Wipe away the dust bunnies and get your bicarb of soda at the ready, it’s time for your big spring clean. To help make the process a little bit more manageable, we’re here to help you revive your home, one room at a time.Â
We’ve collected our favourite spring cleaning tips that make the process a breeze, so you can start making the most of your home today. We’ve also created a handy spring cleaning schedule to help you form a clear plan of attack. Keep reading to view and download it.
1. Before you start
Make a schedule
No spring clean is too big with a well thought out plan. Having all of your tasks laid out in front of you is the best way to make sure you don’t miss anything. If you’re not sure on where to start, check out our spring cleaning schedule that lists all of the tasks that you might be putting off, tips and tick boxes included, so there’s no way you’ll *forget* them. All you need to do is print it off and get your supplies at the ready!Â
→ Download it for free today: Spring Cleaning Schedule
We’ve spread out the tasks across a weekly plan to give you plenty of time to complete everything, but be realistic with what works for you and work your spring clean around your day-to-day life.
For example, you might want to get your spring clean completed sooner rather than later. If you have two days off in your calendar, condense all of your jobs into an intense two day sprint instead of sectioning it out into a week-long job.
Declutter
Cleaning around piles of mess isn’t ideal, so be sure to declutter your home before you get stuck in. Throwing away or donating your unwanted items will keep you organised and make the cleaning process easier.Â
Tidy away any toys and pop them into their rightful places, hang or fold your clothes into your closet, shred and recycle any paperwork that’s built up and discard any expired products from your fridge and pantry.Â
Work from top to bottom
Planning out your tasks is important, but the order that you do them in is even more useful for streamlining your cleaning. There’s no point in vacuuming your floors before you dust, as you’ll end up having to do it all over again to pick up all of the dust you’ve unsettled.
A key tip for cleaning most efficiently is to work from the top of your rooms to the bottom. Start off with your ceilings and the corners of your room, then move on to the tops of your cupboards and cabinets. Next comes your countertops and mid-height furniture. Finish with your skirting boards and floors.
This method gradually forces dirt and dust to the ground, leaving it ready for you to clean up at the very end. Use telescopic, extended dusters for your higher-to-reach spots or the extension feature on your vacuum.
Open your windows
If you need to use chemical cleaning products, always make sure to properly ventilate your rooms. Chemical cleaners can give off toxic fumes that are potentially harmful when inhaled.Â
To prevent this, open your windows to encourage airflow. Some rooms, like bathrooms, might not have windows. If that’s the case, turn on the extractor fan and keep all doors open.Â
2. Kitchen
Get rid of bin odours
Leaking bin bags can wreak havoc on our kitchen bins. If your bin isn’t smelling as fresh as it could be, even after a deep clean, sprinkle a generous amount of bicarbonate of soda inside a clean and dry bin. The powder will absorb any unwanted odours.
Sanitise your kitchen sponges
Your kitchen sponges are one of the worst culprits for harbouring germs, and should be deep cleaned every week and replaced every two to three weeks. Tossing your sponge into a cup of diluted bleach for a few minutes and rinsing is effective for your weekly clean. But if you’re looking for a chemical free option, try this tip: Saturate your sponge with water and zap it in your microwave for a minute. It’s been tested to remove 99.9% of bacteria. Good as new!
Cleanse your microwave
Dried-on stains inside your microwave can be tricky to remove. Awkward angles and small spaces can make the process difficult, but our little tip can change the way you clean. Place a slice of lemon and 40-50 ml of vinegar inside a small bowl of water. Microwave on high for a few minutes until the inside of the appliance begins to steam. Keep the door closed and let the steam work on the stains for around 15 minutes before opening the door and giving the inside a wipe with a sponge.
Remove chopping board stains
Run the fleshy side of a slice of lemon over your chopping board to remove any ingrained food stains. For really stubborn stains, sprinkle generously with salt or baking soda before going in with the lemon.
Restore copper cookware
Use tomato ketchup (yes, you read that correctly!) to polish your copper pots and cookware. The acidic sauce helps to remove the tarnish. Simply rub it all over your metal utensils and rinse with soap and warm water.
3. Living Room
Streak free windows
For windows, glass panels and mirrors, streaks can be your worst enemy. For a shining, smear-free finish, use your regular cleaning solution but swap your cloth for a page of balled up newspaper or a coffee filter. Trust us, it actually works.
Dusting blinds made easy
Get in between all the crevices of your blinds with this easy contraption, made of things we guarantee you already have at home. It can even be put together in minutes! Wrap the end of a pair of kitchen tongs with a piece of cloth and secure into place with elastic bands. Clamp these around each of your blinds and sweep along the length to leave them dust free.
Quickly collect pet hair
Your vacuum not picking up all of the pet hair from your soft furnishings? Try using a lint roller instead. Run the tool gently over your cushions, carpets and rugs to instantly sweep up any stray hairs.
Keep your carpet clean
If you’ve got a lot of carpet space, you might need something more heavy duty than a lint roller. Drag a window squeegee over your carpets to quickly pull up and remove any hair, lint and dust that’s gotten stuck between the carpet fibres.Â
Locate your lost items
Dropped an earring back in your fluffiest, shaggiest living room rug? Don’t give up hope of ever finding it again, instead try this genius cleaning tip. Cover the head of your vacuum hose with a sock, and secure into place with an elastic band. Turn the machine on and hover over your rug. The earring will be sucked up into the hose but the sock will prevent it from passing into the vacuum. Easy.
Get rid of scratches on wood
This won’t work on deep gauges, but for light and unsightly scratches, rub a walnut over the affected area. Then rub over the scratch with your fingers. This helps the wood to absorb the oil from the walnut. Finish off by buffing the area with a soft cloth to seal the scratch.
Erase crayon from your walls
If little hands have made a mess of your walls with crayon, try our two tips for cleaning up the mess. Firstly, try going over the artwork with a touch of toothpaste and a damp cloth. The toothpaste works as a mild abrasive to buff away the crayon. Or for more extensive drawings, heat over the area with a hairdryer for around 30 seconds until the wax softens and melts slightly. Quickly wipe up the mess with a damp towel.
→ Download the PartyLite Spring Cleaning Schedule
4. Bedroom
Refresh your mattressÂ
Over time, mattresses can become dull and musty, so give this cleaning trick a go to deodorize and refresh your mattress. After stripping your sheets, generously sift baking soda over the top of your mattress. Leave it to soak up any dirt and odours for a few hours before vacuuming.
Restore your whites
White bedding is timeless, super on-trend and easy to style, but over time your whites may start to look lacklustre and yellowed. Our tip to remedy this is to let them dry in the sun. Sunlight acts as a natural and free bleaching agent. Pick a sunny day and let nature do the rest.
Clean up spilt nail polish
Nail polish stains might seem permanent, but they can be banished when you’re armed with the right tools. Spray the stain with a generous amount of rubbing alcohol, leave to sit for a few minutes before blotting the area with a microfibre cloth. Repeat until the polish has lifted.Â
Keep your lamp shades dust free
Fabric lamp shades can be tricky things. Clean them with a duster and you end up making them even dirtier. But have you ever used a vacuum on your best lamp? Use a handheld vacuum to carefully lift away any dust and dirt.
5. Bathroom
Make your shower head shine
With use, shower heads can lose their shine and collect grime. An easy way to remove any limescale and build up is by filling a small sandwich bag with white vinegar, and attaching it over your shower head so that it’s soaked in the liquid. Fasten in place with an elastic band. Leave it to soak for an hour before removing and wiping clean with a damp cloth.
Give your tub a scrub
If you’re more of a bath person, don’t forget to give it a good scrub every now and again. After wetting the surface of your bathtub, take a slice of grapefruit and sprinkle salt over the flesh of the fruit. Scrub the grapefruit in circular motions over the surface of your tub and give it a good rub down.
No more water marks on your shower door
To prevent those dreaded water marks ruining your glass shower door, rub a teaspoon of lemon oil over the glass doors and leave to dry. Do this twice a month. The oil will create an invisible coat on the glass, causing water to bead up and roll right off.
Freshen up your drains
Keep your drains flowing free and smelling great with this homemade solution. Mix 60g of baking soda with 30g of table salt. Pour the mixture down your drain and chase it down with 225ml of warmed vinegar (30 seconds in the microwave should do it). The vinegar will react with the baking soda and vinegar mixture, causing lots of bubbles, so don’t be alarmed. Let it soak for 15 minutes before washing everything down with water from the hot tap for 15-30 seconds.
Clean your toilet with Coca Cola
Yes, you read that correctly. The acid in the fizzy drink works great to break down stains and rust rings on your toilet bowl. So put down your traditional, chemical filled cleaners, and give this cleaning tip a try. Empty an entire large bottle of Coke all around your toilet bowl. Leave overnight and give your toilet a good flush in the morning.
6. Misc
Clean your keyboards
Keeping the dust out of your keyboard is an almost impossible task, and cleaning in between the gaps can be tricky. Our tip? Cleaning slime. Soft, sticky and excellent at picking up all the dirt that’s fallen in between your keys. Oh, and it’s fun!
Banish static from your bedding
Polyester and wool are notorious for causing that dreaded static, but did you know that you can prevent the electric charge with a few tennis balls? That’s right, pop a few clean tennis balls in with your bedding the next time you wash it and be amazed as you pull them out the machine static free. It also works to soften your fabrics and keep them fluffed up.
Pick up glass the safe way
For tiny shards of glass that are too small to even see, let alone pick up, reach for your bread instead. Take a slice of bread and press it over the glass to safely and quickly pick up even the tiniest pieces.Â
Eliminate unwanted home odours
Whether it’s pet odours, kitchen smells or that stuffy feeling when you’ve been inside for too long, discover the natural odour eliminating properties of the PartyLite Fresh Home collection to banish unwanted odours. Created with our patented NEOFRESH® technology, our range of uplifting fragrances are made specially for refreshing your home. We love to keep a Room Spray on hand when we’re cleaning to revive soft furnishings and fabrics.
→ Download our Spring Cleaning Schedule here
Spend less time cleaning and more time doing the things you love with PartyLite. Shop our home fragrance collection today.Â
Infographic illustration credits:
bathtub by Llisole from the Noun Project
heart by Milinda Courey from the Noun Project
sparkle by Krupa Sarvaiya from the Noun Project
oven by Creaticca Creative Agency from the Noun Project
calendar by iconsphere from the Noun Project
living room by Mahmure Alp from the Noun Project
kitchen by Trishul from the Noun Project
home by Becris from the Noun Project
cleaning by monkik from the Noun Project
chair by Hermine Blanquart from the Noun Project
bin by Eucalyp from the Noun Project
bedroom by Chanut is Industries from the Noun Project