I’m going to be honest with you, when it comes to cleaning my home I’m always looking for ways to make spring cleaning quick and easy. I don’t hate cleaning, in fact I would love a free week just to get it all done in one go, but as a working mum with two young children I just don’t have hours to spare scrubbing away. Over the last 5 years I’ve honed my cleaning routine to ensure the all the basics are done without seeping into my me time. The sink and toilet are cleaned when the kids are in the bath and I cook and clean the kitchen as I go so it’s (almost) spotless after I’ve cooked a meal. Working the cleaning into daily life like this means at this time of year I can really get into a good Spring clean without all the other distractions.
Just like my everyday cleaning I wanted to make sure to keep the deep clean fits into my life and doesn’t feel too much like a chore. So I came up with these 11 hacks to make my Spring cleaning surprisingly quick and easy. These tips are less scrubbing surfaces with lemon and vinegar and more about utilising technology to work for us. Very.co.uk have a fantastic range of spring cleaning supplies that revolutionise both everyday essentials and spring cleaning must haves and I’ve put some of them to the test.
Make a list
Go room to room in your home and make a list of what needs cleaning with an estimated time frame you will need to complete each task. This will help you make the most of any spare 5 minutes but also allow you to really sink your teeth into the bigger jobs when you do have a longer block of time available.
I also use this list as a brain dump. Instead of getting overwhelmed by the task at hand, I get everything down on paper. When I do get around to the actual cleaning I don’t find myself getting distracted by the other jobs I come across. If it’s on the list I know I will get around to it at some point, rather than trying to do too much at once (and not actually finishing anything at all!)
Work in Bursts
Robovac is my new bestie. I’m not joking, move over coffee maker. There’s a new favourite appliance in town. While this little guy doesn’t do the deep clean it does a fantastic job of cleaning day to day. Every day I send my Eufy Robovac around the ground floor of my home. This area gets the most dirt and before I had Robovac I used to sweep at least twice a day. Now instead of using my time on an everyday cleaning chore, I use that time to tick off a quick job from my deep clean list. These daily bursts of 10-15 minutes makes my spring clean manageable and more productive and the more I keep on top of these bigger jobs the quicker it is to deep clean each year.
Bluetooth Headphones
I’ve always got a podcast, ebook or music on while I clean. I use my Bluetooth headphones so as I run around the house getting jobs done I don’t have to stop and start the audio or take speakers around with me. This helps me to say focussed on a task and also gives me self imposed time limits to work towards. Even if it’s just organising a sock drawer for one song. Once the song is over the job is done for the day.
Be your future friend
Make next year you happy by adding easy ways to keep your home clean all year round. After you’ve spent time scrubbing your kitchen appliances, place liners onto the shelves and drawers of your fridge and oven liners to your oven and grill tray. Throw these into the dishwasher as needed and it will save hours of future cleaning. Other jobs that can help you save time including changing or deep cleaning doormats once a month to stop dirt moving around your home unnecessarily. You can also place blankets, clothes and cushions into vacuum bags to prevent them gathering dust when they’re not being used.
Stop spreading dirt around
Often when we’re cleaning surfaces we can end up just moving dirt or dust around. My favourite trick for quickly and effectively removing and dirt is using a window vacuum. These not only leave your windows sparkling inside and out, in no time at all, but they can also be used on a variety of flat surfaces to suck dirty water right off them! As well as my windows I use it on my hob, oven door, tiles, shower doors, mirrors and even kitchen cabinets. The window vacuum works wonders on glossy cabinet doors to leave them streak free without having to buff them dry.
Open the Windows
I’ve found the quickest way to freshen up your home is by simply letting the fresh air in. As soon as the weather starts to warm up I’m opening up my windows every day to allow stale air out and fresh air to circulate. Even just five minutes will make a difference to the way your home smells. It’s like an instant air freshener!
Touch ups
When you paint a room a good tip is to fill a paint pen with a small amount of the same paint. This makes it easy to touch up any scrapes or scuffs. Label each pen with the name of the paint and the area it has been used in. For heavily used areas where touch ups are more regularly needed then fill an old jam jar with leftover paint and label. Rather than storing half empty tins of paint which will most likely dry out, you’ll only need a small drawer or box to keep your paint pens for a quick touch up whenever needed.
Use the right tools
In our small home we don’t have a lot of free space for cleaning supplies. Tools need to be packed away like a jigsaw and while I’m happy to pull out the bigger tools when they’re needed, if I can use something smaller and more easily accessed for the job it makes life much easier.
My Shark cordless handheld vacuum cleaner is probably the most used cleaning tool in my home. It’s small enough to fit discretely into a corner and so light to carry around. I can whip it out in a moments notice and often use it to get into any corners the robovac has struggled to reach. But the Shark vacuum is not just for the floor. This can be used on so many surfaces in your home without the arm workout which comes with heavier hand held vacuums. I regularly use the Shark handheld vacuum on my blinds, lampshade, plants and open shelving. It can do skirting and window sills in seconds. It also has a fantastic attachment to keep your sofas clean. Perfect to stop all the crumbs getting down the back of the cushions!
The Dishwasher is for More than the Dishes
Your dishwasher is a great tool for cleaning much more than just the dishes. Think vases, plastic bath toys, microwave plates, highchair trays, dusty candle holders or ornaments. Obviously don’t put in any delicate pieces or items that have been painted of printed on. But many non porous items can be cleaned effectively in the dishwasher, saving the need to scrub them over and over.
Don’t forget your fabrics
A really easy way to remove pet hair from fabrics is to run a damp rubber glove over the surface of the fabric. This will pick up pet hair easily and can be cleaned off by plunging the glove into a bucket of water. For any stains a Bissell Spot Clean Pro is the best thing I’ve found in my years of searching (grey sofa issues!) I am constantly pulling it out to spot clean stains on my carpets, sofas and chairs. I even used it recently to refresh our old pushchair and it looks brand new!
Reap the rewards
I always find cleaning quicker and easier if I’m motivated to do it. A lot of the time I can pump myself up to do just a five minute clean on my most lazy days, but occasionally it takes a bit more and I’m not ashamed to say I have my own little reward chart for getting the job done. They’re not just for the kids! My rewards can be anything from a fancy hot chocolate to a pair of shoes I’ve had my eyes on. But even if you don’t want a physical reward for your hard work, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as ticking that job off the list and feeling that sense of achievement once it’s done.
