APH Spring cleaning tips

There's a simple rule you can use to declutter your home. If you haven't used something in the past six months, then you should consider throwing it away. The only exception to this rule is seasonal items and clothing. Separate out the 'keep', 'donate' or 'throw away' items and clearly label them to avoid any treasures getting thrown away by mistake.

By taking this ruthless stance, you'll soon discover how many excess items you have around your home and how much additional room you'll have if you throw a few things away.

Deep clean your carpets

You'll be surprised how much dirt, dust and hair build up in your carpet. This can be especially bad in bedrooms and dining rooms, where you're less likely to move bulky furniture around when you're cleaning. A deep clean will help restore the carpet's colour and texture. Using a high-performance vacuum cleaner or hiring a professional will allow you to breathe new life into your carpets.

While your furniture is out of its usual place during the clean, you can start to think about rearranging certain items. You don't necessarily need to invest in new furniture, but a move around might bring a new function to a room or just give it a new look.

Clean your oven with bicarbonate of soda

Oven cleaning is a time-intensive task, but a small amount of bicarbonate of soda can go a long way. Add bicarbonate of soda to water in a spray bottle and you've got your own handy oven-cleaning solution. You just need to spray the solution on the interior surfaces of your oven, avoiding the heating elements. Leave overnight and wipe clean the next day. If any soda remains, spray with vinegar to remove it.

Avoid using harsh chemicals as these could cause irritation to your skin and damage your oven. If you'd rather put your feet up than getting stuck in, it's worth having your oven professionally cleaned to get it sparkling again.

We're all guilty of not cleaning our fridge as often as we should. This means that stains, food matter and water can build up. To battle this, you need a few household items. The first two are a toothbrush and toothpaste. The chemicals found in toothpaste will help remove stains easily and the toothbrush provides the friction and accuracy that you need to get the job done.

Once you've got your fridge nice and clean, it's time to tackle any lurking smells. Cut a lemon in half and place the two halves in your fridge: one on the top shelf and the other on the bottom shelf. The lemon will naturally absorb any odours and leave your fridge smelling fresh.

Your dishwasher is a superhero in disguise. Its helpfulness doesn't stop at cleaning the dishes: you can place children's plastic toys (without batteries) into the dishwasher, along with your normal detergent or tablet, and get them nice and clean again. Not only that, it helps to sanitise the toys so that they can be played with time and time again.

The beauty of using your dishwasher to wash toys means that you can simply put it on and let it get to work. Essentially, you get a thorough clean without much effort.

Steam clean your microwave

Dirt and grime can easily build up in your microwave. It's one of those appliances that you use so often that you take for granted. So, a good clean will not only get it back to its former self but also improve its general hygiene. Tackling built-up food and grease normally calls for bucket loads of elbow grease, but our helpful hint will put a stop to that.

Using a combination of vinegar and water, you can create a solution that will help you tackle those stubborn stains. Heat a measuring jug with a fifty-fifty solution for ten minutes in your microwave, until it steams up. Remove the jug and then use a cloth to wipe away the moisture and dirt.

We all have that favourite duvet set that we return to time and time again. But over time colours can fade and soon you're left with drab-looking bed sheets. Rather than throw them away, it's work soaking them in bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar as this can help you breathe life back into your bed sheets and get rid of any lingering odours. Make sure you rinse them thoroughly to eradicate the vinegar smell before using.

You can also use bicarbonate of soda to deodorise your mattress. Simply sprinkle all over your mattress and leave for up to eight hours. Then vacuum up any excess powder and your mattress is as good as new.

No, we don't literally mean clean while you sleep: you deserve your rest after all! We've found a way for you to leave your bathroom to get clean overnight. Limescale is notoriously difficult to remove. That's where white vinegar can help. It's great at breaking down the molecules and removing a build-up of limescale.

In fact, it can remove stains from the toilet, shower and sink. All you need to do is spray it on and leave it to get to work. For showerheads, simply fill a bag with white vinegar and tie it around the head, leave it to break down the limescale overnight. To avoid smelling strongly of vinegar, make sure you wear protective gloves and ventilate your bathroom where possible.