Four Often-Forgotten Places To Spring Clean
It’s been a long, cold winter, and spring signifies new beginnings and a fresh start.
With that in mind, it’s no wonder that many of us take on the challenge of giving our homes a thorough deep clean ahead of the warmer weather. In fact, a recent survey revealed that more than 93% of British households claimed they spring-clean at least once a year.
To help ease your load this season, Oceans (who make sustainable, plastic-free kitchen and toilet rolls) are highlighting four spring cleaning areas you don’t want to forget about. As a result, you’ll be able to enjoy a clean, organised home that’s as fresh as a daisy!
1 Get Your Oven Ready
As part of your spring-cleaning extravaganza, set aside some time to ensure that your oven gets the deep clean it needs. Experts advise we should clean our ovens at least once every three months, but hey, sometimes life gets in the way!
This is the perfect opportunity to get your oven back on track or give it a little spruce in line with the rest of your home.
Pic: Shutterstock
Mix ½ cup of baking soda, ½ cup of salt and ½ cup of water into a paste before spreading it around the inside of the oven (avoiding vents and heating elements). Leave it overnight and then give it a wipe over in the morning.
Ta-da! It’s all ready to cook your hot cross buns to perfection.
2 A Fresher Fridge
Thoroughly cleaning the fridge is another task that needs to be on your spring-cleaning to-do list. Sure, you may give it a wipe down every now and again, but this is the time to really get into all the nooks and crannies!
Imagine your life without a fridge… you can’t, right? That’s why we must give it the respect and attention it deserves.
Pic: Shutterstock
Start by clearing out any old food, whether that be items that are out-of-date or things you’re still trying to convince yourself you’ll eat (you don’t have to like avocado just because it’s trendy, you know). From there, put all the remaining food into a cool bag so that it doesn’t spoil, and get cleaning!
Mix two tablespoons of baking soda with four cups of water and use this solution to clean the inside of the fridge, rinsing with a damp cloth. Use the same solution to soak the removable elements of the fridge, such as the shelves and drawers, before scrubbing, rinsing, and drying.
3 Red Carpet Treatment
Vacuuming your carpet is most likely on your weekly housework checklist, but that’s not going to cut it when it’s spring-cleaning time.
Did you know that carpets can hold up to four times their weight in dirt before it even appears dirty? Yikes! This is the season to fix that ASAP, especially if you do have any visible stains.
According to Environment Blog, the best natural products to use are:
- Salt for mud, dirt, and wine
- Club soda (or carbonated water) for coffee stains
- Cornstarch or cornmeal for grease
To give the carpet a deep clean, first start by clearing away the furniture and using your vacuum to remove any dust or loose debris. Once that’s done, take a spray bottle and mix one part distilled white vinegar with three parts of cold water. Now get spraying!
White vinegar, lemon and sodium bicarbonate are all effective natural cleaners. Pic: iStockphoto
You should spray across the entire surface area of your carpet until it’s damp, and then leave for five minutes before blotting any particularly dirty areas with a microfibre cloth.
Now, move onto your next task in another room so that the carpet has time to completely dry without being disturbed by furniture or footprints. If possible, leave windows open to speed up drying and help disperse any odours.
4 The Back Of The Wardrobe
Another key element of a successful spring-clean is organisation. Where better to start than with your wardrobe? What’s more, this part is fun! Spring means the return of the sun (most of the time, anyway) and as a result, we get to pack away our fluffy jumpers and thermals and replace them with shorts and pretty sundresses.
To begin, remove every item of clothing from the wardrobe and place it on your bed. While deciding what should go in the ‘out of season’ pile until next year, create another pile of clothes that you finally need to say goodbye to.
Pic: Shutterstock
Yes, that yellow drawstring top you wore eight years ago is really nice and it was quite expensive, but are you ever going to wear it again? No, really? Off to the charity shop it goes!
Once you’re satisfied with the remaining clothes (and if you don’t feel that way in the moment, we promise you will later on), wipe your wardrobe down with soapy water to freshen it up. This includes the surfaces, hangers, rods, drawers and doors. There you go, it’s ready for spring!
Spring is for unwinding and starting afresh
Rolling up the sleeves and giving your home a rigorous deep clean is common when the spring season hits, but it can also feel a little overwhelming. With so many elements to a home, how do you know where to begin? And will it all get done?
Yes, it will. Start with the above four areas and remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day. In fact, the spring season technically runs until May. Happy cleaning!
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