Like many this spring season, you’re probably in the midst of planning your seasonal cleaning session. It can be hard to know where to start, especially if you’re planning to do it all at once or have an already busy schedule. Splitting tasks over a several days can make the spring deep clean more manageable.
To help you, here is our 5-day spring cleaning checklist. It covers the importance of removing animal dander, human skin flakes, household dust and house dust mites from surfaces in the home, paying attention to the areas where these can be found. Textiles, bedding, mattresses, upholstered furniture like sofas and carpets should be on the top of your list.
Day 1
- Wash bedding on a 60°C/140°F or 90°C/195°F wash. This helps to break down and reduce allergens
- Wash or replace duvets and pillows to reduce the amount of dust mites and skin flakes present in your bed.
- Vacuum both sides of your mattress to remove dust mites and skin flakes.
Day 2
- Remove dust from kitchen cupboard tops, using either a vacuum with an advanced filtration system or by dusting with a clean damp cloth or cleaning wipes.
- Clear kitchen counters and cupboards to deep clean. Vacuum to remove dust and debris, then wash with warm water and detergent. Follow up by drying all surfaces.
- Empty the fridge and freezer and clean all surfaces with warm water and detergent or cleaning product. Vacuum round the back and under the fridge and freezer, without forgetting the cooler element on the back as this will improve performance.
Day 3
- Vacuum the places not regularly vacuumed, such as under furniture.
- Vacuum your sofa and armchairs, which can hold large debris along with dust mites, skin flakes and other allergens such as pollen.
- Wash any coverings and cushions to reduce the level of dust caught within them.
Day 4
- A lot of dust can gather in curtains and blinds. Make sure you vacuum them with a soft brush tool or launder them if possible and practical.
- Remove dust from walls by dusting with a damp cloth, cleaning wipes or using a vacuum with advanced filtration. Dust on certain wall types can contribute towards the growth of mould.
Day 5
- Dust lights and light fittings. Dust can gather in lampshades and light fittings which can burn on hot bulbs producing VOCs and odour or be moved around the room by the production of warm air around the bulbs.
- Dust behind radiators – a hidden place often missed during normal cleaning. Significant dust collects behind the radiator, and this can be distributed around the room by the air flow produced by the warm air from the radiator.
Want to go even further with cleaning?
Here are two of our own top tips to help remove dust and vacuum the important places around your home.
1. Removing dust
Use either a clean damp cloth or cleaning wipes to trap dust more easily or use a vacuum with an advanced filtration system. A vacuum cleaner with different attachments and strong suction is ideal for removing dust around your home.
Read our How to: Remove household dust article for further tips on removing household dust, including advice on washing fabrics and upholstery, and the importance of air quality.
2. Vacuuming
Vacuum your home after dusting so that any dust that has been disturbed and placed onto the floor is removed and not redistributed around the home by normal activity – wherever there is dust there is the possibility of dust mites.
For an in-depth view at cleaning the most common areas of your home, from the living room, to the staircase and hallways, including carpet, hardwood flooring and which accessories to use, visit our How to: Clean the common areas of your house article.
Happy cleaning!
If you’d like to share your own tips on spring cleaning, feel free to add these below. Any other tips you’d like to share, please post them in our ‘Tips and tricks’ section on the Community homepage.
Source: Spring cleaning week plan