Every year I have great intentions to thoroughly spring clean and always start BIG by donning my overalls and heading up to the loft to once and for all organise 'who knows what' that lives up there. Its always the same though: two hours later I end up exhausted, unmotivated and bored and then simply repack the boxes and give up... and it happens again and again every year!
So this year, I am full of the best intentions and will follow these simple expert tips to the perfect Spring Clean:
1. Start Small - rather than clearing out a whole garage or loft (in my case) it is best to chose something that will take minutes to organise - a kitchen pin board for example. Its amazing how inspired you feel when you see the results of such a simple job. Then move onto small drawers such as the cutlery drawer or sock drawer. Before you know it, you will feel like superwoman and will have tackled that overflowing wardrobe or bursting toy box.
2.
One Room At A Time - it is important to stay focused when spring cleaning especially when every room needs attention. So start at the top, in a bedroom maybe, and make sure you finish all the cleaning before moving onto the next room. This way, you will stay focused rather then madly dashing like a crazy multi tasking female from one room to the next mop and duster in hand!3. Declutter - this is great for the mind as it's impossible to feel or be organised when surrounded by lots of useless stuff and hard to properly clean if your surfaces and cupboards are full of unnecessary clutter. Donate any clothes that you haven't worn in two years to charity (yes, even those you have promised to slim back into since 1996), recycle old invitations and those endless flyers you have never used, throw away any out-of-date herb and spice jars (they are tasteless anyway) and clean out those mouldy jam jars that are cluttering up the fridge - maybe you can use the jars for next year's marmalade?! For items you need to keep such as takeaway menus and future invitations there are many fun storage options such as our Heart Shaped Card Holder or Take-away Menu Organiser. Once the clutter is cleared, cleaning is so much easier and quicker.
4. Eco-Friendly Tips - to stop your clean home smelling like a chemically-cleaned hospital here are some eco-friendly, chemical-free cleaning ideas. To get rid of window dirt, spray a mix of 1 teaspoon of washing up liquid, ½ teacup of white vinegar and 2 teacups of warm water onto the glass and wipe off. Bicarbonate of soda mixed to a paste with water is also a magic ingredient for cleaning ovens. A few drops of vanilla essence on a cotton cloth placed in the fridge can get rid of musty old cheese smells while baking soda is fabulous for cleaning stainless steel sinks.
5. Don't Forget The Garden - Spring cleaning shouldn't stop at the back door so if your garden is still looking bedraggled after months of Jack Frost, dig out any dead foliage and replant ready-bloomed seedlings for some early spring colour, give garden furniture a new coat of varnish and scrub up the patio to uncover the original stone colour.
6. Get Some Help - we all live busy lives and us modern-day women have limited time (or inclination) to clean, so I will be sending my duvets and curtains to the dry cleaners and will hire a professional carpet cleaner to zap all my floors - it is amazing how carpets are transformed and will look as good as new.
Finally, spring clean your favourite vase (a few frozen peas mixed with water and swished around the base works magic), pop in a big bunch of daffodils and relax.
Spring Clean Your Home & Freshen Up Your Life