Deep Cleaning Tips — Make Your Home Feel New

A 'deep clean' is what professionals do once or twice a year on top of a regular clean — the things you skip when you're just tidying up. Done properly, it resets the house and means the weekly clean is dramatically faster.

Top-down, left-to-right — always

Dust falls. Always clean from ceiling level down to the floor, and from one side of a room around to the other — never zig-zag. It saves you from re-doing surfaces you've already finished.

Kitchen — beyond the obvious

• Pull every appliance out and clean the floor and walls behind
• Degrease the extractor filter — soak it in hot water and dish soap
• Empty cupboards, wipe interiors, refill in order
• Descale the kettle and the dishwasher (run a service cycle)
• Polish the inside of the oven glass — most people never do

Bathroom — limescale and grout

Limescale comes off with white vinegar or a citric-acid descaler — leave it to dwell for 10 minutes, don't scrub straight away. Grout responds to a soft brush and a 1:1 mix of bicarb and hydrogen peroxide.

Soft furnishings — the room's secret odour source

• Vacuum mattresses, then sprinkle bicarb, leave 1 hour, vacuum again
• Wash all curtains and cushion covers
• Spot-clean upholstery with a fabric-safe stain remover
• Carpets: professional hot-water extraction every 12–18 months

The spots almost everyone misses

• Tops of door frames and picture frames
• Underside of toilet seats and hinges
• Inside the washing machine drum + detergent drawer
• Behind the TV and around cables
• Light bulbs and shades (switch off and dust)