We’re still a month or so away from the official start of summer – June 21 to be exact. However, the lighter nights and more frequent sightings of the sun in the sky are a good sign of things to come. It also means that it’s still not too late for a good old-fashioned spring clean around the home. Let’s get ready for summer with these spring cleaning tips to declutter your home, with a particular focus on the kitchen.
Spring Cleaning Tips: Start with the kitchen
Okay, as kitchens are our business you probably expect us to say that you should start a spring clean in the kitchen. However, it really does make a lot of sense. Kitchens are busy places. It’s where everything goes on. The kitchen is ‘Mission Control’ in most homes. Of all the rooms in the home, the kitchen needs to be clutter free. You could say, the kitchen is where you set the tone for the rest of the home.
So, the most important of all of our spring cleaning tips is to begin in the kitchen. Start with a ‘pre-clean’. Firstly, wash, dry and put away any dirty dishes. Next, quickly clear and clean countertops and ship out any clutter that doesn’t have its natural home in the kitchen.
Organise cupboards and drawers
It’s not called a spring clean without good reason. Cleaning is an important part of the task, as is clearing out – but organising is probably the most crucial aspect of all.
Take out all food and ingredients and check labels and expiry dates. Throw out any out-of-date items and wipe down all cupboard surfaces before returning items back onto the shelves – oldest items to the front, newest at the back. It’s also a good idea to keep items that you use frequently closer to hand.
Repeat the same process with the fridge and freezer.
Be ruthless with utensils and kitchen equipment
Essentially, a similar approach needs to be taken with all utensils, equipment and gadgets. Pay particular attention to anything that will make your day-to-day kitchen activity more efficient or easier. Group items you tend to use at the same time together. It’s at this point that you might benefit from some further inspiration.
Try 3 ways to enhance your kitchen storage and bear in mind that there is always a way you can make the most out of the storage space you have, if you put your thinking cap on.
Then it’s a simple case of…
Clean, clean and clean again!
A full spring clean is the one of the few opportunities you get to do a really deep clean of the kitchen. Usually, most cleaning in the kitchen is simply on the surface. Now you should clean countertops, glass and cabinet exteriors thoroughly with appropriate specialist cleaning products. Don’t forget the floors, and the walls!
Spring Cleaning: don’t stop at the kitchen!
Of course, if you want to properly declutter the home, you need to go beyond the kitchen. Be systematic, working from room to room and remain ruthless (with charity bag in hand).
Top decluttering tips include storing away books, CDs and DVDs; and keeping ornaments to a minimum – therefore creating space and reducing the cleaning burden.
In the bedroom, move winter clothes and coats into storage, organise drawers and make use of under-bed storage if you can. Try to keep things tidy though. Don’t treat it as a dumping ground or take an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ approach.
How to keep up the good work and stay decluttered
Of course, it doesn’t take long post-spring clean for the clutter to return, if you’re not careful! The bottom drawer will soon resemble the land that time forgot once again if you don’t stay on top of things.
All homes will need a big ‘spring clean’ every now and again. But the good news is that you can minimise how massive the task is by keeping up the good work throughout the year. Try to schedule a time every day to do a routine clean of work surfaces and floors. Take a bit of time each weekend to get organised for the week ahead: washing, stocktaking the fridge, and planning meals for the week ahead.
And the last tip to follow is simple: stay focused! Never declutter at random: always have a specific target. For example, sorting out shoes or coats or magazines. Do this and few cleaning or decluttering tasks will seem overwhelming.
Finally, be inspired by your spring cleaning efforts. It’s all about making the most of what you have. A decluttered kitchen makes all the difference and gives the space a new lease of life. Sometimes though, it will make you realise you could do more. Look at these design tips and tricks to make your small kitchen look more spacious. After a spring clean, it might be that you begin to feel a full kitchen design revamp is the best long-term solution. If so, get in touch and we can take things from there.
