7 spring cleaning tips for your home

Now that spring is on the doorstep, your thoughts will be turning to throwing open the doors and windows of your home and giving everything a good spring clean. At Apple Clean, we know a thing or two about cleaning so we thought we’d share some tips on how to achieve the best results, using gentle yet effective cleaning methods where possible.

1 – Declutter and tidy up

Start by tackling one room at a time, and by

Do you have too much ‘stuff’ in your home? It’s a good discipline to assess the amount of clutter on an annual basis and use this simple rule to decide whether to keep each item: Have you used it in the last 12 months? Are you going to use it in the coming 12 months?

Tackle one room at a time and sort your belongings into clearly labelled ‘keep’, ‘sell’, ‘donate’ and ‘throw away’ boxes. You’ll be surprised how liberating it feels to rid yourself of some excess possessions.

2 – Deep clean your carpets

You’ll be surprised at the amount of dirt, dust and hair that collects in your home’s carpets, whether it’s in the bedrooms, dining room or heavy traffic areas such as hallways, stairs and landings. Now is the time to get rid of winter grime and get the carpet cleaners in.

Apple Clean is at your service. Our expert cleaning operatives work right across the Southern Counties in Sussex, Surrey, Kent, Hampshire and Dorset. We use the latest equipment and effective cleaning processes to produce professional results at very competitive prices. We also offer stain removal, Scotchgarding, deodorising and sanitising services, leaving you with nothing but a fresh smelling and hygienically clean carpet.

3 – Get your curtains cleaned

Over the wintertime, all types of curtains absorb dust, dirt and odours. Check the composition and finish of your curtain fabric to see how best to clean it. Machine washing may be suitable for lightweight fabrics, while delicate curtains such as cotton, lace, voile or chiffon should always be hand washed, and heavy curtains are best steam cleaned.

Not sure about your curtains? If you need professional advice about how best to clean the curtains in your home, contact Apple Clean on 0800 587 4571. We offer a comprehensive in-situ curtain cleaning service and are always pleased to provide as much advice as you require.

4 – Freshen up your upholstery

3-piece suites, sofas and armchairs are a major investment and it’s important to keep these big ticket items looking clean and smart for many years. Unless you’re an upholstery expert, it can be tricky to know exactly how to deep clean different types of fabric including silk, satin, leather, suede, faux suede and velvet, and especially if there are stains that you cannot identify.

We recommend an annual upholstery clean, carried out by a professional cleaning specialists who can treat each item of upholstered furniture with the utmost of care and experience. That way, you can be reassured that your sofas and armchairs are receiving specialist attention to help preserve their colour and appearance for the long term.

5 – Refresh your kitchen appliances

Now is the time to give your kitchen appliances some attention. To freshen up your fridge, use a bowl of warm soapy water and a soft cloth to remove any stains, food matter and water residue – and a toothbrush might come in handy for those hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. Once clean, cut a lemon in half and place inside the fridge to naturally absorb any odours.

To steam clean your microwave oven, use a jug of half vinegar and water and put into the microwave for 10 minutes on full power. The steam will loosen any stubborn stains, leaving you to simply wipe away any moisture and dirt.

Cleaning the oven is no-one’s favourite job but it has to be done. Add bicarbonate of soda to a spray bottle of water and use liberally on the interior surfaces of the oven (avoiding the heating elements). Leave overnight and wipe the dirt off the next day. Remove any soda residue with vinegar, if necessary.

6 – Blitz your bathroom

To remove limescale build-ups from the toilet, shower and washbasin in your bathroom, try using white vinegar. All you need to do is to spray it on – or tie a plastic bag filled with white vinegar around the showerhead – and leave overnight to get to work and break down the limescale molecules.

Vinegar is strongly acidic and it does have a strong smell, so do make sure you ventilate the bathroom well and wear protective gloves.

7 – Revive your linens

Over time, bedlinen can lose their crisps looks while colours may fade. Breathe life back into your bedsheets with the help of bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar. Give your linens a good soak to restore freshness, both in terms of dull colours and lingering odour. Just make sure you rinse everything thoroughly to get rid of any vinegary smells.