Fresh Start for Spring: 5 Tips for Deep Cleaning and Decluttering Your Home

With the onset of spring, it’s the ideal time to tackle the long overdue task of a whole-home deep clean. From the living room to the bathroom, bedroom and beyond, you can take a holistic approach to clean your house that goes beyond the typical dusting or brooming. Vacuum cleaners are one of the most effective tools for removing dust and allergens from your home. While many households still rely on traditional cleaning methods such as wet mops, dry cloths, and brushes and pans, it’s time to upgrade your cleaning arsenal with a vacuum cleaner for deeper cleaning.

Gayatri Gandhi, India’s first KonMari certified master consultant and founder, Joy Factory says, “Spring cleaning presents a wonderful opportunity to refresh your home and transform it into a more enjoyable living space. And decluttering is the first step towards a successful spring cleaning. It helps to create a clean and organised living space, making it easier to maintain cleanliness throughout the year. By eliminating unnecessary items and deep cleaning, you can create a cleaner and healthier home.”

Gandhi adds, “Don’t let spring cleaning overwhelm you. First, declutter your home based on categories such as clothes, books, papers, miscellaneous items and sentimental items based on the KonMari Method and then you move to deep cleaning which should be based on rooms. Dyson has developed a perfect calendar to tackle each room to achieve a sparkling clean home in just five days. So, take these first steps towards a more joyful living space.”

This five-day cleaning tipsheet by the brand offers a room-by-room guide to help you achieve a stress-free deep clean for a refreshing and inviting home.

1. Living & Drawing RoomSet aside time to clean up high. Ceilings and appliances mounted up high such as ceiling fans, chandeliers, or air-conditioning units are one of the dustiest places due to the inconvenience of cleaning.Remove anything mounted to your walls (photo frames, clocks) and vacuum the dust that has built up on the walls.Dust walls by using a vacuum with advanced filtration to ensure that the dust you’re removing stays trapped in the bin and is not expelled back into the home. Dust on certain wall types can also contribute to the growth of mould.Don’t forget the curtains and blinds as well. Using the Dyson’s Combi tool, vacuum dust away before washing curtains at 60-90 degree Celsius to kill any germs and bacteria.
2. Living & Drawing RoomOn Day 2, start with the furniture such as your sofa, TV unit, cabinets, dining table and chairs.Use the brand’s Hair screw tool to vacuum your furniture and remove the hair and other dust. Don’t forget to vacuum around the crevices of any immovable furniture (bookcases, televisions) or even the crevices of the Sofa with Dyson’s crevice tool.Carpets can hide dust and dirt between their fibres, as well as harbour microscopic life which can impact your well-being. Vacuum to reduce the number of dust mites and remove their food source.
3. BedroomsTackle the bedrooms and their textile furniture in a day. This encompasses mattresses, sofas and pet baskets. Vacuum both sides of your mattress to remove dust mites and skin flakes with the Hair Screw tool. Don’t forget to wash any removable coverings (bedsheets, cushion covers) at 60-90 degrees celsius to kill any germs and bacteria. If the bottom of your iron is covered in brown stains, once cooled cut a lemon in half and rub the juice over the marks, then wipe off with a cloth to remove and stop brown stains from smearing on your clean clothes.While your pet is meticulously licking its fur to clean and groom itself, it is actually transferring allergens from its saliva into your house.For pet beds in the bedroom, use the hair screw tool to remove pet hair and microscopic allergens from a dog bed you can’t launder. This anti-tangle conical brush bar spirals hair off and into the bin, making it easier and faster. For those that can be washed, remove coverings or pillows and wash at 60-90 degrees.
4. KitchenDay 4 is reserved for the Kitchen! Clear kitchen counters and cupboards to deep clean. Vacuum above and below appliances like your refrigerator, scrub down your sink and wipe down all kitchen appliances and stovetops to remove any build-up. Follow up by making sure all surfaces are dry.If you have a scaly kettle, cover the element with lashings of white vinegar, bring it to a boil and leave overnight. Remember, let everyone in your house know so there’s no surprise when they make themselves a cup of coffee in the morning.
5. BathroomClean your bathroom from top to bottom, and not just the toilet bowl and sink. The grouting of your bathroom tiles can turn a nasty orange colour due to mould and mildew growing in humidity. Make a paste from baking soda and water and scrub it onto the grout with an old toothbrush to return it to its original colour. Also, try ventilating your bathroom in future to reduce mould growth.

And you are done! Enjoy a spik-and-span home this spring season!

Some quick cleaning tips to be kept in mind throughout the cleaning process:

• Vacuuming top-down ensures you’re capturing any fallen dust. Make sure to clean all the corners and crevices, as well as under and around furniture.
• Aim to vacuum all your floors. Dyson’s Laser Slim Fluffy cleaner head is a 25cm-wide cleaner head engineered with soft nylon and anti-static carbon fibre filaments to remove dust from hard floors and narrower gaps. It also has a low profile to reach further under furniture.
• Make sure your vacuum is up to the job for the entire process. Maintain your vacuum by washing the filter in warm water and leaving it to dry thoroughly for 24 hours, while charging the battery in the meantime. Empty the bin and clear the cleaner head of any excess debris.
• Place an air purifier to purify the air while you do the cleaning. Just like how it is imperative that people remove dust from their homes, removing these particles from the air is just as important.
• Do note that if spills like red wine happen during your gathering, don’t let it ruin your evening. Speed is of the essence. Add a little soda water or white wine to the spill to neutralise the stain, and soak up the excess liquid by placing a towel over the spill and tread on it.
• And if dinner remnants stay welded to the bottom of the pan, add one tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda and one cup of boiling water to it, leave it to work its magic and your pan will look like new for your next speciality dish.

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