Page 2 - HC Observer Corby Edition April 2017

The essential
guide to a
successful
spring clean!
Spring has of cially arrived which means we get (a little) more sunlight, plants have started owering and we’ve got that niggling urge that there’s something else we should be doing! Yes, we mean cleaning!
The 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 in your personal space.
However, we know the idea of cleaning your home from top to bottom can sound a little daunting, so we’ve put together a handy guide to get you started and well on your way to a whole new look for your humble abode.
Arm Yourselves For War... On Dirt, That Is!
You won’t get very far in your cleaning campaign if you’re not equipped for the task, so head out to the shops and make sure you’re kitted out to do your worst to those dust-balls!
We recommend that at the very least you have:
Tackle The Kitchen
It’s the big boss battle of the Spring Clean – taking on your kitchen! Over the course of a year this room is bound to build up grease, grime and dirt so start here and get things off to the best start.
Follow our lead and work your way through the kitchen using the following as your go-to guide:
• Empty out your fridge and all your food cabinets
and throw away anything that’s out of date
• While they’re empty give the cabinets and doors
a good wipe down with an antibacterial cleaner • Run your pots, pans and crockery through a
dishwasher cycle (or wash them up yourself)
• Buy a kit to deep clean your oven – this should be
done at least once a year.
• Clean your dishwasher by emptying the lter of
any old bits of food, re lling the salt and rinse-aid
and then run it on an empty cycle using a cleaner • While empty, clean both the inside and the
outside of your fridge/freezer
• Clean and wipe down the microwave. This can be
just a tad gross!
• Hit the oven hob next and get that stainless steel
looking sparkly bright
• Use a cleaner to go round and clean up anything
that sits out on your kitchen counter day-to-day. From toasters to utensil pots, you’ll be surprised how much grime these can accumulate
• Next clean the worktop to get it sparkling
• Finish up by giving the oor a once-over with the
vacuum and then a mop and bucket. Be sure to hit those areas you normally miss!
Bathroom Brawl
The bathroom is just as guilty as the kitchen of picking up grime over time that doesn’t always get cleaned up in your usual monthly once-over. But keep a cool head, take a deep breath and follow these steps to achieve bathroom bliss:
• Start with the bathroom furniture – including any mirrors – to polish off any dirt or grime
• Using a cream cleaner, work your way from the shower and bath to the sink and nally the toilet – but throw your sponge away after the latter!
• Clean the shower partition if you have one using a glass cleaner
• Get scrubbing the tile grout using a commercial product to get it back to its original colour
• Use a mop to work your way over the bathroom tiles with a strong cleaning product
Take Back The Bedroom
The bedroom should be the one place in the house you can relax better than anywhere else, but more often than not it becomes a dumping ground for old clothes, odds-and-ends and forgotten hobbies. Give it a good deep clean and you’ll thank us for it:
• Once you’ve thrown out anything you don’t need, organise your wardrobe and drawers so that anything you wear all the time is easily accessible
• Wash all of your bedding (including spares!) and make sure they’re folded up and ready to be used
• Before you make the bed, wash any mattress protectors and vacuum over the mattress itself
• rubbish bags
• rubber gloves
• glass cleaner
• a duster
• a few empty boxes
• a dustpan and brush
• an all-purpose cleaner • carpet cleaner
• disinfecting wipes
• plenty of cloths!
Make A List... The Game Plan Starts Here!
Make a list of every room or space in the house that could do with a freshen up so you can work through them systematically. That way, if things take longer than you intend, you can pick up where you left off the next time you carry on with the task at hand.
In our opinion the key zones which need your attention are: • kitchen
• bathroom
• bedroom
• livingroom
• carpets
• windows
• Polish around any furniture you have.
Declutter Your Home First!
A Spring clean is the perfect opportunity to not only give your house a good scrub but also to get ridofallthosethingsyoureallydon’tneedany more.
We’re all guilty of a bit of hoarding, whether we’ll admit to it or not, so it’s good to take a weekend to look through everything you own and really consider whether an item is something you need or not.
Workyourwaythroughall(andwemeanALL) of your possessions one by one and consider whetherit’ssomethingyouuseregularly, occasionally or (as is often the case) almost never.Andberuthless!Thechancesarethatif you have to stop and consider whether you need something, it’s usually not worth keeping!
We’ve picked out a few key tips to keep in mind during this stage of the process:
• Startwithyourwardrobeandgo
through all of your clothes. If there’s something you haven’t worn in ages (or ever), doesn’t t you properly or looks a little worse for wear then bin it or bag it up to take down the local charity shop
• Collectupanyoldmagazinesand newspapers lying around your home.
• Emptyoutyourpurse,walletorbag and go through everything in it
• Takeagoodhardlookatyourbookcol
If it’s a book you’ve never read – nd a home for it with someone else.
kitchen equipment, utensils and crockery and separate the weak from the strong. Be ruthless!
lection. • Gothroughallofyour
www.hendersonconnellan.co.uk