Believe it or not, it’s that time of year again. The flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, but our house still feels like it has the old winter blues. Spring cleaning is a time-honoured ritual that encourages us to freshen up our homes and leave the long winter behind so we can get a head start on the bustling summer months ahead of us.

As the weather starts to warm up, we know it’s a sign to bust open the windows, but also (maybe not quite as excitedly) the cleaning cabinets… If you want to shake off those last dregs of winter, but the mere thought is overwhelming, just follow our top 7 cleaning tips to get your home ready for spring.

1. Make a plan

 Approaching your house room-by-room is the most effective way to go about a spring clean. Have a walk through of your home, either physically or in your mind.

Start to think about the place where you would like to begin your spring clean. We would recommend that you start small then build-up to the bigger jobs as once you’re in a rhythm, those jobs that you perceive as difficult now will suddenly become a whole lot easier. 

Once you have a start place in mind, jot it down and continue onto what you want to do next in that room, and then move onto another room in your home and do the same. Soon, you’ll have made a checklist for every room in your house, which you can then use as a springboard of inspiration when you’re not sure where to move on to next in your deep-cleaning process.

2. Love it or lose it

One of the most important parts of a thorough spring cleaning is getting rid of clutter that you don’t need. Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal, which means that it is the perfect moment to part with any items in your home that may be weighing you down.

You can then begin fresh with a more serene approach to life. But this doesn’t mean that you should ruthlessly get rid of everything. If an item gives you joy or happiness, then you should keep it, but if you no longer love it – then lose it.

By ‘lose it’, we mean that you should give your unwanted items to charity, or pop them on Gumtree, as they may be just what someone else is looking for.

3. Get your tool kit ready

You may well have the basics already. But if not, all you really need is: 

• An all-purpose cleaner
• Glass-cleaning product
• Wood polish
• A mop or steamer
• A vacuum cleaner
• Micro-fibre cloths

These tools will be important to how effective and efficient your spring clean will be. If you’re not starting from afresh, be sure to repair or replace anything as old cleaning equipment could make your job twice as hard. 

4. Think green as you clean

If you want to be kind to the environment, and clean your home in a safe, non-toxic manner, then you should think green as you clean.  A steam cleaner is one of the best green products you can invest in to make your house naturally fresh as they only use hot water vapour and are very versatile. 

Your all-purpose cleaner can be green too. Either opt to buy the eco-friendly version in store, which are becoming much more prevalent as the world becomes more environmentally conscious, or simply make your own. All you need to make your own all-purpose cleaner is: 

• A spray bottle
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of white distilled vinegar
• Juice of ½ a lemon
• 10 – 15 drops of lavender essential oil, or tea tree, orange or lemon

Simply add all the ingredients to the spray bottle, gently shake it and you’re good to go! Baking soda and Castile soap have also been proven to be fantastic natural products to help clean your home. 

5. Work from top to bottom

Your ceilings and walls are often places that get neglected with usual day-to-day cleaning, but they need some TLC too. So, when you think about how to spring clean your home, don’t miss these areas out.

But because they are places that are often neglected, it’s important to start from the ceiling down to force any debris that may be hiding downward. This method will keep you from having re-dust or re-clean your floor or furniture in case a dust storm takes place!

6. Don’t forget to have fun

Most people don’t feel like cleaning. Especially not the big boring spring deep-clean up. But just like Mary Poppins tells us: “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and – snap! – the job’s a game.” Although it’s hard to imagine find any sort of enjoyment when you’re on your knees scrubbing the bathroom floor, you can do things to make even the most tedious job a little, dare I say it, fun! 

Cleaning doesn’t have to be serious – crank up your favourite tunes, put on a musical and belt out some songs. Have a little jig as you go along. Take breaks and treat yourself to a cuppa. You could even give your mum or your best friend a call as you clean to make the time pass a little easier. 

7. Snap some before and after pictures

Take some pictures of your clutter-filled, untidy home. It may seem down heartening to freeze your home in its moment of chaos forever on your phone, but there is nothing like the idea of a good before-and-after comparison to push you to get results. Plus, it will be all that sweeter when your home is looking spick and span because you have the pictures to prove all your hard work. 

If you have already completed your spring clean and have some more tips that you’d like to share with us all, or your planning on using our guidance, let us know by getting in touch on social media.