For vendors and landlords, the real crux of a thorough Spring clean is to achieve the best possible rent or selling price. The idea is to create a welcoming environment, to maximise the natural light and to give the illusion of more space. This will help give your property the edge over other properties on the market in W4.
A study of 1,000 UK families, by online electrical retailer
AO.com found that while this month is the most popular month for people in the county wanting to do their spring clean, one in 10 say that they will not find time in their busy lives to do it.
Instead they opt for more frequent surface cleaning as opposed to a good old spring clean. The research also shows that the jobs dreaded the most amongst households are cleaning their oven, windows and toilet, closely followed by defrosting the freezer. Amazingly, nearly a quarter of us have never cleaned our mattress.
So what can we do to make the dreaded, yet essential spring clean easier, speedier and more cost effective? To help, AO.com have come up with 12 ideas to make the big clean that little bit easier.
Clean external surfaces with laundry detergent
Laundry detergent (without bleach) can be used to clean outdoor surfaces such as wood and concrete paving. Just add to a bucket of water or make a solution for your pressure washer.
Dishwasher tablets to maintain your washing machine
Every couple of months, add a dishwasher tablet to an empty cycle at 60 degrees. This will help kill any bacteria living in the hidden parts of the drum and should prevent lime scale too.
Lint roll your lampshade
Use a typical clothing lint roller on your delicate lampshades to remove the annoying and stubborn dust that they attract.
Oven cleaning with bicarbonate of soda
Simply add bicarbonate of soda to water in a spray bottle to create a cheap but effective cleaning solution, perfect for cleaning stubborn grime in ovens.
Clean stainless steel with olive oil
Use a small amount of olive oil on a cloth and wipe over your kitchen stainless steel, removing any stubborn smears and fingerprints and leaving a gleaming finish.
Remove pet hair with rubber gloves
Give your furniture a rub down with a pair of rubber gloves, pet hair will stick to them making it much easier to remove from surfaces.
Use cinnamon to make your home smell sweet
Simply sprinkle 2-3 tbsp. of cinnamon on a rug or an area of carpet and vacuum up to create a sweet scented home.
Apply shaving foam to your mirror
Squirt some shaving foam on your mirror and wipe clean with a cloth to remove any smears.
Clean sponges in the microwave
Sanitise your household sponges in the microwave. Simply saturate with water and place in the microwave for at least one minute. This will help kill any bacteria contained in the sponge.
Use vinegar to clean household taps
Wipe grubby taps with a cotton wool pad soaked in vinegar to help remove smears and stains. It also works well at reducing lime scale too.
Deodorise mattress with baking soda
Sprinkle a little baking soda all over your mattress and leave for one to eight hours. Vacuum up the excess baking soda to reveal a freshly deodorised mattress.
Clean plastic toys using a dishwasher
Place children's plastic toys (without batteries obviously) in the dishwasher along with your usual detergent or tablet. This will sanitise them ready to be played with again.
No need to splash the cash now you know that so many of our everyday household products and appliances can double-up as cleaning devices.
Oven cleaning with bicarbonate of soda
Simply add bicarbonate of soda to water in a spray bottle to create a cheap but effective cleaning solution, perfect for cleaning stubborn grime in ovens.
Clean stainless steel with olive oil
Use a small amount of olive oil on a cloth and wipe over your kitchen stainless steel, removing any stubborn smears and fingerprints and leaving a gleaming finish.
Remove pet hair with rubber gloves
Give your furniture a rub down with a pair of rubber gloves, pet hair will stick to them making it much easier to remove from surfaces.
Use cinnamon to make your home smell sweet
Simply sprinkle 2-3 tbsp. of cinnamon on a rug or an area of carpet and vacuum up to create a sweet scented home.
Apply shaving foam to your mirror
Squirt some shaving foam on your mirror and wipe clean with a cloth to remove any smears.
Clean sponges in the microwave
Sanitise your household sponges in the microwave. Simply saturate with water and place in the microwave for at least one minute. This will help kill any bacteria contained in the sponge.
Use vinegar to clean household taps
Wipe grubby taps with a cotton wool pad soaked in vinegar to help remove smears and stains. It also works well at reducing lime scale too.
Deodorise mattress with baking soda
Sprinkle a little baking soda all over your mattress and leave for one to eight hours. Vacuum up the excess baking soda to reveal a freshly deodorised mattress.
Clean plastic toys using a dishwasher
Place children's plastic toys (without batteries obviously) in the dishwasher along with your usual detergent or tablet. This will sanitise them ready to be played with again.
No need to splash the cash now you know that so many of our everyday household products and appliances can double-up as cleaning devices.
