Keeping your home in tip-top shape is a never-ending task, but sometimes life gets in the way, and those dust bunnies start to multiply. Fear not! We've compiled a lighthearted list of signs that your home might be craving a deep clean. So grab your favorite cleaning playlist, don your superhero cleaning cape, and let's get that sparkle back!
1. Dust Bunnies with Personalities
If your dust bunnies have formed a community and are hosting neighborhood meetings, it's a sure sign that they've overstayed their welcome. Time for a deep clean intervention!
DIY Solution: Time to grab some polish and anti-bac spray and a bunch of microfibre cloths. We also highly recommend your favourite playlist!
Time required - around 20 minutes to an hour per room. Bonus Tip: If you have a HEPA filtered vacuum and a brush attachment, hoover up the dust if there's a large amount of it. Then wipe with an antibac spray and microfibre (then polish it if you wish). This approach, which is what we use on our deep cleans, is more efficient and effective by lifting and removing the dust rather than using heaps of cloths.
2. Mystery Smells Playing Hide and Seek
You know your home needs a deep clean when you find yourself playing an intense game of "Find That Smell." Spoiler alert: it's usually hiding in the fridge or under the couch cushions. DIY Solution: The easiest way I've found to find our kids when playing hide and seek, is to close the door to a room and switch the light off. They will inevitably scream, et voila, child has been found! Smells work in a similar way, to find them, you may want to isolate rooms by closing doors for a while and then systematically work your way round them to find the source of the offending whiff! If the room is the kitchen, it's like something in the fridge, bin or food waste bin. Start there and keep hunting! If it's a bedroom, change the bedding and check for hidden dropped food items or dirty laundry. In the living room it's likely to smelly cushions on the couch, or something dropped down the back/side/under the sofa cushions or a rug / carpet if you have pets. Time required: Anywhere from 15 minutes to infinite amounts of time! Bonus tip: Putting a tumble dryer sheet into each of your sofa cushions is a great way to combat smells accruing. Change the sheet out around once every couple of weeks or even once a month.
3. The Lost Civilization in Your Fridge
When leftovers become a living archaeological exhibit, complete with a layer of fuzzy green mold, it might be a gentle nudge to schedule that deep clean. Your fridge will thank you. DIY Solution: Throw. It. Out! If you haven't used something for more than 3 months in the fridge, regardless of it's shelf life... Youre not going to use it. Get it away. Leaving extra things in your fridge, especially glass jars, will make your fridge need to work harder (costing you some extra money) and can lead to condensation (aka - moisture) which is when mould starts to creep in. Mould is bad in a bathroom... Let alone in that big box you store all your perishable foods in! Time required: Around 15 minutes Bonus tip: We like to do a fridge overhaul every month and get ruthless with throwing out anything that's a likely culprit for just taking up space. While you're doing that - give the fridge and shelves a wipe down with some anti bacterial spray to keep it clean.
4. The Carpet Becomes a Color Palette
If your carpet has started to showcase a vibrant collection of stains, each with its own story, it's time to bring back the original color palette. A deep clean will transform your carpet from modern art to clean chic. DIY solution: You can get away with some of those £2 carpet cleaning bottles with a wee brush on some stains if you catch them quick enough and your carpets aren't wool. If your carpet's been stained for any period of time, then you're going to want to get it professionally cleaned. I always try to help everyone to be able to do things themselves if they wish, but this is one of the few areas that I strongly suggest you don't try. There's a reason the machines we use cost thousands of pounds, versus the £50 one on your favourite online store. I'll do a full article and maybe a video on this sometime - rather than spraff at your in this one! Time required: 5 minutes. Call us and we'll point you in the right direction! Bonus tip: No, that carpet cleaner you've spied for rent while on your food shop is not the answer to your problem!
5. Your Remote Control Plays Hide and Seek
When finding the TV remote requires a treasure map, and even then it's a 50/50 chance, it's a clear signal that your home needs a thorough decluttering and organizing session.
DIY solution: It's time for a clearout and a sorting spree! There are lots of things you can do to make your home more organized and therefor, reducing the number of places things can hide. It's all about optimizing the space you have. Since everyone's situation with storage and number of things is so vastly different, our favourite thing for this is to take a look online for storage solutions for the type of storage space you have and go from there. These usually have a collection of shelving solutions and boxes that allow for things to have a space in which they belong. Time required: How long is a piece of string? Bonus tip: A great way to get started on this is to have 3 boxes for each room. One for "keep" one for "donate/sell" and one for "throw out". Get rid of the latter one asap, and get the sell ones listed or given to a charity shop in your nearest town. The "keep" box contents shows you what you need storage for.
6. Your Shower Cubicle Becomes an Abstract Painting
Is your shower curtain displaying an abstract masterpiece made of soap scum and mildew? Time to channel your inner artist and give it a deep clean makeover. DIY solution: If you've got a shower curtain, replace it. These can be picked up for around £2 in Home Bargains or similar stores and honestly, cleaning them just doesn't make any practical sense. For the rest of the shower, or if your shower screen is looking like a toddlers crayon canvas, however, then you want to grab vinegar, a toothbrush, some cloths and some rubber gloves. Spray the vinegar on to the worst bits, scrub with the toothbrush and wipe away with the cloths. It sounds simple, and in the most part it is. However, be sure to check if your tiles/cubicle is safe for use with the acidity level of vinegar before you do anything! Time required: 30-90 minutes
7. The Mismatched Sock Graveyard Grows
If your sock drawer looks like a singles party with unmatched socks, it might be a good time to gather the troops, reunite the pairs, and, of course, toss any stragglers that lost their match. DIY solution: I like to play match here. Put all the individual socks out on a bed or on the floor and match up what you can. If they're not a match, they're going in the bin if you ask me! You can also use the single socks as cleaning cloths... But there's been feet in them... So that's a firm no from me! Time required: 15 minutes
8. The "Where Did I Put That?" Syndrome
When finding your favorite mug requires a detective's skill and a magnifying glass, it's a clear indication that your kitchen cabinets are due for a deep clean and reorganization.
DIY solution: My favourite approach to this, is one cupboard at a time. Take everything out, get rid of anything that's out of date or hasn't been used for more than 3 months. Clean the cupboard inside and out with a degreaser spray and a cloth and then put back what's staying. Progress your way around the rest of the kitchen cupboards and enjoy a coffee everytime you go past the kettle! Time required: 2-3 hours Bonus tip: Do the top cupboards first, then the lower ones. This means anything falling out of the higher cupboards is cleaned up as you go. It also means you pass the kettle an extra time for a bonus coffee!
9. Your Plants Start Giving You the Silent Treatment
Plants are pretty resilient, but when they start looking at you with disappointment and you swear you hear them whispering, "Water me," it's time for some green TLC in the form of a thorough dusting and pruning session. DIY solution: Plants can be so beautiful in a home. They can also be awful things and bring gloom to any room if not looked after. Water them when they need it, and every week just show them some love by getting rid of any dead leaves. Time required: 2 minutes per plant Bonus tip: Pop a saucer under flower pots to catch any excess water.
Conclusion: Let the Deep Clean Magic Begin!
So, there you have it – the playful signs that your home is dropping hints for a deep clean adventure. Embrace the challenge, put on your favorite cleaning playlist, and turn this cleaning session into a dance party. Your home will thank you with a newfound sparkle and a sigh of relief. Happy cleaning! As always, we understand that you may not have the time, or perhaps the inclination to want to do these things. If any of the things in this list is something you want some support with, reach out to us and we'll be happy to help you. Thanks for reading and be sure to check back as I'll update these posts with videos and links as they become available. 07999 333 542 pete@bordercleaningfairies.co.uk