My spring cleaning tips for 2023!

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For several years I used to set monthly aims, and a couple of times a year I would aim to give my home a deep clean. A spring clean if you like. But just randomly throughout the year! If you’re looking to do the same this New Year then here are my spring cleaning tips for 2023!

I find that spring cleaning is a great way to really enjoy your home space, make a little money by clearing out items you no longer use or require and just generally make sure your home is healthy and enjoyable to live in.

It feels more important now than ever to make sure that home is a healthy, happy environment. We’re spending so much time in our homes now, more than ever before, and I want to ensure that my children are happy, can play without too much clutter and just generally get to enjoy the home environment.

We’ve had a new roof fitted, and as a result our home feels dustier than ever. I also find that Winter, and a lack of fresh air circulating, leads to more dust build up in the most random of places!

Also, if you’re reading this because you’re looking for gentler ways to clean then be sure to check out my quick way to clean a microwave – in just 2 minutes! It’s environmentally friendly and takes next to no time.

Make a list per room

I like to start at the top of my house and work my way down, but you’ll find a flow that works for you.

I will begin with the bedrooms, then the bathroom, working down the stairs, to our hall cupboard, the office (gotta wipe my Flexispot bike desk over!) and living room and then finally our kitchen.

This works best for us, and usually my husband and I are doing the deep clean together. It’s nice to bring order back to our home and it is great for us both to contribute, as we both create the mess living in our family home.

When writing your list be sure to visit each room, noting down not only things that you know will need a deep clean, but surfaces and areas that have been neglected recently.

For example my daughter has a large Ikea unit full of boxes of toys. We do try to go through this fairly routinely but during a deep clean I know that there will be some items that we can clear out, or perhaps put in to storage for when our second daughter is a little older.

When making a list I’ll aim to write down areas that rarely get cleaned, and things such as the washing machine filter, light fittings and blinds. It’s just really nice to get to these little problem areas that don’t need much maintenance or effort but frequently get forgotten in the busy day to day normal life.

Standard jobs, such as washing up, laundry etc, don’t make it on to my #KickerList when I’m having a Spring clean, as these happen automatically in our home as part of a cleaning routine.

My kitchen is probably the most time consuming area of my home in terms of spring cleaning jobs. However, every single room has quite a few random jobs. I mean how often do you dust behind your television?! I’m hoping rarely – like me!

These aren’t jobs that need to be done all the time, however, if you want a clean and hygienic home you should be aiming to do them at least a couple of times a year. As a bare minimum. 

Be realistic about the time you have

It is highly unlikely that you’re going to have the time, or energy, to deep clean your entire home in one day. If my daughters are with family for the day then I WILL aim to do as much as I physically can in one day.

The main reason for this is that I know I’ll feel a huge sense of achievement at the end of the day once everything is complete.

Be realistic with your time. Make a list, per room, and then dedicate a fixed amount of time to each room OR aim to complete entire rooms, whatever mentally feels best for you.

If you dislike cleaning, and I know a lot of people do, then you’re probably not going to want to get everything done in one day. Perhaps you can dedicate 2-3 hour blocks of time 1 day per week for one month. That way you’ll slowly get on top of everything with sacrificing all of your free time.

Some of the jobs are boring or a little bit grubby. I will try and pick a few jobs each week that I am going to get done and leave them on the bottom of my to-do list.

As a lot of my day to day work involves sitting on at my desk then I find that these cleaning jobs gives me a good excuse to get up, move my body and feel accomplished too.

Learn to adjust your expectations

I realise that the post above may make it seem like my home is a palace. It isn’t. Far from it. However, I do like to keep it relatively clean and tidy. I’m not somebody who goes mad over a few crumbs and I allow my daughters to explore, play, have fun and generally make a mess.

Mess is a part of a good life really and I want to live a good life. This means that since I fell pregnant, and became unwell with hyperemesis, that I have had to adjust my expectations. This isn’t a bad thing really. My daughter is now almost 6, and I still remember the value lessons that life has taught me along the way about not obsessing over a few hairs from the cat or a little bit of mess.

Now I spend less time cleaning, am more productive when I do clean and I am more tidy in general. No longer do I leave piles of paperwork and rubbish lying around my home.

I make sure that I tidy up as a go and my home looks all the better for it. When I am putting something down I remind myself “don’t put it down, put it away!” and this really helps to keep my home much nicer.

If you don’t have hours to dedicate to deep or Spring cleaning your home in one go then aim for 30 minutes each day. Most people have this spare in the day, even working full time. My husband works 12 hour shifts and still joins in with looking after our home when he gets in. It can take a team to keep your family home nice, and this can include involving children in learning to tidy up their own messes.

Whatever reason you don’t want to clean a lot please do just adjust your expectations. If you can’t afford a cleaner, or don’t want a stranger in your home, then you’ll have to adjust your expectations to avoid exploding with rage every time there is a stack of washing up or a load of dust on your skirting boards.

I used to be really strict about my home being spotless but I have relaxed significantly since having children. I’m sure my lovely husband is thrilled deep down that he doesn’t get told off for leaving tiny messes everywhere he goes!!

Get the right tools for the job

There are LOTS of amazing products out there to help you keep your home a little cleaner and tidier.

I love to use a window vacuum, robot vacuums to run around the house once per day (just to keep it a basic level of vacuumed!), a steam mop, microfiber cloths, Method cleaning products, and foaming hand soap dispensers.

All of these items add a little value around our home and for the most part help me keep home clean without using lots of harsh and expensive chemicals and cleaning products.

Method products are my go to, but you can also buy supermarket own brand items for under £1. I LOVE to use white vinegar for a variety of cleaning purposes, and you can buy this super cheap in stores such as B&M and Home Bargains. Under £1! I also love to use a copper coin to remove limescale marks caused by hard water on stainless steel surfaces such as taps. Baking soda works great for a variety of uses and it is absolutely amazing what you can clean with dish soap too.

I love to leave a shower spray in my bathroom, so it is close to hand when we have finished in the shower. Also, I have cleaning supplies upstairs and downstairs in my home. That way, if I spot a mess, I can just spend a few minutes on it and get my home looking fresher and cleaner in next to no time.

Being in a clean, tidy, organise home is something that I love and it mentally makes me feel really good too. I don’t want to spend hours on my home though so I aim for 30 minutes in one room 5-6 days a week. Then we have a few basic things we do regularly such as a load of washing most days, wiping the bathroom over most days to catch any spills or messes before they build up and running the vacuum around.

I try and maximise my time by moving fast and working from room to room. If your home has slipped by the way side then be kind to yourself. You don’t need to get it back to sparkling in a day, or ever if your health doesn’t allow it, and you are not a bad person if you’ve left things build up a little during a hard time.

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