Your Essential Guide to Deep Cleaning Your House
Tis’ the Season to be…cleaning. Winter is finally on the way out and Spring Cleaning is in all around. Now is a good time as ever to incorporate a deep clean with your Spring clean, helping you to ensure that your house is fresh and free of grime. Let’s face it, Deep cleaning can instil a deep fear in even the most passionate of cleaners. Are you personally fearing scrapping encrusted food out of your oven? Has your shower head got more scales than a dragon? Are there more dust than ‘zzz’s in your bedroom? This mini-guide will give you the knowledge and some time-saving deep cleaning hacks that will leave your house well and truly sparkling more than normal.
The Green Cleaning Brigade: Gathering Your Natural Cleaning Supplies
Before we jump into the deep cleaning chaos, a little planning can go a long, long way, ensuring your deep cleaning will go smoothly and quickly. Here’s what you will need to get ready for your deep clean, as well as the go-to eco-friendly cleaning essentials:
- Natural Cleaning Powerhouse: Embrace the eco-friendly deep cleaning revolution! White vinegar, bicarbonate soda, and essential oils are powerful natural alternatives to harsh chemicals. Using compostable cloths and natural loofahs are more natural ways of scrubbing away in your deep clean, whilst being just as effective! If you’re not a fan of the smell of white vinegar, add some drops of your favourite essential oils, or if you have the time, plan ahead and create an infused vinegar spray with lemon or orange peel. Read more about the benefits of using Bicarbonate Soda in cleaning with our dedicated blog.
- Time-Saving Hacks: Deep cleaning doesn’t have to eat up your entire weekend, who wants that? Clever hacks like the “top-down cleaning” technique (cleaning from the highest to the lowest points) maximise your cleaning time, leaving you plenty of time to get on with enjoying your downtime. Whilst your oven or shower head is having a deep clean soak, you can focus on cleaning out cupboards or deep clean your fridge.
- Deep Clean Checklist: Craft a comprehensive list of deep cleaning tasks. Break it down by room to ensure no crevice is left unturned. We have included a handy deep clean checklist at the bottom of this blog to help you hit all the deep clean areas in your home.
Conquering the Kitchen: Banishing Baked-On Battles
The kitchen is the heart of any home, but it can also be a battleground for grease and grime. Here are some of our top deep cleaning tips to leave your kitchen sparkling and ready to let you get cooking your next tasty meal:
- Oven Odyssey: From Burnt-On Battles to Sparkling Victory Whether you’re using natural products or not, use your bicarbonate soda mix or preferred oven cleaner on the inside of the oven door and the inside of your oven and leave it to work its magic whilst you clean other areas of your kitchen, give it a bit of elbow grease to get rid of any dried-on food grease! Don’t forget to deep clean your stovetop to get rid of any dirt and grime, leaving it sparkling.
- Fridge Freshness: Defrosting for Efficiency and Deep Cleaning for Hygiene Defrosting your fridge and freezer is essential for optimal performance, as well as utilising that space. Empty it fully, unplug it, and allow the ice to melt naturally. Once defrosted, deep clean the interiors with a warm water and vinegar solution or a multi-surface cleaner. If you have any ice packs, chuck them into a freezer bag with your chilled and frozen food to ensure that any food doesn’t cool down or defrost too quickly before you are finished with your cleaning. Don’t forget to toss out any expired food!
- Backsplash Blitz: Taming the Grease Zone with Simple Solutions This grease-prone area can get grimy fast. Bicarb soda paste is your best friend here and will well and truly get rid of that grease in no time. Leave the paste on for up to 5 minutes, or more if the grime is particularly thick. Wipe off and remember to rinse thoroughly and dry completely.
- Cabinet Countdown: Blast Away Grease and Grime in Minutes Whilst your oven is being degreased, get on cleaning those cabinets that may get missed in your regular clean. Organise and clean the inside of your cabinets, and if you have any particular tough stains, the bicarb soda paste is particularly handy here.
Deep Cleaning Your Bathroom: A Haven of Hygiene
The kitchen may be the heart of the home, but the bathroom is the place of relaxation, and it also needs regular deep cleaning to ensure it remains a haven of hygiene. Here’s how to tackle the bathroom grime:
- Disinfecting Duo: Creating a Sparkling and Sanitised Bathroom Haven Disinfect countertops, faucets, toilets, and shower handles with a disinfectant spray. White vinegar is a great disinfectant, and why not add a favourite essential oil to add a delightful scent? Pay close attention to high-touch areas like doorknobs and light switches.
- Grout Glory: Vinegar to the Rescue! Grout, is the nemesis of every bathroom clean! Your general all-round bathroom spray may struggle here with a quick wipe down, so, when you spray, let it sit for a few minutes, then scrub with a stiff brush before rinsing thoroughly and enjoy sparkling grout! If the grout grime is being particularly stubborn, a bicarb soda paste is also very effective at hitting it hard. Let it sit for a short while before giving it a good scrub and washing it down.
- Don’t Forget the Forgotten Hero: The Toilet Brush Deep Clean This hardworking hero deserves some Tender Loving Care too. Soak the brush head in a disinfecting solution of hot water with white vinegar or in a natural bleach alternative for at least 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and allow it to air dry completely.
- Tapping into Trouble? Descale Those Dragons! Your taps don’t have to be as scaley as Smaug. Getting rid of those pesky scales is actually quite easy, which is where your trusty vinegar solution comes in again. Spray your taps and shower pipes before giving them a good scrub to leave them sparkling. If you are able to detach your shower head, sit it in a solution of vinegar for between half an hour to an hour before rinsing it with water. If you have brass waterworks in your bathroom, we would instead recommend using a bicarb soda paste instead, and use an old toothbrush to scrub it in.
Deep Cleaning Your Bedroom: A Fresh Start for a Restful Sleep
Your bedroom is your sanctuary, so make it a haven of clean comfort! Here are some deep cleaning tips for a restful sleep environment:
- Bedding Bonanza: Breathe Easy with a Dust Mite-Free Sleep Sanctuary When you get around to changing your bedsheets, wash your duvet and your mattress protector, if you have the latter. Whilst these are drying, hopefully in the warm spring sunshine, and whilst your mattress is clear, make a mix of bicarb soda and your favourite essential oil. Just a few drops of essential oil in 2-3 heaped tablespoons of bicarb will be enough for a single bed, double up the mix for a double bed and so on and so forth for bigger beds. Scatter this mix onto your bed and leave for an hour (or more if you have the time), before hoovering up, this will neutralise any odour, leaving your bed smelling fresh. All of this combined will leave you with a fresher and healthier sleep environment.
- Crevice Crusader: Banish Dust Bunnies and Refresh Your Bedroom Dust those bunnies out of the corners of your room and clean any shelving before moving on to vacuuming. Move furniture and vacuum thoroughly underneath, using the appropriate attachment for tight corners and edges. Why not use a fantastic-smelling Room Mist for an extra delightful touch, to leave your bedroom feeling even more relaxing.
- Declutter your Drawers: Marie Kondo Your Life Feeling like items and clothing are no longer bringing you joy and spilling out of your drawers? Time to declutter your life and donate any gently used items to charity. Reorganise your drawers and wardrobes and bring some zen into your life and your bedroom sanctuary.
Beyond the Basics: Bonus Deep Cleaning Hacks for Neglected Areas
Let’s not forget about some of the areas in your home that need that extra deep clean. Here are some extra deep cleaning tips to hit those often overlooked areas in your home.
- Washing Machine Woes Even your washing machine needs a wash, ensuring your clothes are left clean and fresh. Pour two cups of white vinegar into the detergent dispenser and run a hot water cycle. This will loosen up any built-up detergent residue and eliminate any odours.
- Skirting Board Woes Easily overlooked and regularly ignored, over time your skirting boards bear the brunt of scuff marks and general grime. Get rid of stubborn dirt and marks with a bicarb soda paste mix or a multi-surface cleaner and scrub away any grime.
- The High-Touch Heros Think about how often you touch door handles and light switches. Before you shudder too much, give them a clean with your vinegar spray to disinfect and clean.
- Drain Defender Let’s not forget about the drains in your home, from the kitchen to your bathroom and every drain in between. We recommend pouring boiling hot water down your drains once a week to prevent build-up, especially in your kitchen and bath. To help deodorise all of the sinks in your home, use half a cup of bicarbonate of soda and follow that with plenty of hot water!
Banish the Cleaning Chaos: Transform Your Home into a Sparkling Sanctuary!
Deep cleaning doesn’t have to be a battle against the overwhelming chaos. Hopefully, we have given you some deep cleaning motivation to bring your home back to life by deep cleaning areas that don’t see as much of a clean as often as the rest of your home.
From the heart of your home in your kitchen, the haven of relaxation in your bathroom to the sanctuary of the bedroom, no area has been missed in deep cleaning your home. A thorough cleaning not only creates a healthier and more pleasant environment but also gives you a powerful sense of accomplishment and a sense of pride in your clean space.
So, grab your natural deep cleaning supplies, crank up some of your favourite tunes, and get ready to conquer the deep clean!
Download our Ultimate Deep Cleaning Checklist below to help you hit all the points in your home that will need that extra clean.
If you want to read more about Spring Cleaning your home, read our dedicated blog to find out some cleaning hacks, product recommedations and more.
