It’s that time of year once again – Summer is on the horizon, it’s the bank holiday weekend, good weather is forecast and the house could do with a sort-out.  Sound familiar?

Perhaps a few of these tips may be helpful;

1 – Declutter; most of us are guilty of hoarding and having too much stuff. Now is a great time to go through everything and see if you still want to keep it. The less stuff you have, the less time it’ll take to keep clean!   Divide your things into the stuff you definitely use and want to keep and the things you’re not sure about.  Consider how often you make use of those items – do you actually need them?  Have you got much ‘seasonal’ stuff – things you use but only for some of the year? Heavy duvets, Christmas decorations, winter jumpers etc.    It makes sense to pack this away until you need it.  Before you throw anything away, consider whether it might be worth selling on Ebay or similar selling sites. Alternatively, you may be able to donate it to a charity shop.

2 – Take small steps; focus on one room at a time, don’t try and do it all at once. Set aside some dedicated time, for example an hour each day to chip away at it.

3 – Sharing is caring; get everyone involved.  We’ve all seen Mary Poppins in action – the kids can help too, give them age-appropriate jobs to do.  Even young children can enjoy helping with dusting, while older ones can vacuum rooms, clean windows or collect up the washing.

4 – Look up and down; we tend to focus on what we can see at eye-level.  Don’t forget things like the skirting boards.  Look out for cobwebs in the ceiling corners.

5 – Start at the top; work your way from the ceiling to the floor, leave vacuuming or sweeping to last.

6 – Don’t forget your windows; this is a good opportunity to give them a polish, and clean around the edges.  Give blinds a wipe and pop the curtains in the wash (check that they are machine-washable first though!)

7 – Put your favourite music or an audio book on;  cleaning doesn’t have to happen in strict silence – it’s easier to stay in a positive mood when there’s a good tune on!

8 – Look inside;  sometimes we can all be guilty of focussing on the areas that are on display.  Use this opportunity to also have a clean inside the areas that visitors don’t normally look – clean inside your oven, as well as the fridge and freezer.  Have a sort out of your cupboards and go through your wardrobe and drawers.

9- Finally, you don’t have to have a perfect house! It isn’t a competition to see who has the tidiest house or to make anyone feel inadequate.  We all have different ideas about how we want our home to look.  We also have different situations and what is achievable can vary.  Focus on what you want to achieve through spring cleaning, and any progress is a win!

If you want to create a bit more space, but don’t want to get rid of things permanently, you can always store them with us.  Our minimum hire period is just two weeks, so you don’t need to worry about being tied in. Call now to find how easily we can look after your extra bits and bobs for you, and free up some space.

Spring cleaning