My deep cleaning routine

Although it’s hard work. There’s nothing more satisfying than having your entire house cleaned from top to bottom. From day to day, my house is generally clean and tidy and you can find my daily cleaning routine HERE. But my deep cleaning routine involves getting stuck into all the nooks and crannies that are easy to forget about. And it’s impossible to do this with the kids around. I usually do a deep clean once a month at the weekend. My husband happily escapes off to soft play with the kids for the morning whilst I get to work. I find it easier to deep clean room to room, completing one before I move onto the next. Otherwise it can become overwhelming and seem like you’ve just pulled everything out and made more of a mess.

Invest in a little cleaning caddy like this one (LINK) You can easily carry all of your favourite products around and move from room to room with ease!

As always, I start with my kitchen. To me, nothing else seems to be accomplished unless my kitchen is clean. It’s also the biggest job for me. The first thing I like to do is deep clean my oven. Although I’d be lying if I said I do this monthly. As much as I love a shiny, clean oven, it’s a horrible job. I probably do this every 6-8 weeks if I can get away with it! I remember paying for a lady to come and clean my oven a few years ago. She claimed to have it looking like brand new again and I was excited! She came and took most of the oven parts away overnight and I spotted that she was simply using Oven Pride (LINK). A mere few pounds for this magical product and I realised that in the future I could easily achieve the same result without the hefty price tag. It is so satisfying to watch the dirt and grease simply drip away from the racks into the handy bags which come with it. I also put on some rubber gloves and scrub inside the oven with the remaining cleaning solution and a sponge, just make sure you use gloves and this stuff is potent! When the dirt and grease has gone, I use window/glass cleaner and an e cloth (LINK) to buff the glass up to a shine. Then it really does look like new and I don’t want to use it again! Takeaway anyone?

I also clean inside my microwave. I get a bowl, fill it with warm water and a good few drops of dish soap. Then I put this in the microwave for around 2/3 minutes or until it starts to steam. The steam will have loosened all the dirt and grime and it is easily removable with a damp kitchen sponge. You can also add some baking soda to the bowl to act as a deodoriser to rid of any lingering food smells. When it’s clean, leave the door open and allow it to air dry. I also use glass cleaner and an e cloth to get the front door glass shiny.
I then like to empty my fridge and clean it out. It sounds like common sense but I try to do this the day before our big food shop so I have less to empty out! I lay all the contents on the table and throw away anything out of date or that I’m unlikely to use again! Remember that jar of relish that you bought a while ago and used it for ONE recipe? Bin it! I then take the glass shelves out one by one and wash them in warm soapy water. Whilst they’re soaking in the sink I clean the inside of the fridge with fridge wipes. I also use a scrubby sponge soaked in water and baking powder to rid of any odours. If there are any stubborn food particles grab a butter knife to chip it off and also to get into the cracks where there may be some crumbs. I then dry the shelves with some paper towels and slot back inside. When my fridge is lovely and fresh I want to fill it with colourful peppers and fruit!
The next big job in the kitchen is the cupboards. It’s crazy how much dust and crumbs can accumulate  in such a short space of time! From time to time, empty them and wipe the insides down with some warm water and dish soap. I also like to get a wipe (my favourites are the Asda apple wipes) and clean the outsides the rid of any finger prints, marks or grease. It’s nice to stack your crockery, glasses and tins back in neatly to help you keep on top of it!

Then I move onto my bathrooms. All four of them! My absolute favourite bathroom cleaner is Flash bathroom cleaning spray. It smells so clean, almost like a swimming pool! I spray this over everything from the sink, the bath, the shower base and the toilet (inside and out). I let that soak for a good five minutes and then wipe down.

I spray my taps and shower with Viakal (LINK). It removes limescale and gives a beautiful shine finish. It also leaves a barrier that prevents watermarks and limescale build up.

After scrubbing the toilet clean, I use mint toilet duck (LINK) and a generous pouring of bloo toilet powder (Don’t bother with the pink scent, the blue is by far better!). I also place a toilet block in the cistern. I love the pink ones! Your toilet will look spotless and smell beautifully fresh.
Keeping your glass shower door clean is a mission! I use my bathroom cleaner to soak off the soap scum. But the key to getting it to shine it to use glass cleaner and an e cloth. It takes a bit of elbow grease but you can maintain it by spraying the doors with water to prevent to soap building up and then using a daily shower spray such as this (LINK) After a shower, apply a light mist then simply walk away. You’ve just ended the tedious rigmarole of rubbing, scrubbing, rinsing and squeegeeing in the pursuit of a sparkling bathroom suite!

Lastly, I fill my sinks and bathtubs with hot steamy water and a capful of zoflora! Did you know that Twilight Garden is back? Make it permanent Zoflora!

Once your bathroom and kitchen is out of the way the hardest part is over! The bedrooms, living room and hallways are mainly about tidying for me as opposed to cleaning.

However, my worst job by FAR is dusting and cleaning the skirting boards! Some rarely need cleaned, like my living room. But the skirting in my hallway and bathrooms drive me crazy! There’s not much to it other than rolling up your sleeves, getting down on your hands and knees and scrubbing at them with hot soapy water and a scourer sponge. I sometimes wipe them over with a baby wipe to rid of most of the dust first. I hate doing this, but what a difference it makes when it’s done!
I also take a flash eraser (LINK) and go over any marks or finger prints on the walls, banisters and doors. Everything looks so white again! You can only use these on painted walls and it can strip the paint. But I don’t mind that as I have a pot of paint in the garage for touch ups. If only they invented something to erase marks from wallpaper!

I then wash all of the household bedding and vacuum. I finish off by mopping my floors in Zoflora. Not only does it make my tiles sparkle, it leaves them smelling gorgeous!

Once it’s done I have a lovely long bubble bath to reward myself and stepping out to a sparkling clean house is a huge reward! Light some candles and enjoy your fresh, clean and tidy home!

Love