musicMagpie Blog

With Spring just around the corner, it's the perfect opportunity to fully clean your home and get rid of the winter dust as the weather starts to get better! We've pulled together some essential tips to help you with a deep-clean of your humble abode.

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Plan out what you'll need

To avoid getting overwhelmed with such a big project, plan out the time you're going to spend on each task or room. Think ahead about what you'll need and make sure you have them before you start cleaning. Stock up on wipes, cloths, bin bags "" whatever you feel is essential for a deep clean, and enough to last the whole task.

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Declutter before you clean

As you go through each room you should start to edit out the items that are cluttering your home. If you've held on to trinkets for sentimental value, reassess how you feel about them. Do you have stacks of books that you don't read, or DVDs you don't watch? Don't let them sit around gathering dust! Box them up and get rid of them "" you can sell them on and make yourself some money! Once you've settled on what to keep and what to get rid of, you can clean down your shelves to make sure they're dust-free.

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Tackle your wardrobe

Now you're on a roll with the decluttering process, use the same mentality for your wardrobe. We're all a bit guilty of neglecting this because it can be quite a big task, but you'll feel better once it's done! Store away any seasonal items you aren't going to wear over the coming weeks "" label them in storage boxes so it'll be easy to organise when you need them again. If you haven't worn something in six months, it's likely you won't wear it again so let these pieces go. Grab boxes and label them to keep, to sell, to donate and work your way from there. By the end of it your wardrobe should be clutter free and easy to manage!

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Start from top to bottom

We mean this literally. When you're getting rid of dust, start from the ceiling and work your way down. That way, any dust that does fall from the ceiling or walls will fall onto the floor which you'll have to clean anyway. It'll save you time in the long run!

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Invest in white vinegar and baking soda

These two ingredients can be used in so many different ways when it comes to spring cleaning, so it makes sense to invest in them both. You can use vinegar to clean your shower head or taps; cover the shower head in a bag of white vinegar and let it work its magic! Whilst this is working, you can get cracking on something else on your list. As for baking soda, it's perfect for freshening up. Use it on shoes, mattresses, carpet "" it'll get rid of foul smells and keep your home fresh.

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Check batteries

This is especially important for the likes of a smoke detector. As you're going through the whole house, be sure to check the items that use batteries and see if they're still working as they should. If they aren't, batteries are quick to replace; you might want to invest in some before you get stuck in.

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Get under your furniture and appliances

When you do a quick clean of the house, these spots are the ones that tend to get missed. If you can, move any big pieces of furniture so you can get all of the dust underneath it cleaned out. Shifting a fridge can be difficult so don't be too disheartened if you can't get right under but make a conscious effort to clean these forgotten spots. The same goes for your drains; unclog these now to save any mishaps later on.

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Organise and label your items

This can be used for just about any room of the house. It helps to keep things in order and it should make your life easier! Invest in some storage boxes for this; you might want to use a variety of sizes. Smaller ones can be used in the kitchen to keep food fresh, or just to make it easier to store. Bigger boxes can be used for toys if you have little ones, or bulkier clothing items.

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Don't forget to clean your sheets!

It may be obvious but don't forget to strip your beds as you're cleaning everything else. Wash the bedclothes, flip the mattress and vacuum it to make sure it's as clean as can be. Try to minimise the amount of clutter on your bedside table too. Keep only what is essential; a lamp, an alarm clock and glasses if you wear them. Anything additional will just make a mess.

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Clean your handbag or wallet

When all of the house is done, make sure to clean your handbag or wallet. It gathers an amazing amount of germs "" as we use it so frequently, we don't think to clean it like everything else! Wipe down the outside of the bag, take everything out of it and only keep what you need, whether that's keys, your phone and purse. Get rid of any useless receipts, bin any empty lip balm containers and clean out any bits of dust.

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Are you ready to tackle your spring clean head on? Make it even sweeter by making some money out of the effort! Gather up the items cluttering your home "" you can sell books, CDs, DVDs, games and even tech items to musicMagpie! Postage is free and payment is made the day your items are received!