With spring almost around the corner, now is an excellent time to start thinking about your spring cleaning. From deep cleans to a home refresh, this is the perfect season to get your home in order and start the year off right.
We understand any kind of deep cleaning can be stressful – there’s just so much to think about! That’s where we come in. Here, we’ll be breaking down everything you need to think about when spring cleaning your home, from top tips to a comprehensive checklist of things to remember.
Get ready for a home that radiates freshness!
What is spring cleaning?
First things first – what is the definition of spring cleaning?
A spring clean is a tradition many people follow, where the home is deep cleaned and organised in the springtime. Spring is seen as a time of fresh beginnings, which makes it the perfect time to shake off the winter blues and makeover your home, ensuring it’s in spotless condition before the warmer weather hits.
The specifics of spring cleaning can vary from home to home, but it generally involves any deep cleaning or organisational tasks that go beyond your regular cleaning routine. This can include jobs such as decluttering and organising wardrobes, deep cleaning carpets, or carrying out more thorough cleaning of areas in the home that may be neglected throughout the year.
Spring cleaning checklist: What should be included in spring cleaning?
Spring cleaning can vary from home to home, depending on the house size, rooms and outdoor spaces.
If you’re wondering where to start, we’ve compiled a handy spring cleaning checklist of jobs you should remember to do.
Spring cleaning the kitchen
- Clean appliances such as the oven, microwave and dishwasher, inside and out.
- Empty cupboards. Throw away any old or expired food items and donate in-date items you won’t use.
- Wipe down the inside of cupboards before reorganising them.
- Empty, defrost and clean the fridge and freezer.
- Wash all towels, cloths and sponges.
Spring cleaning the bedroom
- Hoover your bed and mattress, spot cleaning or using fabric shampoo if needed.
- Rotate and flip your mattress.
- Wash all bedding.
- Organise clothes and shoes in your wardrobe, organising items to keep, throw away and donate.
Spring cleaning the bathroom
- Clean showerheads and taps.
- Wash shower curtains.
- Clean all surfaces, making sure to tackle any problem areas with specialist solutions (like mould spray and grout cleaner).
- Clean the toilet.
- Wipe down mirrors and clean showers with glass cleaner.
- Organise toiletries and cosmetics, throwing away old or expired products.
- Wash towels, flannels, make-up brushes and sponges.
Spring cleaning outdoors
- Get any outdoor furniture out of storage and deep clean it ready for the warmer weather.
- Sweep decks, paths and patios.
- Clean/power wash patios, decks and paths.
- Inspect and clean gutters.
Spring cleaning the living room
- Pull out sofas and larger furniture items to hoover/dust underneath and behind them.
- Wash all blankets, throws and cushion covers.
- Spot clean sofas and soft furnishings as needed.
- Clean and sanitise electronics and remote controls.
General spring cleaning throughout the home
As well as the specifics above, throughout the whole house, you should:
- Vacuum and mop all floors. For carpets and rugs, you can treat them, shampoo them or deep clean them if needed. You can also use a deodorising vacuum-up solution for a quicker freshen-up.
- Go through cupboards and storage spaces to get rid of clutter that has accumulated throughout the year. Throw out anything that can’t be given away or donated to charity.
- Dust surfaces. Thoroughly dust all surfaces, paying special attention to any areas that are neglected throughout the year, such as the very top of shelves, behind the TV, lampshades, ceiling lights or behind furniture.
- Clean windows. Wash windows inside and out, and clean curtains/wipe down blinds.
- Wipe down walls. Clean all walls and touch up paint on any problem areas.
- Replace lightbulbs and batteries. Now is a great time to tick off those smaller jobs that you’ve been putting off, like replacing lightbulbs throughout the home or batteries in electrical items such as remote controls.
- Check safety devices. Ensure your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working as they should be.
- Clean your washing machine. Clean the inside and outside of your washing machine, remembering internal areas such as the dryer vent or lint trap.
- Thoroughly clean and sanitise areas such as door handles and light switches.
6 spring cleaning tips for an effective, seamless clean
To help the spring cleaning process run even more smoothly and ensure an effective clean, follow our top tips:
- Create a clear plan
Cleaning the entire house can feel overwhelming, so we’d always recommend creating a plan for yourself. Outline the specifics you want to cover in each room, ideally on a physical list, so you can tick them off as you go.
- Begin by decluttering
There’s no point cleaning a room and then gutting cupboards and wardrobes – you’ll just create even more mess! You should always begin a deep clean by decluttering, throwing away and donating items you no longer want or need. This way, you can begin your deep cleaning with a fully streamlined space.
- Start from the top down
In each room you clean, begin cleaning as high up as possible and work your way down to the floors. For example, always dust and clean high-up shelves or furniture before you vacuum or clean carpets. This way, you don’t have to reclean lower areas as dust is displaced.
- Clean on a sunny day with the windows open
Open all your windows to ventilate the entire home. Spring cleaning with open windows stops your home from becoming overwhelmed with the smell of cleaning products, instead bringing in a breath of fresh air. Opting to clean on a sunny day is also an instant mood boost, helping make the task less daunting!
- Set time limits and reward yourself
As with any big task, it’s always easier to break things down into manageable blocks. Give yourself a set amount of time for each room before taking breaks, and treat yourself when you’ve ticked a section off your list. A cup of tea or a sweet treat, an outdoor break or walk, an episode of your favourite TV show or just a quick moment of relaxation are all great for breaking up a day of spring cleaning.
- Turn on the tunes
Listening to music while cleaning can be a great way to keep your energy and mood up. Upbeat, lively music will give you a motivational boost while engaging music can help distract you during repetitive or tedious tasks and make the process much more enjoyable. Put on your favourite artist or create a specialised spring cleaning playlist full of happy, uplifting songs. You’ll find yourself enjoying the rhythms and dancing along as you work – making spring cleaning feel like much less of a chore!
How long should it take to spring clean a house?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a clear answer to how long spring cleaning takes, as there are so many factors at play. The size of your house, its current level of cleanliness, how many people are helping and how thorough a job you’re planning will all affect how long spring cleaning takes.
For a smaller house or one-bed flat, you may find you can complete all your spring cleaning tasks in a few hours or up to a day. For an average-sized family home, we’d recommend setting aside at least a day for spring cleaning. For larger homes or extremely thorough spring cleaning, you may want to allow yourself a couple of days to finish the job.
If you anticipate spring cleaning could take more than a few hours, it’s a good idea to break down your tasks and split them over several days to ensure you don’t burn yourself out. If you live with other people, split out the tasks and tackle them together to help make the process even more manageable.
As you prepare for spring cleaning, we hope our checklist and top tips have helped make the job as seamless as possible. To elevate your spring cleaning experience, why not explore our range of high-performance vacuums? From cordless vacuums for those tricky-to-reach areas to upright vacuums for a thorough clean, our Hoover vacuums can help make your spring cleaning even easier. Happy spring cleaning!
