Three expert-approved spring cleaning hacks that actually work
Spring has arrived, and while we all look forward to welcoming the longer, sunnier days, it's also the ideal moment to embrace the tradition of spring cleaning to ensure your home is in tiptop shape for the new season.
Spring cleaning isn’t just about keeping your home free of dust and germs; it can also significantly improve your mental health and help you feel organised for the coming months. Most of us experience a real sense of achievement after completing tasks like decluttering your wardrobe, dusting the skirting boards, or finally pulling up weeds in the garden.
However, the cleaning process itself isn't always easy. So, we're here to help you uncover some spring cleaning hacks from three experts that are guaranteed to make your cleaning time quicker, more effective, and extra satisfying.
3 spring cleaning hacks, recommended by experts
Banish dust from skirting boards
Meet the expert: Penny Moyses
Penny Moyses is the founder of the Clean and Tidy Home Show, and her fans include Stacey Solomon and Mrs Hinch. She started getting involved with the cleaning community on social media after the birth of her first son in 2020 and is an expert when it comes to all things cleaning and decluttering.
Penny's favourite hack:
An often-overlooked area in many homes are skirting boards. It's easy to forget about them, but this means that layers of dust can collect on them - which really come to light when the sunshine hits.
Penny says: "My go-to favourite cleaning hack, which I use repeatedly, involves tackling those skirting boards around the house, that can often be a dust magnet.
"I get a brush and cover it with a microfibre cloth to lift the dirt, by using the brush it means that I can pick up the dirt from any shape to the skirting board — it’s a go-to in my house!"
Penny's favourite products:
Penny says: "The reason I use microfibre cloths and in particular these from Clean Living and Minky, is that they work extremely well at collecting dust whereas other non-microfibre cloths simply move dust and material around and sometimes into the air, whereas these collect dust perfectly, especially in those harder to reach areas like skirting boards."
Penny says: "These cloths are also a great size, which helps for this job, and can be washed and reused time and time again - which is also great from a sustainability angle."
Stay on top of unsightly stains
Meet the expert: Roo
Better known by her social media handle @rooshome, Roo regularly shares videos detailing how she keeps her flat clean on TikTok, where she has amassed over 570,000 followers. The content creator is beloved for showing her home in its messy, unfiltered state before she gets to work tidying up and wiping things down, which makes for some very satisfying before-and-after videos.
Roo’s hacks:
With spring almost here, it’s time to tackle any stained laundry you might have been ignoring for some time. To help with unsightly stains, Roo’s top tips, which she also recently shared with Cleanipedia include:
Sweat stains
White vinegar is Roo's go-to when it comes to sweat stains. "Spray it onto the sweaty areas of any clothes you’ve been sweating in. Then simply place the items in the wash as normal with your detergent and fabric softener."
Vomit stains
"Vomit is easily cleaned and the odour neutralised by combining ½ cup of baking soda and a few tablespoons of water to create a paste and applying it evenly layer directly on the vomit stain. After pre-treating the area with the paste, wash the items as usual with your detergent and fabric conditioner."
Blood stains
Whether it's a period accident or from an injury, blood stains happen from time to time. "You should always rinse the stain first with cold water (not hot, as this can embed the stain further). Pre-treat the stain with Persil Bio and pop in the washing machine on a cold wash. Cold is gold when removing blood and most stains will come out with one wash, but if any remain, repeat the process."
Keep white socks bright
"Revive your dull, sweaty socks and combat bacteria lurking in them by adding them to a bucket or sinkful of warm water along with a generous squeeze of lemon juice and leaving them to soak overnight. Wring out the socks before working Persil Bio detergent directly onto any stubborn stains that remain on them and wash on cold! The acidity in lemons is a natural bleaching agent and will have your white socks looking fresh again."
Roo’s favourite products
Pesky stains, begone. Persil's bio laundry detergent formula is particularly tough on stains and works in quick and cold washes.
This best-selling Comfort fabric conditioner leaves clothes with a long-lasting fragrance of zesty orange and floral jasmine with a musky cedarwood base.
Make your dishes sparkle with tinfoil
Meet the expert: Nicola Lewis
Ex-investment banker Nicola Lewis is a qualified life coach and professional organiser, offering bespoke, expert decluttering, organising and home staging services all over the UK and Europe. Her social channels, where she offers expert tips and home hacks (@thisgirlcanorganise), have racked up a combined following of over 205,000 followers.
Nicola’s hack:
"The art of stacking the dishwasher can sometimes be up for debate, but I have a specific way that I live by and will help you get the most out of your dishwasher too.
"My number one tip is adding a scrunched piece of silver foil in your cutlery basket or tray before turning on the dishwasher. It’ll help brighten up your cutlery and glassware and give a sparkling result when the wash is done. I also would suggest that you make sure your glassware is placed at an upright angle and don’t lay larger glasses down along the trays to reduce the risk of smashing."
Nicola’s favourite product:
Nicola says: "The Hisense HV673C60UK dishwasher is the model I have, and it allows me to adjust the tray level in the dishwasher to make sure the glassware can stand at that upright angle rather than laying down in the tray. The 16-place setting gives me plenty of space to fill, and the three-level wash at the top, bottom and in the middle ensures everything comes out sparkling, especially after adding the scrunched piece of foil – which is a cheap kitchen staple that everyone has in their home!"
