Whether it actually is spring time, or your home is simply in need of a top to bottom clean-up, here are some handy hints and tips to make your home spotless and shipshape:
Make your floors sparkle
One of the first things I look at when I enter another person’s home, are their floors. Okay so you don’t need to eat your dinner off of them, but a dirty or tarnished floor can leave a bad impression on visitors and can be an indicator of how clean the rest of your home is, or isn’t!
Buy a wash-and-wax floor cleaner and give each floor a thorough cleaning and buffing. Scuff marks can be eliminated and dirt and grime will be lifted, a waxy polish will also help your floors be more resistant to stains and dirt in the future, leaving them cleaner, for longer.
While this might be the first thing I notice in a home, it might be sensible to leave cleaning your floors until after you’ve finished the rest of your home.
Deep clean furniture and carpets
Many fabrics are great at hiding stains and germs, but we all know just how many greasy hands and soggy paw prints have found their way onto our furniture and carpets over the years. Just because you can’t see the dirt, doesn’t mean that it’s not there. Purchase a cleaning agent for carpets and fabrics and follow the instructions.
This will freshen them up and give them a new lease of life.
Wash and clean those forgotten areas of your home
You might not notice at first glance that your walls, cupboards and covings are grimy, but take a closer look and you’ll doubtless be able to identify a variety of different stains and marks covering them. Most will shift with a cleaning product and a spot of elbow grease, and to avoid streaks, ensure that each surface is dried thoroughly with a clean cloth.
Doing this regularly will help keep your home smelling fresher, too.
Remove dust and grime from ceiling and light fixtures
These areas of your home are perhaps the easiest to ignore, and yet it’s often hard to believe just how grubby they get. A simple damp cloth is often the only equipment you’ll need for this task, or a dry cloth that will pick up the dust and retain it. Failing that, most vacuum cleaners have soft nozzle attachments and depending on its length, you should be able to suck up the dust and grime easily; if using a step ladder, do be careful!
You might discover that your home is filled with a renewed brightness once the lights have been cleaned.
De-grime your fridge, inside and out
It’s easy to see how dirty your fridge is on the inside, but what about from behind? Dust and grime that has built up on the coils at the back of your refrigerator could actually prevent it from functioning at its full capacity, so do your best to reach behind it (or pull it out if it’s on casters) and vacuum the dust away or wipe it with a damp sponge.
Don’t forget to clean the area behind the fridge, that you’ve exposed by moving it.