9 spring cleaning tips to freshen up your home

Sep 15, 2020.

Thinking about a spring clean but not sure where to start? These 9 spring cleaning tips will help you get motivated and give your home a shine and sparkle. You’ll feel lighter as you declutter, disinfect and discard.

1. Declutter your wardrobe – clothes and shoes

It’s time to make room for your summer clothes. For your winter clothes - repair, donate or store. Go through all your winter clothes and shoes and donate anything you no longer need or haven’t worn for a couple of years. Repair any item that needs it before you put it back in the cupboard (otherwise it will probably remain there until the next clean out), and store away winter clothes properly if you don’t have enough room.

Read more about Becoming minimalist and how to stop hoarding clothes.

2. Dust and wash the windows and door frames

Overcast days are ideal for washing windows as sunshine can dry the windows too quickly and leave streaks. For the inside, use a solution of white vinegar and water (50/50 in a spray bottle), or use a window cleaning product, and wipe clean with a microfibre cloth.

For the outside, brush them down first with a broom/mop to remove cobwebs and other debris before you wash with the water/vinegar solution or a window cleaning spray. Use a clean microfibre cloth to dry them.

3. Deep clean the oven

Use the self-cleaning function on your oven to remove baked on grime. However if your oven doesn’t have self-cleaning, removing this stubborn grime is tricky. The easiest way is to use oven cleaners which you can purchase from the supermarket. These are also highly toxic, and you must wear gloves and avoid any contact with skin. You also want to make sure you have thoroughly rinsed and cleaned the oven before you use it again, so the toxic chemicals are fully removed.

If you don’t like chemicals, there are gentle and environmentally friendly alternatives on the market to try. Buy a good scourer and with some old fashioned elbow grease, your oven will be as clean as can be.

4. Clean out the pantry

Spring is an ideal time to take everything out of the pantry, clean and reorganise. Food scraps and forgotten items are common in pantries. Wash each shelf with warm and slightly soapy water (dishwash liquid is fine) and wipe down thoroughly before you put anything back.

5. Clean the fridge

You may be wiping down the shelves in the fridge regularly already. For a spring clean however, takeout the shelves in the door and internal compartment of the fridge and freezer. Wash them in warm soapy water, in the laundry sink if they don’t fit in the kitchen sink. Dry with a clean cloth.

Before you put them back, clean the inside of the fridge walls to remove old spills and bits of food stuck in corners.

Don’t forget behind the fridge. Move the fridge away from the wall, vacuum and mop to remove the dust and grime that inevitably collects behind every fridge door.

6. Dust the light fittings

It’s easy to forget to look up and the light fittings. Get a small step ladder or stable chair, and use a microfibre duster or cloth to thoroughly clean each fitting. It’s not a job you do very often, but it makes a difference to the overall cleanliness of you home and you’ll feel happy you did it.

7. Clean your rugs

Spring is an ideal time to clean your rugs. During winter, debris and dust mites find a haven in your home especially in rugs and furnishings. With the warmer weather, place them outside in the sun for a wash and they’ll dry quicker. Sun also kills bacteria and mites embedded in the rug.

Vacuum the rug first. Use a quality carpet shampoo and follow the instructions. Or, if the rug is smaller and without a backing, you can wash it at a Star Laundromat. Our machines can handle large loads of up to 19kgs.

8. Wash your doonas, curtains, pillows and blankets

• Did you know there are 16 species of fungi that live in your pillows?
• Did you know that your doona contains on average 20,000 dust mites?
• Did you know you shed about 10 grams of dead skin cells per week?

Where does all this live? Not only in your pillows, blankets and doonas, but also in your rugs and curtains. If your curtains aren’t too grimy, you can throw them in the dryer for a 15-20 minute cycle to freshen them up. But if they need a clean, bring them to a Star Laundromat and our larger washing machines and dryers can cope with the load.

9. Wash your winter clothes and put them away with care

Woollens need to be washed at the start of winter when they first come out of the cupboard and at the end of winter before they’re stored away (and during the season of course as needed). If you put away your woollens and knits without washing them first, bugs and moths will be attracted to your scent and they become a haven, eating away at your woollies to their hearts content! Bring your knits, jumpers, vests and washable jackets into a Star Laundromat. Our industrial strength machines are effective and gentle on your laundry.

For more information read, 13 tips to look after your clothes and bedding this winter.

Our laundromats have free WiFi, easy parking, and state-of-the-art washers and dryers

Find a Star Laundromat near you – Northern suburbs, Southern suburbs or Eastern suburbs. We sanitise and disinfect our laundromats on a daily basis paying special attention to all common areas.

Our machines are coin or cashless operated with Eziwash cashless App. Simple and easy to use. Click the video below to find out how it works.

Find a Star Laundromat near you. Free WiFi, open 24x7 and plenty of parking.

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Eastern suburbs? Magill, Tusmore.

Check out our blog for more or our lifestyle tips and laundry tips – we update this page regularly.

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Photo by Rodion Kutsaev on Unsplash.

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