rearrange furniture during this time so you might consider changing things up a bit
Spring Cleaning the Bathroom
Take out everything in your medicine cabinet. Check for the expiration date of each product. Throw away those that have expired and products you haven’t used in the past few months.
Chances are, you don’t have any plans of using it in the near future.
Bathroom cleaning can be done professionally and will take a load of your chest during spring cleaning. Scrubbing and removing mold and grime off of tiles is time consuming and will
need a bit of elbow grease; let the professionals do it for a guaranteed cleaner and fresher bathroom experience.
For the meantime, you may replace your shower curtain if mold has begun to show. It usually appears as unsightly black spots. Your counter should be free of clutter and instead contain only the essentials.
If you have been keeping medicine in your bathroom, it is best to take them out and keep them somewhere else in the house like your kitchen. The humid atmosphere of the bathroom can affect your medicines.
Decluttering 101: The Pristine Home Way
It can be hard to go through your belongings and weed out ones you want to keep and those you should throw away or donate. Spring cleaning presents the best chance to do a bit of
decluttering and organising.
Some people find it especially hard to go through their clothes, choosing to keep those that we think we can use later on or when “the time comes”. Here are some tips to help you go through your closet and only choose what you need:
Let it go if…
- It’s something you haven’t worn in the last 6-12 months
- It doesn’t fit you anymore, whether it’s become too big or small
- It doesn’t suit your current fashion tastes or style
- It looks too worn out
Seasonal items such as cloaks and jackets should be kept separate from your regular clothes to make more space in your closet. Keep them in vacuum-sealed plastic bags and place them under your bed for easy access.
Clothes that are still presentable can be donated to your local thrift store. For more tips on decluttering and organising your home, check this out.
More Cleaning Tips
As professional cleaners, we have a few tricks up our sleeves that we know can benefit your own cleaning experience at home:
- Spray cleaner on the cloth, not the surface. This will help spread the product better.
- Clean every room from top to button, moving clockwise so you don’t miss anything.
- A lint remover is an effective dust remover on lamp shades and curtains
- Leave the windows and doors open while you clean to help air circulation
- Use a bit of essential oil and add a few drops in your cleaning solution to help freshen up a room.
- Set a cleaning schedule that you can follow and maintain.
- Don’t stress yourself out over cleaning tasks. Make sure to set small, attainable tasks rather than huge ones.
- Get everyone to do their share of cleaning! This shouldn’t be your sole responsibility at home. Kids will learn to get used to cleaning the earlier you introduce a few doable tasks here and there (such as keeping their toys when they are done playing with them).
- Do speed cleaning.
