Cleaning tips and hacks: Best way to tackle your spring clean, secrets to a spring clean that last all year round
Hibernation time is almost over, which means it’s time for a home makeover. Here’s how to look for ideas, inspiration and motivation in unusual places.
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With so many people confined to home for work and school right now, our domestic spaces are under more pressure than ever.
At the same time, anyone who has tried to maintain a spick and span house during school holidays will also know it’s an almost impossible task.
But help is here.
Founder of The Organised Housewife, Katrina Springer, says there are ways to work through those larger cleaning jobs, whether you’re juggling work and homeschooling.
Most people will be accustomed to doing a general, regular clean of spaces like kitchen benchtops, bathroom vanities and shower cubicles, along with tasks like vacuuming, sweeping and mopping floors. But Katrina says spring offers an opportunity for a deeper refresh.
“That spring clean is important,” she says.
“Dust settles on places like ceiling fans through winter so that when you turn them on as it warms up, it spreads everywhere. A good clean is a great way to freshen up the house and if you’ve been stuck indoors because of Covid, it’s good to open the blinds and windows.
“It also makes you feel a bit better.”
BEST WAY TO TACKLE YOUR SPRING CLEAN
Katrina says there are two ways to tackle this.
“When people ask where or how to start, I tell them to start at the front door and turn left, working top to bottom,” she says.
With any luck, you’ll move through the house in a systematic way.
Alternatively, head for the most used room in the house, typically the kitchen, and get stuck in. To get the full satisfaction from your efforts, Katrina says it’s better to work on one room at a time.
“Whatever you do, don’t do one part of the kitchen and then one part of the bathroom – complete one project,” she says. And don’t make yourself a martyr to the house. If the kids are old enough to help themselves to the pantry, they’re probably old enough to contribute to the cleaning.
Katrina says the best time to ask for an extra set of hands is when you’re already hard at it.
“If you want someone else in your household to help out, I’ve found the best way is to ask while you’re already doing something,” she says.
“It’s harder for them to say no, because then they just look rude.”
FINDING MOTIVATION FOR YOUR SPRING CLEAN
Remember when the Marie Kondo series, Tidying Up, dropped on Netflix in January 2019? It caused a decluttering frenzy. Start with motivating yourself. Katrina says there’s a lot of inspirational content to be found on sites like Instagram, with ‘before and after’ images of bedrooms, living areas, garages and, yes, pantries. If you’re thinking of tackling something like a deep clean of your dishwasher or washing machine, check how-to demonstrations on sites like YouTube or cleaning blogs.
If motivation is a bit of a struggle, Katrina says it helps her to dress for the job.
“When I want to clean my house, I put on my activewear – I’m not cleaning in my track pants because they’re for lying on the lounge,” she says. “Activewear makes me feel energised and it changes my mindset.”
Just as you would at the gym, select some tunes to keep energy levels up.
“Having a silent house doesn’t motivate me,” says Katrina. “There is The Organised Housewife playlist on Spotify, which is all upbeat music to keep you going. By the time I get to Eye of the Tiger, I’m in full swing.”
HACKS FOR A SPRING CLEAN THAT LASTS ALL YEAR ROUND
It’s a simple truth and one that we’re all across.
We feel better when our houses or apartments or even just our bedrooms are fresh, clean and organised. And that’s not just something naturally neat and tidy people whisper to one another either. Research shows it to be true.
For example, a study published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin found that women who described their living spaces as ‘cluttered’ were more likely to be depressed and fatigued than those who described their homes as ‘restful’ and ‘restorative’.
There’s reams more studies of course and we could list them all, but we’re pretty confident you know what we’re saying. A clean house is one where you’ll always feel better able to take a breath and relax, something especially important during these uncertain times.
Life and home organisation expert Anna Newton, author of An Edited Life – Simple Steps to Streamlining Your Life at Work and at Home, takes it that little bit further describing a clean space in which to live as an ‘act of self love’.
“By taking pride in the space around you, you are demonstrating to yourself that you deserve to be in a beautiful and well-maintained environment,” she says.
“You deserve it.”
The even better news is that if you get on top of your cleaning in a significant way, say by doing a serious spring clean, you can maintain a sparkling home all year round. Consider it a quantity over quality approach.
“More is less,” explains Anna, who recommends a yearly deep clean, a six-month re-do and regular weekly cleans in between. Of course, it’s the actual doing of the cleaning that trips so many of us up. But there are insider tricks that will significantly reduce the load thanks to developing technology and advances in cleaning appliances.
INSIDER TRICKS TO MAKE CLEANING EASIER
Greg Wilson, general manager of home appliances at The Good Guys, says products such as robot vacuums can and will change your life.
“If I had to pick one product that truly reduces the chore of cleaning I’d have to say robot vacuums,” says Greg.
“These clever vacs get on with the hard work, so we have more time to do the things we love like spending time with the family.”
Greg is especially enamoured of the Ecovacs Deebot T9+ Robotic Vacuum, which not only vacuums but also mops. Win win all round.
“That means every floor surface is covered,” says Greg.
“Not only that, but this model empties itself and has an in-built air freshener to add fragrance to your rooms as it cleans.”
Greg is also enthusiastic about slimline vacuums with multi-directional heads so they can glide under tables and around chair legs. His pick of the bunch – Dyson’s Omni-Glide Cordless Vacuum.
“There’s a never-ending stream of small messes in the kitchen,” says Greg.
“And sometimes a broom makes it worse. This vacuum is the kitchen’s new best friend.” And accordingly, ours.
There’s also pyrolytic ovens. These uber modern ovens have in-built technology that raises the heat to a point where even the most stubborn grime simply turns to ash.
“This means there’s no scrubbing or elbow-grease,” says Greg, who likes the Chef 60cm Black Pyrolytic Oven.
“Once the pyrolytic function is complete you merely have to wipe away any remaining debris.”
These are just a few examples of many advances in technology that make deep cleaning, even yearly spring cleaning, light, or at the very least lighter, work.
And that’s a positive and a significant one at that, says Greg.
“Time is precious,” he says.
“No one really wants to spend it on chores.”
HOW TO GET THE KIDS INVOLVED IN CLEANING THE HOME
Frame cleaning as a fun challenge and little ones are far more likely to get involved.
Greg suggests first getting the kids together and working out which chores need tackling first and then make a list.
Once the list is made set a 10-minute timer or use your smart speaker assistant, such as the Google Nest Hub 2nd Gen, to set one, blast your favourite play list while everyone tackles as many chores as possible.
Get them all done and everyone gets a treat. In terms of appliances that are easier for kids to handle, Greg suggests stick vacuum cleaners.
“They’re lighter than the older vacuums and being cord-free means the kids can give you a hand with the chores without getting tangled in cords or having to plug and unplug repeatedly.”
Greg likes Miele’s TriFlex HX 1 Runner, in Ruby Red.
“It’s light and easy to manoeuvre plus converts easily into a handheld vac for cleaning couches or even keyboards, perfect for getting the kids involved,” he says.
Deep clean the oven (unless you have a pyrolytic version as they do it themselves), the dishwasher and the washing machine too.
Time to move the furniture.
Yes. All of it. Vacuum underneath and behind all pieces. Pay special attention to the area under the bed, in particular behind the headboard where dust, lint and hair tend to gather.
Clean the windows.
Hire a pro, or if you plan to do it yourself consider a gadget such as Karcher’s WV 6 Window Vacuum. The window vacuum provides a pro-look, streak-free result and has 100-minute battery run time.
Originally published as Cleaning tips and hacks: Best way to tackle your spring clean, secrets to a spring clean that last all year round
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