When the summer days are longer, you might feel like you have a few extra hours in the day. While you could spend them all sitting in the garden with a book (and we do recommend this, too), you could also spend just a few of them sorting out some home admin to spruce things up a little. Here are our tips and tricks for brilliant summer cleaning.
It’s not a glamourous job, or even a particularly nice one, but cleaning your rubbish bin is a necessary part of summer home maintenance. The heat can make our bins a bit smelly and cause things to rot more quickly. A great thing that you can do, then, is to give your bin a spray and a wipe down in between every bag. Do that and any yucky build-up will never be too bad.
If you have left it a bit long, though, there is no easy way around it. Get yourself a pair of rubber gloves, a scrubbing brush or an abrasive sponge and some soapy water or anti-bac spray. We promise that it is worth the effort.
Outdoor furniture can often get a bit dirty over winter, whether it has been put away in a garage or left out in the rain. Maybe you gave it a scrub down at the beginning of summer but, by now – particularly after our record-breaking heatwave – it’s time to give it another go.
Start by removing any cushions and give them a wipe down or put them in the washing machine if the care instructions allow. Use a brush to get rid of any cobwebs or leaves on the furniture, then set to work with water. Some wooden furniture might be best treated with just water, while plastic and coated wood are often best served with warm soapy water. Choose a soft cloth and go gently at first, then let it all dry in the sunshine.
Barbeques can quickly become a cleaning nightmare, choked with a pungent mix of fat and ash. Firstly, you could stack up some coals and light them on a very high heat to burn off as much as you can. For what’s left, you will likely need something abrasive – wire wool, a copper scourer or specialist metal scrubbing brushes are all good options.
Some people will suggest vinegar or baking-soda mixes but, in our experience, elbow grease is the most effective answer.
Luggage can end up looking fairly scuffed and battered after a few rounds in the aeroplane hold. If you are heading away for a few days, though, it’s nice to go feeling clean and organised.
To clean the inside of your suitcase, the best thing to do is to empty it and pat out any bits of fluff or year-old sand. Next, you could take the hoover to it, just to make sure that all the detritus out. The outside of the case is best tackled with soapy water and a sponge. Just go easy on the soap if yours is a fabric case, as you don’t want it to start frothing in the rain. Do this on a sunny day so that you can dry your things outside quickly and keep it unzipped and open for a few days afterwards to make sure that it is completely dry – otherwise it might start to smell.
We should be washing our bedsheets about once a week, according to the Sleep Foundation. Whether many of us achieve that (especially if you have a family and therefore a few beds in the house) is something that we will leave to you to ponder. In summer, however, when the nights can be very warm, it is even more important to keep on top of things. Read and follow any care instructions on you bedding and, if you can, always try to line-dry it as it helps to keep things smelling fresh and saves on electricity. If you use pillow or mattress protectors, then don’t forget those either.
Duvets, especially double ones, are unlikely to fit in your washing machine but they do still need regular cleaning. Most laundrettes and dry cleaners will be able to help you out with this.
Once your things are sparkling clean, it’s just as important to put them away safely and out of sight. Our fitted cupboards can make use of all of those awkward places in your home, such as under the stairs or in the eaves. These will become the perfect places to keep summer essentials like luggage and swimwear out of the way when they’re not needed.
Book a free design visit from one of our experts and they will talk you through all your options for the best storage solutions to suit your home.
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