It is that Time of Year Again for a Sparkling Spring Clean!

When you have been through the dark days of winter, it comes as a bit of a relief when those days start to get longer and lighter and spring is on the horizon.  It is no surprise that we start to feel more energized to put some sparkle back into our homes once more!

Here are some tasks to get you going...

Loving a fresh smell

Don't be tempted to introduce artificial fragrances into your home when you can easily have natural ones.

Suggestions include:

• Picking little bunches of your favorite spring blooms to display around the home and enjoy their scent.  An important tip to know is that if you cut flowers in the morning, they will be filled with sap to last longer.  Take care to choose those stems with lots of buds and one open flower - to bloom for longer.
• The easiest way to bring freshness and lightness in your home is to open doors and windows.

Lemons have lots of antibacterial properties

Use one half of a lemon to rub onto a chopping board to get rid of stains and smells after first sprinkling with salt.

The other half can spend time in your refrigerator to freshen it up.

Bicarbonate of soda is a useful ally

Don't forget to use bicarbonate of soda.  Ideal for enamel baths, granite and composite kitchen worktops as well as inside the oven. 

If you normally use a cream cleaner, then a paste of baking soda and cold water will do the same job just as effectively.

Bedrooms need lots of TLC

When spring cleaning your bedroom, wash duvets and pillows on your machine's delicate cycle after first checking their care labels.  Plump up and leave in sunlight to dry. 

At the same time, take the opportunity to freshen your mattress too.  Scatter half a cup of bicarb mixed with a few drops of Lavender Oil.  Leave on the mattress for an hour before giving a good vacuum.  Remember to turn your mattress every three months to keep it in tip top comfortable condition.

 

 

Looking after hard floor surfaces

Those wooden floors will continue to look beautiful for years to come if you regularly sweep or vacuum before washing the floors - preferably twice a week.  Mop with a diluted natural cleaning solution, wringing out the mop well. 

Remove any build up of wax on the wood with a soft cloth soaked in white spirit before applying a fresh coat of floor wax polish.

Fed up with having to deal with dusty surfaces?

Pop an old sock on your hand and gently run it over those surfaces including skirting boards, picture rails and dado rails.  Stair bannister are real dust collectors so don't forget to wipe through those gaps.  Blinds are another dust collecting area as well as houseplants.  I find having a pack of wet wipes in my kit is another useful tool for wiping dust from hard to access places.

And when you need to polish some of those surfaces, the humble lemon will play its part once more.  Keep furniture looking good with a natural polish made from one part lemon just to two parts olive or linseed oil.

Furry pets can cause problems

Here are some ideas:

• One tip is to put on damp washing up gloves to get rid of pet hairs.
• Another is to invest in a dedicated "animal" vacuum cleaner for regular cleaning. 
• Introduce washable mats to take the brunt of any muddy paws coming through doorways.
• Entrance doorway walls should have wipe-clean paintwork to make life easier for pet owners.
• If unfortunate accidents should occur, tackle with solution of one cup water, one cup white vinegar and two teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda.  After five minutes, blot dry. 

 

 

Give everything a deep clean

This is really what has to be done for your home to really sparkle.  Sometimes we just have to get on with it!  But if you need help, go to Organizing Cleaning | Apartment Therapy for loads of articles, projects and tips to get you going.  However organized you are, you will always learn something new!

 

SOURCES

Organizing Cleaning | Apartment Therapy