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NOW CLOSED Currys want to know Mumsnetters' top spring cleaning tips. Post your best here and be in with a chance of winning a £100 Currys PC World gift card

154 replies

AlexMumsnet · 04/03/2013 11:02

Spring's almost here apparently and many of us feel the urge to clear away the winter cobwebs and give the house a proper deep clean (or even just flick a duster round).

With this in mind Currys would like to find out Mumsnetters' top tips for spring cleaning. This could be motivation, how to find the time, what the benefits are, or tips relating to the products (or services of others) that you use at this time of year.

Currys say "We have a great line of products that we think make Spring Cleaning a breeze - we'd love to know your top tips, and what makes it easy for you?"

So what are your top spring cleaning tips?

Currys will be choosing their favourite 10 tips added on this thread to feature on the Currys pages on Mumsnet and possibly elsewhere. This page will also feature competitions over the next few weeks so make sure to check it out and enter!

Everyone who adds their tips to this thread will be entered into a prize draw with the chance of winning a £100 Currys PC World gift card.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

OP posts:
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noisytoys · 04/03/2013 11:11

De clutter like mad. Less stuff owned is less to clean Grin

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PigeonStreet · 04/03/2013 11:29

Throw open the windows, it always makes the house smell fresher. Start at the tops of rooms and work down. Vacuum dust off tile grout before cleaning tiles to keep the grout white.

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Indith · 04/03/2013 11:42

Spring what now?

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fouranddone · 04/03/2013 11:44

If there's bright sunshine in the room then close the blinds quick........... The dust just disappears!Wink

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Indith · 04/03/2013 11:44

Start with the bathroom. There shouldn't be too much clutter in there so it is quite an easy room to clean properly. I always find I have more motivation once I've started. If I try to start in the living room then I get frustrated, start in teh bathroom then in half an hour I'm feeling much better about it with a shiny clean room.

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Indith · 04/03/2013 11:46

Or for an easy option, sell the kids. Less mess to clear up. You might need to sell the husband too. Package him up with the children as a bundle with babysitter included, you'll get more for them that way.

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MrsMarigold · 04/03/2013 11:46

To get rid of those cloudy white marks glasses get from the dishwasher soak them in warm white vinegar or scrub with toothpaste.

Also to clean those old fashioned radiators tape a duster (or cut up bit of old babygro) to a ruler, spray with surface cleaner and poke it down the back and in between the radiator columns.

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MissRee · 04/03/2013 11:54

If you can't find motivation to do it all in one go, pick one or two things a day and do those. Seeing the finished result will spur you on and give you motivation to do more!

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GaryBuseysTeeth · 04/03/2013 12:09

We have a 1 year rule.
Anything not used for a year (be it a jacket, dvd or bread machine) goes to the Charity Shop or tip.

Stops the clutter building too much & means I had a reason to throw away the hiking boots DH last wore when he was 14 & doing his Duke of Edinburgh award Hmm

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ThePskettiIncident · 04/03/2013 12:13

Wait for a day of good weather so you can air the house and dump everything outside, as well as dry every you've washed in the sunshine.

Methodically work from top to bottom in the house.

Bloody love spring cleaning!

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ouryve · 04/03/2013 12:26

Don't try to declutter toys with the kids around. They'll always find a reason to keep that broken £1 toy that's been sat in a corner, untouched, since Christmas.

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ShatnersBassoon · 04/03/2013 12:45

Don't start cleaning until you have everything you might need to hand. Cloths, cleaning products, bin bags, hoover etc all on the same floor as you. If you have to be going up and down the stairs, you'll get tired and distracted far quicker. Agree about doing the big spring clean when there's nobody there to stop you chucking the junk out as well.

My Vax carpet cleaner is my favourite thing at the moment. It's a brilliant way to spend an afternoon, boggling at the amount of filth in the carpets you'd been ignoring all winter.

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Spirael · 04/03/2013 12:46

Arm the toddler with a feather duster and inform them that the game is to tickle everything in the room. Then give them the small hand-held hoover and tell them to catch all the dust on the floor.

After that, give them a microfibre cloth and tell them to find the sparkles in the bathroom by rubbing the magic cloth on all the surfaces. Then they get to play the sock-matching game.

Supervise all this from the sofa.

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Patchouli · 04/03/2013 12:47

Invite the inlaws down
(a visit from them makes me pull my finger out).

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LentilAsAnything · 04/03/2013 12:48

Live like a minimalist. Done.

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FannyFifer · 04/03/2013 12:51

My simple motto for a tidy organised home is, "if in doubt, throw it out".

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BornToFolk · 04/03/2013 13:38

Start with the loft (or other storage area). Chuck out/recycle/charity shop anything you no longer need - be ruthless! Then go through the rest of the house and move anything that you don't need immediately to the loft. Be ruthless again, don't store anything you aren't fairly certain you'll use again, or want to keep for sentimental reasons.
It's much easier to clean up when there's less junk hanging around.

I prefer to do little and often, rather than blitz it all in one go. So, vacuum well-used areas daily, sweep the kitchen floor daily, fling a duster around if you have a spare 2 mins.

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pixi2 · 04/03/2013 13:40

Ditto, unless its a years old favourite toy, throw it if its broken or has missing pieces.

Clean one room really well everyday and keep on top of general chores. For example, today I have hoovered everywhere and the sitting room is getting a through clean. Yesterday it was the kitchen, tomorrow the hallway, stairs and landing, then the following 3 days will be bedrooms, then the dining room. The bathroom gets bits done whilst the dc are having baths. One room a day=easy. Oh, unless you are my DH and then clutter just gets carried from one room to another.

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pixi2 · 04/03/2013 14:01

Those cheap toothbrushes in supermarkets (4 for 20p) are perfect for cleaning around the kitchen sink, taps etc.

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trikken · 04/03/2013 14:03

Stick the cd player on so I can dance whilst cleaning so making it fun and exercise at the same time.

borrowing my mums steam cleaner makes me want to clean everything as its so addictive.

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misscph1973 · 04/03/2013 14:08

Soda crystals are your friend for grease in the kitchen and bathroom. You can get a liquid soda crystals spray in Robert Dyas type shops. Just spray on, leave a few minutes, and wipe off. Excellent for the cooker and around it!

Vinegar takes frying smell. Mix vinegar in with washing up liquid (1/2 cup for a big bowl) and wipe down. Keep a small dish of vinegar near the cooker, it soaks up the smells.

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Kveta · 04/03/2013 14:11

lower your standards.

this can be done year on year, until you never have to clean again.

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BinarySolo · 04/03/2013 14:13

Save old toothbrushes and bath puffs as they are great for cleaning taps, baths and sinks.
Use baby oil on the sink/soap holder to stop those annoying soap bits sticking.
Use a damp cloth rather than duster and polish for chemical free cleaning.
I also vacuum walls and ceilings to remove cobwebs Blush

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loubielou31 · 04/03/2013 14:19

Decluttering is top of my list. We just have too much stuff and most of it doesn't get used from one year to the next. I really really really must do something about it all this year.
Hot soapy water and microfibre cloths will clean almost anything.
It is also amazing what you can wash in the dishwasher or in a tied pillow case in the washing machine.
Pay someone else to clean the oven.

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Skyebluesapphire · 04/03/2013 14:25

Declutter is the main thing for me. I have boxes and boxes of stuff that needs sorting out. Toys and books can only be done when 4yo DD is out, or else it all has to stay. I am good at putting small clothes in binbags, but then also very good at letting the bags sit on the floor for months rather than give them away!

Put stuff in small boxes or bags that you can carry to the charity shop. I also put stuff out for the BHF that collect from the door, but only for them as most of the others just give a small amount to charity, whereas BHF actually sell the items in their shops and send you a letter saying how much it raised.

I buy wipes for everything now, buy them when they are on offer and it works out cheap. Easy to clean and then throw away.

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