11 things you absolutely need to clean this Spring by Maxabella
Spring is the only time of year when I don’t mind cleaning. I mean, I still do it day in, day out all year around, but I generally hate every minute of it. In spring, something feels different. Unlike your general clean where the house starts getting dirty 3 seconds after you clean it, a spring clean feels like I’m cleaning for good not evil. Like I’m actually making a difference.
To up the satisfaction level of a good spring clean, it’s imperative that you clean all the grubby little places that sit festering all year, gathering dirt and germ ammunition. Some of these places you will be well-familiar with as they are the spots you clean semi-regularly and always exclaim, “oh my god, why don’t I clean this every single week”, and vow to do it but don’t. Think the toothbrush holder, kitchen bins and inside the kettle.
Then there are the next-level grime fests that you barely know are there let alone clean on a regular basis. These are the areas that I urge you to add to your spring clean list because then at least you know they are getting tackled annually, even though more regularly would be ideal. Here are my top ten ‘pretty sure I’m going to forget to clean this for another year’ things to clean this year:
We’ve all moved house and gasped when the fridge is nudged out into the kitchen space. Is that a… what even is that… a mouse nest? Nooooo, surely not… it is… oh my god, thank god we are moving away!
Under the fridge is warm and dark and cosy. Lots of things like it under there – cockroaches, mice, dust bunnies and weird sticky substances that seemingly crawl there out of the back of the fridge. Do yourself a favour and pull the fridge out this year and clean all that stuff out of there. It’s revolting, but endlessly satisfying.
This one is not for the faint-hearted, especially if you are the mother of boys. You can don a pair of industrial-strength rubber gloves, unscrew the toilet seat and reveal the gunk in all its glory (a peg on your nose is necessary here). A good sugar soap followed by a dose of disinfectant will remove whatever lurks beneath.
You can also boil the kettle and pour the boiling water under the rim of the toilet lid without removing it. This isn’t as good a job as full-seat removal, but it’s better than doing nothing at all. Prepare to die if you accidentally inhale the pungent steam that the boiling water produces.
Yes, your washing machine probably has a filter and yes, it needs regular cleaning. Check your instruction manual to find out how to locate and remove the filter then pull out all the gunk that has accumulated there. Then run an empty wash on the hottest setting you have, substituting vinegar in the detergent and softener trays. When the cycle has finished, open the door and allow the machine to dry completely.
The wheelie bins that line the street on bin night are the stinkiest things on the planet. If you feel like passing out every time you open the lid to deposit your rubbish, it’s definitely time for a clean before the heat of summer really makes things fester.
Hose the bin out with the garden hose (use a high-pressure hose if you happen to have one). Then fill it about a quarter full with water a squirt of dishwashing liquid and scrub it thoroughly with an outdoor broom. Drain the soapy liquid, hose it out with the hose again and turn it upside down to dry completely. You can then run some disinfectant around inside, turn it over and allow to dry completely again.
Most kitchen and bathroom drains have a removable grate, so take that out, turn it over and behold the disgustingness that is your ‘clean’ sink. Erk. To clean the grate, use a toothbrush dipped in a gritty cleaner like Gumption or Ajax. While it’s drying sprinkle bicarb soda down the drain, throw in some vinegar and then scrub it all up and down with a bottle brush.
If you can’t remove the grate, use the bicarb and vinegar trick but leave the bicarb to sit for an hour or two before adding the vinegar. Flush it all down with some boiling water. You can do the same for outdoor drains.
It’s a good idea to wash doonas before storing them for winter. Hard-working pillows need regular washing, preferably once a month. You’ll sleep better without all the dust mite companions.
If you’ve got a washing machine big enough to comfortably fit your doona, you can simply wash it on the ‘delicate’ setting before hanging it on the back line to dry. Rotate it often to ensure that it’s completely dry (I leave mine out there for a couple of days to be sure), giving it a good shake each time you move it. Once off the line, vigorously shake the doona to fluff up the feathers.
You can wash pillows in the washing machine too, only dry them flat on the top of the line, pegging the fabric in the corners to the line. Turn the pillow over regularly.
Extra points if you can dry your doona and pillows in full sun, which has natural antibacterial properties.
A relentless dust-trap, your bathroom fan will work better and be less of a fire hazard if you give it at least an annual clean. A few important tips:
Forget the oven, this is the ugliest job in the kitchen. A greasy, gunky, ugly job. But if you want your filter to work properly, someone has to do it and that someone is most likely you.
Firstly remove the filter from your rangehood and try not to gag. Check your rangehood manual because some filters can be washed in the top rack of the dishwasher – winning. If you’re not winning, you can easily wash the filters in the kitchen sink using boiling water, dishwashing liquid, a stiff brush and elbow grease. Set them on the dishrack to dry completely before re-installing.
Houseplants get dusty and start to look tired. I’m sure all that dust eventually means they can’t do the chlorophyll thing properly either, resulting in sad, lacklustre specimen. It’s easily sorted, though. You just need to carefully wipe the leaves with a slightly damp cloth (wring out all water and then wring it out again). This is actually a really good job for the kids. Just remind them to be gentle and set them to work. A great exercise in developing patience and attention to detail…
Another one for the kids to tackle – have you seen the bottom of their school bag? It’s scary stuff. Get the kids to completely clean out everything inside, bin the rubbish and put away anything else they want to keep.
Some bags can be machine washed on the ‘delicate’ cycle. Turn the bag inside out and don’t add too much washing soap to the load. If you can’t machine wash, simply wipe the bag out multi-purpose cleaner (spray or liquid) and wipe again to rinse clean. Peg the bag onto the line to dry or use a butcher’s hook and hang the bag by its handle. You can do the same with insulated lunch bags.
“But, but, but it cleans the dishes every day,” you cry. “It’s clean!” Er, no, it’s not. The dishwasher is one of the least clean things in your home due to a build-up of soap, food and mould. The kitchen sink is a strong contender (have a close look).
To give it a spring clean, empty the dishwasher of all dishes and any visible food scraps. Then pour a half bottle of vinegar into the bottom and fun a full cycle. This should do the trick.
Will you be doing an intensive clean this Spring too?
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