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Spring Cleaning

Tuesday, May 17th, 2016

So Spring is upon us and soon London will be basking in sunshine and warmth. Nature is slowly stirring, and people are opening their windows and letting fresh air into their homes after the long Winter. It’s the time of year for thinking about Spring Cleaning, having a proper look inside of our wardrobes, tidy up the loft and cupboards. Some might tackle the job all by themselves, others may call upon their cleaner to pitch in, but whichever way you choose, here is our quick guide on how to approach it…

Sorting

Having a good clear-out is the obvious starting point, getting rid of all the unnecessary items from your household – things that you might have planned to throw away, but haven’t got around to sorting. Most people have piles of stuff they keep in their wardrobes, cupboards and drawers, without which they could easily survive, saving a good amount of room.

Many people stubbornly hold onto coats that no longer fit, pairs of trousers that are completely worn-out, ancient newspapers, or even cracked plates and warped cutlery. Generally, stuff that they think might be useful sometime in the future, awaiting better times, which never come. A real collector needs a very strong motivation to get rid of their treasures. Often such a motivation can only be brought by moving out – packing up and carrying all the belongings from one home to another is the best incentive to have a thorough clear-out.

Sometimes though, the coming of Spring is motivating enough to sacrifice a whole day for cleaning and tidying up. There is rewarding sense of unburdening in freeing up space in the home. You may even make some cash and help out others by selling your unnecessary stuff, either via websites such as ebay and Gumtree, or by donating to through Freecycle or giving to a local charity.

There are other options such as swish parties to get rid of your old clothing. During these events people swap their jumpers, shirts, trousers or other garments with other people at the gathering, one person’s rubbish becoming another person’s treasure.

Cleaning

Spring cleaning should always include the walls and ceiling, where dust, spider webs and other dirt is quietly builds up during the course of the year. Painted surfaces can be simply swept with a soft brush and walls covered by wallpaper are easy to wash with a slightly damp cloth. Remember to pay attention to the doors, frames and radiators, a feather duster will be useful for getting the dust in those tricky to reach spots.

Tiles covered in greasy dust can be cleaned with a sponge soaked in warm water with washing up liquid, soda or vinegar. Protect your hands from irritating chemicals by wearing rubber gloves (remember also supply your cleaner with a few pairs of those!).

Whilst in the kitchen it is worth cleaning up the cupboards and drawers as well. Do some stocktaking and check the expiry dates of your foods. Powdery groceries, like sugar, salt, spices, coffee can be placed in airtight containers to keep them fresh and avoid cross contamination of flavour.

Items standing uncovered on shelves and cupboard tops, will often be covered by greasy dust after a while. Cleaning these things can be very time consuming, but the longer you leave it the worse they’ll get. Also, the cooker hood and the oven are often neglected day-to-day so will need some attention. Specialised cleaning products are available for different surfaces so be sure to check you’re using the correct product for what you’re cleaning to avoid damaging the finishes.

The kitchen and bathroom are not the only places demanding effort. Cleaning the other rooms can also be quite involved. As well as doing a full vacuum, getting behind all the furniture and doing the skirtings etc, it’s worth considering cleaning the carpets too. If you don’t have a cleaner consider renting one or ordering in a service to take the effort out for you. As well as carpets, upholstery can also be tackled. Leather furniture should be cleaned and have preserving cream applied annually to prevent the material drying and cracking.

You’re also going to need the vacuum cleaner for dusting off the tops of books and media on shelves, the hose with a brush attachment being a quick way to clean them. Delicate ornaments can be cleaned with a feather duster. After removing the dust from every possible spot in your household, you can move on to the windows and glass. Start with washing the curtains and wiping the rails with a damp cloth and then spraying with polish. By doing this, you allow the curtain clips and hooks to move smoothly once you hang the curtains back on.

Don’t forget to clean the frames and window sills, using a dry cloth first, wiping them with a damp one afterwards. Glass cleaner should be applied sparingly to windows and wiped off with scrunched up newspaper, buffing to a smear free finish.

When complete, you can stand back, admire and take pride in your newly organised and gleaming home. However Spring cleaning is a big task and is possibly not something to be tackling alone. If you’ve nobody to share the challenge with, why not consider our special Spring Cleaning Service to help carry the burden?




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