Get clean and organized with these simple tips and fabulous spring cleaning products
By Carla Snuggs
Spring is in full spring! Now is the time to refresh your life. This means cleaning, reducing and organizing! This can be daunting, but with these fresh DIY tips from Dmitri Kara from Fantastic Cleaners in London, you’ll be all clean and organized in no time.
Tip 1: Make sure you have a steam cleaner at hand!
If you can't afford to buy one, you could always rent it. Steam cleaners have become even more accessible nowadays than they used to be. It is one of my favourite tools to have at hand, for it is efficient and easy to use. It is not too difficult to carry and is totally worth the investment!
Tip 2: Whitening pillows - MANDATORY
I myself am a bit of a hygiene freak, and yellowish pillows literally kill me on the inside and I thrive to whiten those at least 3 times a year. It is of huge importance for me, all bedding linen, especially my pillow to be as white and clean as possible. I usually like to use an environmentally safe detergent.
Here's the recipe a fantastic cleaner would recommend:
A cup of liquid or powder laundry detergent
1/2 cup of washing soda
A cup of dishwasher detergent
A cup of regular bleach
The tricky part here is to properly mix everything, so both detergents can fully dissolve. My personal tip would be to prepare the mixture before you stuff your dirty yellowish pillow covers in the washer. It is a really simple and yet efficient solution. I would suggest to choose the longest washing program available, preferably one having 2 rinses.
A great tip to whiten bedding is baby shampoo. Its formula is meant to treat baby skin as gentle as possible and yet still dissolve body oil stains.
Tip 3: Upholstery care is A MUST
People often wonder how to make upholstery furniture look and feel great when spring comes. Here's my dash of advice:
Clean, white cloths
Dishwashing liquid
Rubbing alcohol
Baking soda or cornstarch
A decent vacuum cleaner
Regular dry-cleaning solvent.
A proper steam clean (if fabric is suitable).
The worst nightmare of upholstery are stains. Here a few tips to take care of those
Step 1. How to take care of a freash stain. Blot spills should be immediately wiped with a piece of clean cloth in order to prevent it growing any further (obviously). The more time passes, the the harder it will be to remove! That's where steam cleaners come in handy.
Step 2. For your upholstered furnishing, make sure you double check all tags before you proceed to any cleaning attempts.
"W" means your piece is suitable for water-based products.
"S" means cleaning with a water-free product, like dry-cleaning products.
"SW" means you can use either water or a dry-cleaning detergent.
"X" means the unit should be taken care by a professional cleaner.
* Bare in mind you should never wash slipcovers via machine cleaning, because they might shrink in size.. Simply take your piece to professional dry cleaning and avoid taking unnecessary risks.
Step 3. You have a choice when it comes down to washable upholstery. It depends on the type of stain you need to remove. If possible, test a small area first.
Step 4. Food and beverage stains could go away by using a mixture of one tablespoon of dishwashing solution and two cups of water. Treat the stain and a rub it with a clean cloth. Make sure the liquid is properly absorbed, while you dab and blot until it goes away.. Rinse with cold water. In case you have to tackle berries, use a mixture of 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 2/3 of rubbing alcohol.
Step 5.. If gravy, mayo, cooking oil, or butter, sprinkle a dash of baking soda or cornstarch. Let it do it's magic for about 15 minutes and vacuum afterwards.
Ste[ 6: Then confident it's good to go, apply a dry cleaning solvent via a white cloth. Blot it until fully absorbed and repeat till you get the result you want.
Step 7. As a professional cleaner I would highly recommend dry-cleaning solvent for spaghetti sauce, yoghurt and peanut butter, the same way as in Step 6.
Spring Cleaning Products We LOVE
Boulder Clean
Boulder Clean, makers of all natural laundry, dish and surface cleaners are high on the must-have list of spring cleaning products.
Boulder Clean is unique because the price and design of the packaging appears to fit with conventional cleaning supplies on the shelves, but the ingredients are all-natural and plant-based. We formulate our cleaning supplies to meet the EPA Safer Choice standards – which mean they always choose the safest ingredient for people and the planet.
Boulder Clean is a member of 1% for the Planet which means they donate 1% of our net revenue to non-profits focused on solving environmental challenges. In 2016, they supported youth outdoor education through Outdoor Outreach, Leave No Trace and The Access Fund. They’re also a certified B Corp and were named Best For the Environment in 2016! My favorite product is the bathroom cleaner. It leaves everything smelling super-fresh and it’s actually effective! It’s a must-have. You’ll thank me later!
TriNova
This post would not be complete with out a mention of home-cleaning brand, TriNova, and some of its awesome spring cleaning products. TriNova cleaning and care products are made in the U.S. and specifically formulated to maintain and extend the life and value of things you love. Think everything from your vintage Italian bag and running shoes to your hardwood floors and granite countertops. The best part? TriNova products are all priced under $20, available conveniently through Amazon and Jet.com. They’re made in the US and not tested on animals. My favorite is the Leather Cleaner. It gave new life to my leather boots and I didn’t have to take them to my local shoe repair shop for cleaning. The Leather Cleaner (comes ncludes microfiber towel) is a premium formula developed by leather experts to eliminate surface stains + give new life to leather without using harsh chemicals. It’s great for all types of leather: furniture, seats, shoes/boots, belts, luggage, purses, saddlebags + more. They also have Glass Cleaner, Daily Granite Cleaner and Shoe Revival .
Ever Bamboo
Ever Bamboo has various natural deodorizers and dehumidifiers for spring cleaning and we love their eco-friendly products. I recommend the Room Deodorizer + Dehumidifier. It’s ideal for the bathroom as it absorbs odors and excess moisture). Also try the Moist+ 4 Bamboo Charcoal Facial Mask and the Bamboo Charcoal Face + Body Bar!
Pura Naturals Kitchen Sponges
These hard-working, long-lasting sponges lift grease and grime like a magnet and are available with walnut-based scrubber pads. They stay fresh and won’t smell – guaranteed! They are 25 times stronger than the leading sponge. And the best part is that they are oap-infused with a degreasing, biodegradable cleanser. They’re Made in the USA with Earth-conscious materials! Shop: Puranaturalsproducts.com.
Organization Tools
Meori
After you’ve gotten everything clean, it’s time to organize and colorful kitchen totes by Meori are so perfect. With optional accessories like a bottle divider, this sturdy and stylish multi-use foldable box is the perfect way store and carry all kinds of kitchen items, from utensils to condiments. Each box (available in assorted sizes and colors to match your decor and they fold flat for storing. The boxes have reinforced carrying handles that allow for easy transport of up to 65 pounds. They’re also great in the bathroom and make the perfect organizer for your cosmetics, makeup tools and skincare products. Organize then store on a shelf or underneath the sink.
Cutie Cube Organizer
The CutieCube Organizer created by Twin Lilies offers an amazing solution to organizing all your beauty and makeup products. It's not just any organizer. It is the highest quality material and looks absolutely stunning! You can get them n 5, 6, and 7 tiered units so you can fit all your products in one place. I finally got a good portion of my makeup sorted. It is gorgeous and I can see everything I need without rummaging through all of my items.
