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Summer cleaning tips

As the days get longer and the nights get lighter, we can’t help but turn our attention to summer. Preparing your home for a new season can take a lot of time and effort and more Brits are now turning their attention towards a ‘summer clean’. A recent study by home appliance maker Vorwerk has revealed that over one in eight (13%) homeowners and renters are planning to spend more than a day summer cleaning this year.

As evenings get lighter, two-thirds (67%) of households will be gearing up for their big clean – with 45% reaching for the vacuum cleaner as their first port of call to give their homes a fresher feel and a new look during the summer season. Of the remaining third who will be side-stepping a clean, 25% say they are 'too lazy'.

However, deep cleaning has certainly paid off for 24% of households who have pocketed missing money during the housework. Others have also found a bizarre range of items including a pair of secateurs and wetsuit glove!

Northern Ireland homes are preparing to be the cleanest in the UK – with 77% planning on making their homes spotless, closely followed by 71% in the North West, and 70% in the West Midlands and North East respectively.

Women lead the charge for committing to a summer clean this year – but cleaning is also deemed a high priority across the generations too – particularly for nearly three-quarters of 45-54-year-olds (71%) and 63% of 18-24-year-olds.

Figures suggest that a clean house gives off a certain impression too, with 37% saying they would think the host was lazy if they lived in a state. Meanwhile, 28% say they judge the homeowner negatively and 13% would want to offer a helping hand to clean.

There's also 46% who would not even accept a drink in a messy home, nearly half (44%) would refuse food and 37% would avoid the bathroom. A third (33%) even wash their hands immediately as soon as they get home and 30% admit to cutting their visits short. 

Vorwerk ambassador and Channel 4 star, Lynsey Crombie, added: “A good plan goes a long way towards your clean and it can seem less daunting if you organise your routine into manageable chunks. You should take things room by room so it's achievable and doesn't seem like a chore.”

Lynsey's 5 Cleaning shortcuts 

1. To deep clean your sinks, sprinkle some bicarbonate of soda over the plug hole, and then pour down some white wine vinegar. Follow this with some boiling water to flush out your drain and leave it smelling fresh
    
2. To get rid of those stubborn water marks on shower doors and tiles, cut a lemon in half and rub it directly onto the marks
    
3. If your glassware has stubborn water stains, gently rub over them with potato skins to remove the grime and rinse as normal. They will come up as good as new
    
4. Gently rub a tennis ball over marks on paintwork and watch them disappear
    
5. If you've got watermark rings on your table, place some fabric on top of the mark and iron the surface on a low heat.

And remember, a clean home makes for a clean mind.