While the winter comes with lots of happy things, like sparkly frosty mornings, hot chocolates, and, plenty of festivities, it can also come with extra clutter, extra mess (generally caused by more time inside) and the realisation that you have far too much stuff lying around. Like us, you probably try to forget about it before Christmas, thinking you’ll have plenty of time to deal with it after Christmas, but by the time the New Year has arrived, you’ve got even more bright coloured plastic (if there are little ones), gift boxes, way too many bottles of hand cream and more pairs of fluffy socks than you can count. You sit down and scratch your head as you gaze at all the stuff you have yet to find a home for and then you go into the kitchen and find a tin of baked beans… that went out of date in 2020. That’s the moment you realise that it’s now or never, or you’ll officially be going into Spring in the same mess you were in at the end of 2022.
Here are some of our top tips on how to get started on what probably feels like, a HUGE project.
1st
Work, work, work, work, work.
Never start a project without having a plan.
List out the rooms in your house and decide which ones you need to prioritise first.
In our view, the best rooms to start with are the ones you spend the most time in. You may decide to start in the places you tend to clean less frequently, either way, having a plan will help you focus your mind on the job at hand. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail, and all that.
2nd
We like to move it, move it & remove it.
A tidy home helps to maintain a tidy mind. Studies have shown that lack of organisation and mess at home can significantly add to your stress levels.
Set some time aside to:
- Go through your kitchen cupboards and remove anything that is out of date or will not be eaten.
- Get rid of the things you’ve not used for a while. Our rule is, if it’s not been used or played with for 6 months, it’s time for it to go.
- Re-organise any drawers including your cutlery drawer. Move anything that could live somewhere else out of there and remove the all the dirt and dust.
- Sort out your wardrobes. Remember the 6-month rule and remove anything you’ve not worn for 6 months. Separate your winter and summer stuff and move to opposite ends of the wardrobe, so it’s organised and kept together.
3rd
Started from the bottom now we’re here.
Except don’t start from the bottom, always start from the top.
It’s important to start from the ceiling down as this will encourage any yucky bits of dirt and dust to fall straight to the ground which will prevent you from having to re-dust or re-clean your space. If you have a hoover where you can remove the bottom of it, use it to get cobwebs and dust from your ceilings and light fittings first. Then dust your furniture and other items before hoovering all the dust and dirt off your floors. Oh! One more thing, MOVE your furniture so you can properly hoover and dust under and around it.
4th
From the windows to the walls.
This will make the sweat drip out your pores.
It’s fairly easy to remember to clean surfaces and floors, but it’s also fairly easy to neglect windows and walls. Like everything in your home, they need love too. Starting from the top (as always), use a damp cloth to wipe walls and blinds. For windows, we found this link that we think will help you nail your window cleaning technique.
5th
Fresh and lovely like a dream come true.
You’ll be doing anything to spend more nights at home.
If you really want to de-winter your living space, there are some small changes you can make to enhance the light and freshness in readiness for Spring. Swapping your soft furnishings, for something a little more colourful is a good place to start. Things like brighter cushions, throws and art work can make all the difference when it comes to heading into the Spring/Summer months.
Happy Cleaning!
