Make Your Home Your Haven

When it comes to cleaning and tidying the home, most of us will blame our complacency on ‘lack of time’. In these unprecedented circumstances, however, we have nothing but time. Now is the perfect opportunity to hone those domestic skills and make your home your haven. We have compiled a list of clever cleaning hacks, organisation tips, and savvy techniques from the very best internet cleaning queens, providing you with the ultimate inspiration for polishing and improving your home.

‘Organising consultant’, Marie Kondo offers a number of fantastic solutions for keeping your home neat and tidy. 

• Clear your workspace. This is a great tip for those working from home. When your workspace is clear, creativity will flow. “Fill [your workspace] with things that inspire you,” writes Kondo; this is a sure way to produce an exceptional quality of work from the comfort of your own home.
• Kondo’s folding technique, dubbed ‘the KonMari method’ is based on storing and folding clothes vertically rather than horizontally in your drawers. This particular technique is frequently used in the military too. In doing so, you can pack away hundreds of items in one compact space. Video tutorials can be found online.
• Store toiletries in ‘bins’, baskets and boxes to keep your bathroom surfaces clear. Separate your products into soaps, creams, dental-care products and makeup if you’re feeling extra methodical.
• All of our new homes offer great storage facilities to help ensure a clean and tidy home, including Chapel Riverside and Venue.

Online cleaning sensation, Sophie Hinchcliffe, commonly known as ‘Mrs Hinch’ @mrshinchhome, likewise shares her top tips and products to get you started on your spring-cleaning journey. 

• The Minky sponge/cloth: This simple product is tough on cleaning mess but delicate on all surfaces. Mrs Hinch swears by this particular cleaning tool; using it in the bathroom, kitchen, and living space to ensure her home is squeaky clean.
• Smart Storage: The premise of ‘smart storage’ is becoming increasingly popular, with home-owners across the country trying their hand at efficient storage solutions. Mrs Hinch suggests storing pan lids upside down to make space in the kitchen cupboards – a nifty trick for home-owners with lots of cooking utensils.
• Keep bed linen sets in a pillow case to save space.
• Use tumble dryer sheets in pillow cases and cushions to give your home a fresh scent all day long. Try a lavender scent in your pillows for an exceptionally blissful snooze.

Some general advice:

• Always clear the kitchen and pack your dishes away before bedtime. You’ll thank yourself the next morning.
• Get the kids involved: Make cleaning a game. Provide baskets for their toys and see who can clear them away the quickest when play-time is over.
• Keep diffusers around the house for a pleasant aroma 24/7.
• Flowers are still available online and in most supermarkets. Bring the outside in by dressing your home with beautiful flower arrangements.
• Clean your grout!
• Clean your windows. Nothing is worse than a fantastic view being interrupted by handprints.
• If you have a garden, keep on top of your ‘weeding’ duties.
• Try looking around as if you were an outsider, and think, does this look ok?

New homes offer an ideal way to start afresh, so why not visit our developments to virtually view one of our exciting show homes for cleanspiration!