The two-hour home blitz
Who’s got time for a spring clean, really? We think you’ve got enough on your plate without worrying about scrubbing your home from ceiling to floor.
Instead, we’ve come up with the “cheat’s spring clean”, which will make your home feel like new, even if you’ve cut a few corners. And, best of all, it’ll only take you two hours – with time for a cuppa included!
Start the clock…
5 minutes: put a wash on
The perfect kick-start for your clean-up, you can get a wash going in a few minutes. Round up all the used towels and slept-in bed covers and bung them in on a hot wash with a scoop of Ariel Washing Powder, which is particularly good for keeping your whites bright. If you have a few troublesome items lingering in the bottom of the laundry basket, check out our super-useful laundry tips for getting rid of stains, reviving whites and rescuing wash-worn fabrics.
TIP Add a gorgeous-smelling fabric conditioner and a scoop of Lenor Unstoppables for added freshness – it makes hanging the washing out afterwards more enjoyable, too.
10 minutes: get all hung up
Overloaded coat hooks with gloves and fleeces falling off them are often the first thing you see when you open the front door. Spend 10 minutes going through what you have heaped up on the coat stand, putting away winter coats and bringing your spring jackets to the front. Same goes for the shoe rack – those welly boots can (hopefully) go back under the stairs now.
TIP Hanging jackets and coats by their fabric tag rather than the hood or collar makes it easier to fit more items on to each hook and keeps your coats in better shape.
10 minutes: pick up the pieces
Hallways are a magnet for unopened junk mail, lounge floors attract forgotten toys, and the kitchen table is almost always cluttered with school letters, shopping lists and more. Get a small box or basket for the corner of each room so that once a day you can swoop around and consign all stray items to the box. If anyone is looking for something they left out, they’ll know where to find it!
TIP For more handy ways to control the clutter, check out our article, Tips for an organised home.
5 minutes: stop for a tea break!
Relax and have a cuppa – you’ve earned it and it’ll give you the energy to make more great progress before you’re done.
TIP While you’re having that tea break take a look at your worktops – do you leave out jars and pots that could actually be tidied away into a kitchen cupboard? Clearer tops will always look better and be easier to keep clean.
20 minutes: clean the bathroom
There’s no more putting it off; it’s time to tackle the toilet! Arm yourself with a bottle of Flash Bathroom and blitz the tiles, surfaces, shower and toilet (don’t forget the downstairs loo, too!). Not only will Flash Bathroom cut through grime and kill germs, but it helps protect the surfaces from future build-up too, so you’ll need to clean less often. Bonus!
To really leave your bathroom gleaming, see our Bathroom big clean ideas.
TIP Use an old toothbrush to scrub at any stains or grime in the corners or in between the tiles.
20 minutes: make the kitchen shine
Take out the oven shelves and microwave plate and leave them to soak in hot water with a squirt of Fairy Liquid.
Put the toaster, kettle and other appliances out of sight, then spritz the counters, cupboard doors and the hob with Flash Clean & Shine and wipe with a clean, damp cloth.
Before putting the kitchen gadgets back, wipe them clean with a Flash Anti-Bac Wipe.
TIP Prevent a chaotic kitchen with our reorganisation tips. This will mean whenever you need to clean, it will be a quicker, easier job.
25 minutes: blitz those bedrooms
You’re already on your way to freshly laundered bedding, so once this is ready you can make the beds. Call on an extra pair of hands for this one to make the whole experience quicker and less frustrating.
Give the surfaces a quick polish and finish the job with a spray of Febreze Quiet Jasmine to give the room a cosy and clean smell.
TIP Pick up discarded clothes and leave them on each bed for your kids (and your other half) to put away. That’s their job!
20 minutes: do a carpet swoop
Vacuuming instantly makes your whole home look and feel cleaner. Also take a moment to pull the cushions off the sofa to get any dust or crumbs out and spritz them with Febreze Fabric Refresher. This helps plump up the sofa too, making it look like you’ve done a serious clean-up even though it’s only taken a couple of extra minutes.
TIP Consider buying a manual carpet sweeper (there are plenty available for £20-£30) for a five-minute run around your floors on the days when you don’t have time to wrestle with your vacuum cleaner.
5 minutes: add that final sparkle
It’s just not practical to wash every window in the house, so don’t give yourself a hard time. Instead, just wipe over your kitchen and lounge windows, then do the same with mirrors and picture frames so they reflect more light and make your home shine brighter.
TIP Keep window-cleaner wipes in the cupboard and the job’s done with one swoosh.
Our final BIG tip is: don’t do all this alone! Enlist the help of your partner and even the kids for certain tasks – try our fun ways to Trick the kids into tidying up.
What are your favourite cleaning shortcuts? Spill all in the comments section below.