Expert provides 2023's home cleaning top tips
With longer days and green shoots of summer beginning to brighten our lives, it is time for households to devote that all-important time towards the annual spring clean. Whether you are short of time and can only give an hour to the task at hand, or you have given yourself the entire weekend, approaching the spring clean systematically will have a hugely positive impact on your home, and ultimately your own wellbeing. Here, cleaning expert and managing director of domestic cleaning brand Poppies, Chris Wootton, gives his top tips to follow when diving into this year’s spring clean.
Work room by room
One of the biggest mistakes when starting the spring clean is only looking at the bigger picture. But as with all tasks, you should break up the clean into smaller, manageable chunks. This is most effective by looking at a spring clean room by room. This, along with a top-down approach to cleaning - start upstairs, move downstairs gradually and go from ceiling to floor in all rooms - forces the dust and debris out of the door with no corner of the home missed. Working room by room also helps you maximise the potential of your cleaning personality – whether you are the procrastinator, the clean freak or anything in between! You will have less to focus on, and you will also have the chance to work systematically in a way that suits you best.
The power of using vinegar as all-purpose cleaner
White vinegar is one of the best products to have in the house for year-round cleaning, and it certainly comes in handy when the annual spring clean comes along - it can save you a lot of money on buying cleaning products. Due to its acidic nature, a warm water and white vinegar solution (roughly a 50/50 split) can be used on deep-cleaning most household surfaces that are common touchpoints. Anywhere that has hard-water stains, such as sinks or lacquered taps, or has build-up of grease such as hobs are the ideal surfaces to clean with white vinegar. In the bathroom, it is perfect for the shower and fittings and the sink. The acidity helps dissolve mineral deposit, limescale, dirt and grime. In the kitchen, also focus on the touch points, counter-tops and any other spots that need disinfecting – white vinegar not only deep cleans but also keeps areas food-safe. For the same reason, you should use this solution when cleaning a fridge. Simply spray the shelves and sides and wipe using a microfibre cloth or soft bristle scouring pad. This process deodorises, sanitises and dissolves grime quickly and efficiently.
Remember appliances
We have all seen those uninviting statistics on common touch points such as TV remotes, door handles, light switches and other appliances being the dirtiest areas of a home. For these finer areas, dip a microfibre cloth into a small bowl of warm soapy water, ring out excess liquid as much as possible and gently wipe the surfaces. If needed, also use a soft bristle toothbrush to get into the cracks and sides of remotes, keyboards and other surfaces that pick-up grease and crumbs. A spring clean is the perfect time to make sure every nook and cranny of your home is gleaming, especially the common ones you might overlook in any other clean! Remember the sides of your fridge and cooker as well the toaster, kettle and other smaller kitchen devices that are regularly exposed to bacteria from foods.
Shifting stubborn stains from toilets
The spring clean is the ideal time to finally address those stubborn stains around the toilet bowl and on the toilet seat (often yellow-ish in colour) where bleach is not quite working. In fact, using only bleach does just half a job – the stains will become invisible, but the route of the problem will still be there, causing stains to return quickly while becoming deeper-set in the toilet itself.
To remove these stains, create a baking soda paste with roughly a quarter cup of baking soda and 50ml of warm water. First, apply disinfectant and germ killer to the toilet bowl and allow it to sit for 5-10 minutes. Then, with a hard bristle scouring pad, apply the paste to the stained surface. Leave the paste for 10 minutes, then scrub hard in a circular motion with a clean hard bristle scouring pad until the stains disappear. Finally, rinse the surfaces by spraying a white vinegar mixture onto the recently cleaned areas and pour half a cup of white vinegar into the bowl, then let the liquid dwell for a further 20 minutes before flushing and wiping it away. Not only does this process lift any deep-set stains, but it will also deodorise any smells that you may have unknowingly become nose blind to.
Chris summarises, “The spring clean doesn’t have to feel like a punishment. It can actually be fun, and certainly gives those who take part the chance to start fresh and to welcome the summer months properly. Whether it is you, your housemates, or the whole family, the spring clean is the perfect way to wipe away the stresses of the last few years and to say hello to a familiar but revitalised living space.”
Alternatively, you can consult a trained professional to help complete your spring clean. If you would like to find out more, please visit https://poppies.co.uk/
-Ends-