If you haven’t already got into all of those cupboards, Easter is a perfect time to start a Spring Clean. For many of us it will be a hard earned couple of days off, and with so much having been demanded of our living spaces over the past few years, it’s time to sit and take stock.
Here’s the easyStorage ten point plan for getting ahead!
It’s time for a good old declutter. Normal rules apply – one pile for keep, one pile for throw, and one pile to act on, be that reselling, a charity shop run or offering to friends and family.
Declutter before starting the cleaning, and cleaning will go more smoothly.
The keep pile (s) will inevitably have things you don’t need just now – you may be ready to put away heavy winter jumpers and coats, winter weight duvets and the like. These can go to the cleaners, through the wash, whatever it takes to get things clean and dry before storing through the summer.
Add any rugs, curtains and blankets that are overdue for a visit, suits that need dry cleaning etc – the dry cleaner will often have special deals that cover multiple items, meaning you don’t need a mortgage to get them back.
Your house may be sparkling like a new pin, but if light can’t get in through the window, you’re missing out on that gleam, leaving your place looking dingey.
If you decide to do it yourself, you can use a spray window cleaning product, or try a mix of distilled (white) vinegar and water in a proportion of 1 vinegar to 10 water, increasing the vinegar content for harder to remove grime.
Detergents and hard water can build up, which can dull what’s being washed and clog the machine.
Specialist cleaning fluids exist for this cleaning job, but if you’re after a cheaper solution, greener solution, or just have vinegar left over from the window clean, try the following.
Run the washing machine on a regular hot cycle, but use two cups of white vinegar instead of detergent. Once that’s run, scrub both inside and out, paying attention to the rubber mould around the door, soaking a cloth in vinegar if mould has built up, and an old toothbrush for anything particularly stubborn. And finish off the clean with a final hot wash to remove any loosened but not removed grime, and any vinegar remains.
It's worth moving them out if possible – muck accumulates behind them, and moving them is a good chance to ensure there’s no slow leaks.
Don’t forget to clean the lint traps in both the washer and the dryer.
Whilst cleaning the fridge the doors will be open, and lights will go on. Unplug the fridge to avoid wasting energy during the clean.
Empty your fridge contents into a cool bag, throwing out anything that’s out of date or past its best. Using hot soapy water and a clean cloth, wipe clean the inside. A toothbrush can be a great help for getting into pesky crevices. Take out the shelving for washing, and clean over and the rests and inside crevices. (Make sure not to run hot water over cold shelves – it can cause cracking.)
Don’t miss cleaning inside the doors, and in spaces that can’t be removed for cleaning.
Dry off everything with a clean dry tea towel.
If your fridge has a freezer compartment, a good spring clean will also include defrosting and cleaning the freezer part.
Shift the refrigerator and clean behind and underneath– coils are great at collecting dust and hair, sometimes worse, and it’s amazing what crawls under the fridge to die!
Wipe everything - cartons, tupperware etc - clean and dry, as appropriate, before putting it back into the fridge. Plug the fridge back in and the outside is ready for its turn, wiping with a clean damp cloth soaked in clean soapy water. Dry immediately to avoid streaking.
Empty out, wipe down, and clean all small appliances like the microwave, toaster, coffee maker kettle.
Grab the oven cleaner and tackle that oven, and clean the hob (or call in a specialist oven cleaner to do it for you).
Sanitise the sink and descale the taps.
Empty out cabinets, decluttering as you go, and wash the shelves. Wipe down cans and holders as you put things away and don’t forget to throw out things that are past their sell by date.
There are some things that often get overlooked in an everyday clean. Now’s the time to dust and clean ceiling fans, light fixtures, window tracks, bookshelves, and the like.
Sanitise waste paper bins, even if you use liners.
Vacuum curtains and blinds, and inside the crevices of sofas and chairs. Get the handles on doors and cabinets gleaming. Wipe fingerprints from light switches and their surrounds.
Turn and vacuum mattresses, and put mattress protectors through the wash. Wash pillows and quilts - if washable. (Otherwise it’s a trip to the specialist cleaner.)
Cabinets and wardrobes can be vacuumed and dusted, and drawers emptied, cleaned and reorganised.
Send the shower curtain for a wash, along with any shower or toilet mats and covers. While the curtain’s down look at the hooks – they can be little mould collectors and may need removing and soaking, or at very least spraying and wiping.
Give the tiling grouting a good clean. Good housekeeping has some great advice on this front: How to Clean Grout. Check for leaky bottles and wipe them down, or put the liquid in a different container, throw out that suntan lotion from 5 years ago (yes, it has a shelf life) and any cosmetics you know you’ll never use. Empty out and clean the medicine cabinet and take any expired medicines back to a chemist for disposal.
If you have free standing furniture or baskets, like a laundry basket, make sure they too are clean, but also move them. Underneath are the places that those ‘dust bunnies’ like to gather.
Children’s toys are in a class all of their own when it comes to gathering muck and grime.
Fortunately many are wipeable or washable, and some plastic toys will be just fine through the dishwasher.
It may be time to disinfect and/or part with some.
This can be an emotional task, and children may not be happy about parting with old friends, so tackle this early in the day when everyone’s fresh and patient, not tired and dying to get finished.
Computers. Playstations, WIIs and X-Boxes. Televisions. Music centres. DVD players. Streaming devices. They all deserve a deep clean from time to time. And according to Time magazine, a mobile phone has ten times more dirt than a toilet seat, so perhaps more regularly too.
Unplug electronics before cleaning. This can prove incredibly unpopular if done at the wrong time or in the middle of a game, so check with owners and gamers before starting.
Using a lint-free, microfibre cloth or a lens cloth, wipe away smudges and fingerprints from screens. Dampen it very slightly first to tackle any troublesome dirty areas. Alcohol wipes are good for disinfecting, cotton buds reach into crevices, the edges of screens and key pads. Where casings meet screens, a dry toothbrush can help remove dirt without needing water. Don’t scrub too hard – you may scratch. And avoid paper towels and tissues. The lint in them may scratch a screen’s protective coating.
To clean keyboards, turn upside down and very gently shake out any crumbs. Cans of compressed air for cleaning are available in retailers. These blow (blast!) the muck out.
Small, very soft bristled brushes are also useful for getting into tight spots to clear out dust and crumbs.
In general, however, don’t be tempted to use glass cleaners – they can be corrosive and can destroy protective coatings.
Speakers, headphones and fabric covers can collect hard to shift dust. Again an air cleaner may help. A damp dust may work, but ensure that the cloth is barely damp, not wet, to avoid damage to the delicate electronics inside.
This is a lot of deep cleaning tasks for a short break. Have some fun with it, break it down into smaller chunks, tackling one lot of deep cleaning chores at a time. A plan will help, especially as you may want specialist cleaning products for some things.
Enlist help from the family. Teens may not want their precious electronics handled by anyone else, the perfect excuse for them to do it themselves. Young children may want to help you with cleaning the toys. Partners should definitely be helping. But friends may be persuaded to help too with pizza bribes.
There are an incredible amount of cleaning hacks online, including the wonderful Mrs Hinch.
But however you handle your spring clean, remember we’re here to help with any storage needs, keeping things out of the way so that you have a clear, orderly space to live and work in.
Good luck!
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