Top Cleaning Tips: How to Prepare for Your Big Clean

01 February 2024

Whether you've still got a bit of a messy house after Christmas and New Year celebrations or you just feel like blowing the cobwebs away and facing the rest of the year with a clean home, we’re here to help you with your Big Clean.

Read on for B&M’s top cleaning tips.

Making a plan of action

Firstly, take a look at your house and note down everything that needs doing - along with what you’ll need to do it.

Make a list of the cleaning products you have and what you’ll need to stock up on so you don’t buy things you don’t require.

Setting a date

It’s always good to try and get your spring cleaning done in one go. If you spread it across several days, there’s more chance of something getting in the way (or excuses being made)!

A weekend day may be best if you can keep one free. Note down the date in your diary and don’t allow anything to take its place.

Stocking up

Head to your local supermarket to pick up all the items you need in one trip. The cleaning products you’ll need may include:

B&M Top Tip: If you have wooden, tiled or laminate floors, you may also want to invest in a steam cleaner.

Decluttering

Get all unnecessary items out of the way before you begin, so that you can reach every area. You may wish to take them out of the house entirely and store them in a garage or shed, or you might prefer to keep them on the floor of one particular room that you intend to clean last.

B&M Top Tip: This is a great opportunity to have a clear out - decide which of your belongings will stay and which will go to a charity shop or be put up for sale online.

Teaming up

If you live with others, why not ask them for help? After all, they’ll benefit from a clean and tidy home as much as you will. This will make the job much quicker and you won’t be lonely while you do it! You could even plan to have a special meal together to celebrate finishing.

Going task by task

A common mistake is to clean room by room, but this can lead to problems. If there are multiple people cleaning, for example, you may find that two or more will need the same cleaning product at the same time.

It may also mean that dust and dirt is carried from a dirty floor to a floor that has just been cleaned.

The best way to plan the order of your cleaning is to take it a job at a time. For example, dusting the furniture and window sills in each room before starting on polishing throughout the house.

Cleaning floors last

To remove dirt and dust in the most effective way possible, always clean from top to bottom. This works best because debris will always fall from the surfaces you’re working on, so cleaning the floors last is the best way to remove it completely once all other tasks are done.

That way, you won’t have to go over them again and again.

Getting your vacuum cleaner out and running it throughout the whole house will prevent dirt being trodden from one room to another, and should represent the final stage of cleaning.

Making cleaning rotas

Now it’s time to look to the future. Think about putting together an easy plan for everyone living in your home so that you can evenly distribute chores and keep your spaces looking tip top right the way through until the end of the year!

So by planning ahead, sticking to a set date, gathering the right equipment, clearing your workspace, working as a team, working task by task, saving floors until last and laying some ground rules moving forward, you’ll be able to revive your home for the year ahead.

If you notice any scuffs or scratches, don’t be afraid of adding a lick of paint or a little furniture polish.

Now that you’ve seen how easy a new year clean can be, why not make a start? Good luck!

B&M Top Tip: Use our handy Household & Cleaning section to help you decide which products you’ll need.

Proud of your home’s transformation? Share pictures with the B&M Community via X, Facebook or Instagram!

Back