After Albers Rug (Cornflower)
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Advice and Ideas
Spring clean: Refresh your home in 6 easy steps
Clean House Clean Mind
For centuries we have celebrated the end winter with a spring clean. As spring emerges the tradition of decluttering and cleaning not only literally creates more space in your home it also motivates and uplifts you spirits. Your brain will appreciate the benefits of a super organised and clean home! So at this time when many of us are being asked to stay at home it is the perfect opportunity to invest time in Spring Cleaning and recoup the huge rewards this hard work will bring! Here are our Top Spring Cleaning Tips.
Write a spring clean checklist
Making a plan can breakdown a daunting task into manageable sections, before you know it, all those boxes will be ticked, and you’ll be sitting satisfied in your sparkly, clean, organised home.
- Separate your home into its sections, starting with the bedrooms.
- Get your whole household involved and split the tasks into 15-minute bursts of work.
- Build in plenty of breaks so the chores seem less intimidating. We’ve made a little timetable template for you to use which you can download here
- Make a timetable for chores – we’ve made template for you to use download here.
- Finally, pick a day, or several, for deep cleaning.
- Do all the tasks close together (otherwise you may feel its a never ending process)
Declutter and re-organise before you clean
Clutter breeds dust mites, so it’s worth going through your possessions and piling up everything you don’t need while you empty out your shelves to get them ready for cleaning. Rather than throwing this all away, separate the clutter into three segments:
– what you can sell,
– what you can give away
– what you have to bin.
Clothes that you have outgrown, old toys and tattered books can be donated to charities who are always looking for items in good condition to re-sell for a good cause.
Technology should disposed of carefully due to the harmful chemicals they produce. Old hard drives or cameras, could be sold online try sites such as: Ebay or Best Buy or take them to your local recycling centre who will deal with them appropriately.
Spring clean your technology and appliances
Your phone gathers ten times more bacteria than a toilet seat so if you’ve been outside, make sure to wipe your phone with alcohol-based anti-bacterial wipes with an alcohol strength higher than 70%. Likewise, clean tech items you touch regularly such as the TV remote or the computer mouse.
Fridges and freezers need to be pulled away from the wall so that you can sweep away the dust behind them. To clean a fridge or freezer properly, you will need to remove the food items, throw away anything that’s out of date, and remove the shelves to clean. Then, with warm, soapy water, use a cloth to clean the inside making sure to get all the nooks and ridges. It’s a good idea to defrost your freezer every few months by turning it off and and letting any ice that has built up melt into water and then remove.
The big challenge of course will be cleaning the oven. We recommend mixing 60g (1/2 cup) of baking soda with water to make a paste, you can leave this concoction smeared inside your oven (except the heating elements) overnight. The following morning, use a damp cloth and a rubber scraper to wipe the insides clean. Any stubborn leftovers can be cleaned away with some vinegar and water.
Shift your furniture
If placed against a wall, big furniture pieces like sofas, armchairs and desks need to be moved away so you can vacuum all around. Remove cushions on your sofas or chairs and vacuum in the crevices removing crumbs etc – you may be surprised what you find has slipped down there!
Scrub the walls, floors and windows
While you have your furniture pulled away from the walls, check the paintwork. Scuff marks can be gently wiped away with a damp sponge and some quality detergent – skirting boards and doors can be cleaned with the same technique.
Steam cleaning
With a steam cleaner, go over the bathroom, kitchen and any other wooden or tiled flooring (double check if a steam cleaner if appropriate for the flooring you have). If you have a handheld steam cleaner, then you can use it to clean the wall tiles in the kitchen as well as windows and mirrors. Without a steam cleaner, a light spray of a vinegar and water solution can help get rid of the grime on and around the windows.
Spruce up your rugs
Regular hoovering, weekly dusting your rug outside and immediately dealing with stains will go a long way to maintaining rugs or carpets. However, different types of rugs will need different levels of care. Sonya Winner contemporary rugs are woven in 100% New Zealand wool – this natural fibre creates your rug soft, durable and easily cleanable.
Jellybean Rug (Lime)
from $1,310
Prism Pastels Rectangle Rug
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If you have stains, we recommend Dr. Beckmann Carpet Stain Remover asap. This foam-based carpet cleaner should be squeezed on to the rug, left for a minimum of three minutes and then the residue removed with a damp cloth. You can read our more rug care advice in-full here.
Set a habit for re-occurring cleaning
After getting through that tiring spring clean, you’ll feel amazing, organised and proud of what you have achieved. You will also have created much more space and light to enjoy your home and will be able to find your possessions much more quickly and enjoy those you thought you had lost but now have found. Rather than waiting for another year Yet, waiting a year why not create a timetable to keep on top of keeping your home perfect organised and pristine. Tip to do this are:
DAILY: clean high-touch areas such as switches, door/appliance/drawer handles, counter-tops, water taps and the toilet flusher.
WEEKLY: Vacuum floors and rugs and clean any areas that you know attract a lot of dust.
With your Spring Clean done and dusted your home will look its best and lift your spirits and energise you so you are ready to take on the world!
