Spring Clean for a Spring Gleam!

Your kitchen drawers are filled to the brim with useless gadgets from distant relatives and naff crackers at Christmas; you have condiments in the food cupboard that you’ve never even heard of; just looking underneath the sofa (never mind cleaning it) sends a gruesome shiver down your spine.

It’s time for a spring clean!

Here at House of Oak, we live by the saying that there really is no place like home, and that a home should be a space to feel comfortable before anything else. However, as we all know, our houses can’t take care of themselves, but with a little TLC, they can definitely take care of us.

So as we gradually move closer towards spring, it only seems right that we de-clutter our homes, and our lives, of any mess which is stopping us enjoying our homes as the comfortable, family-orientated sanctuaries they were designed to be. Here are a few tips and tricks to kick start your spring clean, in an attempt to clean up your home for good.

The Wardrobe Cleanse

It seems to happen all the time. We accumulate so many items of clothing that we no longer have any idea what to wear. We see it regularly in teen films; a group of girls rifling through their wardrobes, verging on an ugly barrage of tears due to a lack of things to wear, whilst stood on top of a crumpled pile of clothing that they have bitterly discarded. Yes, we may scoff at the ridiculousness of the situation, but we fall into it far too often. Apparently, there are some universal rules for de-cluttering your wardrobe space:

• When should I keep an item of clothing? – it is worn regularly, fits correctly, or was worn at a sentimental event (wedding).

• When should I throw an item of clothing?  - it is broken or stained; it’s an item of old underwear.

• When should I donate an item of clothing? – it was expensive, it’s in good condition, it no longer fits you.

 Say hello to a de-cluttered, neater wardrobe.

 The Dreaded Drawer Detox

The official term for it is the ‘rubbish drawer,’ and it is perfectly self-descriptive. It’s avoided like the plague and only ever opened when a major life event occurs (marriage, moving house, having a child etc.), leaving it to slowly accumulate a confusing pile of letters that even the keenest of Scrabble warriors wouldn’t be able to organise. This will probably be your most tedious job of the entire cleaning experience, just because of how important it is to pay attention to what you’re keeping and throwing away. The only rule here is to read before you decide. The last thing you want is a quick clean, followed by a lost passport, birth certificate and degree certificate.

The Dressing Table Purification

You’ve noticed it’s diminishing state over the past couple of months, but naturally, you’ve been far too busy to give it a quick clean. Now it has a mind of its own. Lipstick stains adorn what was once a beautiful clean surface; the mirror is covered in dirty finger marks; and trying to find eyeliner in the dressing table drawer is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Here’s a list of things you can do to better both the visual and hygienic aspects of your dressing table.

Get rid of any old makeup – if it’s crusty, dry, or way past its sell by date… throw it away! The same goes for if you haven’t used it for over a month, you clearly don’t need it so it needs to go!

Have separate drawers for different products – not in an extreme way like splitting up bronzers from blushers, and eyeliner from mascara, but hair and makeup products should be separated. This will help prolong the cleanliness of your dressing table due to less of a mixing of products and spillages, and also make it easier for you to navigate your way around the dressing table. Way more convenient and much less mess!

Keep on top of the exterior maintenance – arguably the most important thing to keep on top of when your dressing table is concerned is the exterior. Be sure to regularly – even daily – wipe down the surface of the table, the mirrors and the drawers and table legs in order to make sure the table is always clean and pleasant to use.

No more rifling through rubbish to find your favourite lipstick!

Dig out your feather duster, put on a pair of marigolds, buy a new bottle of Dettol and spring clean for a spring gleam… be proud of your home!

After all there's no place like home...