8 Unusual spring cleaning tips

Planning your big spring clean? Here are 8 unusual tips for giving your home the ultimate deep clean. We're talking DIY steam cleans, alcohol stain removers and degreasing with grease!

1. Petroleum jelly stain remover 

We've all been there: no amount of scrubbing will get that irritating cup circle out of your favourite coffee table. So what can you do? Simply rub in some petroleum jelly such as Vaseline, leave it overnight and wipe away the stains in the morning. Voilà!

The grout between your tiles can get dirty quickly and leave your kitchen or bathroom looking grubby. The solution? Mix two parts baking soda to one part white vinegar to make a thick paste, apply it to the grout and let it sit for 15 minutes. Wipe away to reveal lovely clean grouting.

 3. Remove stains with alcohol 

Is your fabric sofa covered with stains that you're sure won't come out? Get your hands on a clean sponge and use it to rub in a little rubbing alcohol. Use a circular motion for really sticky stains, then leave to dry to make your sofa look fresh again!

4. DIY steam clean

Steam cleaning is a great way to get rid of tricky marks on your carpets, but you don't need to shell out to buy expensive equipment. You can rent a steam cleaner, or you could use the humble household iron! That's right, rub a little vinegar into the carpet, place a towel over the top and iron the towel on the highest steam setting. The stain should lift right out. 

5. Degrease with grease 

Cooker hoods and other appliances in your kitchen can easily get covered with a sticky layer of grease. So, to remove the oil use ... more oil! Wipe the grimy surfaces down with mineral oil to remove the dirt, then wipe away the mineral oil with a clean cloth. It's that simple!

6. Freshen your fridge with bicarbonate of soda 

Cleaning out the fridge (wiping the shelves, tossing away pickles that expired in 2009 etc.) is a given, but what about once it's looking and smelling new again? Leave an open tub of bicarbonate of soda inside your fridge, it will absorb any smells and keep your fridge smelling as good as it looks.  

7. Banish pet hair with a rubber glove

Pet hair gets absolutely everywhere and it can be a pain to get out of your upholstery, but not if you have a rubber glove! Just pop it on and rub your sofa or armchairs: the hair will stick to the glove and then you can easily wash it away.

8. Descale your kettle with a lemon

You can wave goodbye to limescale all over your home thanks to vinegar and lemon juice mixed together. Soak paper towels in the mixture and wrap around limescaled taps for 20 minutes; or put the mixture in your kettle for an hour, then pour away and boil a few servings of water to rinse out your newly shiny kettle.

Once you've deep-cleaned your home, why not treat yourself to some lovely new home decorations from DotComGiftShop? Happy cleaning!

Image source 1: Yastremska
Image source 2:Geo-grafika
Image source 3: Subbotina Anna
Image source 4: alexraths