Top tips for spring cleaning your home
Helen's top tips:
- For routine cleaning, start nearest the door – where the dirt comes in – and for areas furthest away, clean less often.
- For a spring clean, start on the upper floors and work down. In each room, clean from the top down – let gravity be your friend.
- Dust smooth surfaces like tables or glass using a lint-free cotton cloth folded into a pad, instead of a yellow duster.
- For carved or textured surfaces – including grills on your ‘surround sound’ speakers – use a natural bristle brush and collect the dislodged dust with a handheld vacuum cleaner.
- To dust the tops of books, use a softer natural bristle brush and flick the dust into a hand held vacuum cleaner.
- To give wax-polished wooden floors a dust, use a woollen cloth soaked in 50 per cent vinegar and 50 per cent liquid paraffin wrapped around a mop.
- Wash precious ceramics with cotton-wool balls dipped in a mild detergent solution (e.g. sensitive skin washing-up liquid or baby shampoo), rinse by dipping new cotton wool in clean water. Avoid holding fragile ceramic or glass by its handle or rim - this may be a weak point.
- Put glass mats under vases on polished and decorated furniture to prevent water spills from staining the wood.
- Always seek specialist advice before attempting to clean or repair any valuable heirlooms or fragile items, whether pictures, furniture, textiles or other historic materials.