Spring Clean Top Tips

Whether you’re planning on staying put, or putting your house on the market, we’re definitely in spring clean mode! With the start of longer, lighter days there’s never been a better time!

The annual Spring clean is an age-old tradition that helps us clear out the old to make way for the new and it’s a great way to give yourself and your home a fresh start. A cleaner, more organised house means you’ll be less stressed and more able to relax at home and be in good shape should you wish to sell.

Arm yourselves

You won’t get very far in your cleaning campaign if you’re not equipped for the task! So head to the local DIY superstore, or if you’re lucky a local independent one (Mr Arkwright’s in town is fantastic) and make sure you’re armed to the teeth with rubbish bags, dustpan and brush, rubber gloves, cleaning products and plenty of sponges & cloths.

Make a list

List the rooms or spaces in the house that could do with a freshen up and work through them in an orderly fashion. Spread the worka round the family, pick a room and go to town, not forgetting carpets, curtains, blinds and wood work.

Declutter 

A Spring clean is a great opportunity to not only give your house a good scrub but also to get rid of all those things you really don’t need any more.

We’re all guilty of hoarding and sometimes you simply must be ruthless!

Start with your wardrobes and examine your clothes. If there’s something you haven’t worn in ages , doesn’t fit or looks worse for wear then bin it or bag it for the local charity shop – also take a good hard look at your book collection. If it’s a book you will never read then find a new home for it with someone else. Go through your kitchen equipment, utensils and crockery and separate the useful from the unnecessary. Discard anything that’s seen better days or hasn’t been used in years.

Tackle the kitchen.

This is usually the biggest battle of the Spring clean as its almost inevitable that you will need to remove a build-up of grease and grime. Start by emptying out all the food cabinets and throw away anything that’s out of date. Whilst the cabinets are empty give all the surfaces a really good wipe down with an antibacterial cleaner and at the same time run your pots, pans and crockery through a dishwasher cycle. Buy a kit to deep clean your oven – and clean your dish-washer by emptying the filter of any old bits of food, refilling the salt and rinse-aid and then running it on an empty cycle using a commercial dishwasher cleaner.

Empty your fridge/freezer of everything and then throw out anything that’s past its best and clean both the inside and the outside of your fridge/freezer using an antibacterial cleaner. Clean and wipe down the microwave. Hit the oven hob next and use a cleaner to go round and clean up anything that sits on your kitchen counter. Next clean the worktops to get them sparkling and finish up by giving the floor a once-over with the vacuum followed by a mop and bucket. Phew, getting there!

Bathroom

The bathroom is almost as guilty as the kitchen when it comes to picking up grime over time. Put all your toiletries into a box and out of the way while you clean making sure to start with the bathroom fittings, including any mirrors. Using a cream cleaner, work your way from the shower and bath to the sink and finally the toilet. Clean the shower partition using a glass cleaner and scrub the tile grout using a heavy duty commercial product.Use a mop to clean the bathroom tiles. Fit for a king *or queen*

Bedrooms

Once you’ve orgainsed what you are and are not keeping, organise your wardrobe and drawers so that anything you wear all the time is easily accessible. Wash all of your bedding (including the spares). Before you make the bed, wash the mattress protectors and vacuum/wipe over the mattress itself. Polish the furniture and the skirting boards to clean off any grime. Give the whole room a vacuum, then vacuum it again, although modern vacuums are good, if you’ve not had a deep clean for a while, the second run over is always a good idea!

Odd jobs.

We all have a list of these at home, the things we’ll get round to at some point, well now is that point! Once the big jobs are out of the way you can start on the mini-jobs that will make the world of difference.

• Clean the windows on both the inside and outside – and ideally do this on a cloudy day when your window cleaner doesn’t dry on the panes before you get a chance to wipe it off.
• Disinfect your washing machine using a commercial cleaner to make sure your clothes stay super fresh
• Take stock of your walls and touch up any areas where paint has chipped off or been marked – amazing what a difference a touch up can make!
• De-lint the filter in the tumble dryer to make sure the machine has a strong airflow and empty out your vacuum cleaner.
• Consider hiring a carpet cleaning machine. They do such a good job , don’t cost too much and can really give your textiles a new lease of life.
• Check your fire and carbon monoxide alarms.

If you plan to sell your home then internal photography straight after your Spring clean is a very good idea.

If you’re looking to sell this is the perfect time to get us round for a valuation and for photo taking!

Should you be interested in the property market in Harrogate then please come along and see us and enjoy a free no obligation chat about the services we provide.

Happy Spring cleaning, we’re off to get the mop!

Related posts:

How To Take the Stress Out of Moving (Part 1) Planning Permission – Improvements & Extensions When’s The Best Time To Sell In Harrogate? Why To Buy The Best House On The Worst Road