Chinese New Year is just around the corner! Whilst we might be looking forward to all the good food and great company, we’re certainly not looking forward to the mandatory spring cleaning.
Here are a few spring cleaning hacks to help speed up your spring cleaning process, and make it less painful.
Tip 1: Assign rooms even before spring cleaning
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and certainly not by one person. The idea of spring cleaning your whole home might feel overwhelming, so break it down and assign rooms, or tasks, to different members in your family. If you have kids, they can also help with some of the simpler chores.
Tip 2: Get a robot vacuum to do the job
The Darth Vader POWERbot vacuum. Picture: Samsung
Why do something the old-school, manual way when you can get a robot to do your dirty work for you? If you haven’t tried robot vacuum cleaners before, now’s certainly the time. You’ll be amazed at how effective these things are – and after some time, you won’t even notice them running around in the background!
Robot vacuum cleaners are priced from as low as $12 onwards, and there are a wide range of them available on Lazada.
Tip 3: Polish your furniture with coconut oil
Coconut oil
You’ve heard about the health benefits of cooking with it and using it for skin, but you may not have heard that you can use it to polish furniture. A little goes a long way and it’s an all-natural alternative to “lemon” Pledge. Think less “chemicals” and more “frozen umbrella drink in the sun.”
Tip 4: Make it symmetrical
Principles of Feng Shui suggest arranging your bedroom based on symmetry and balance, so make sure you duplicate nightstands, lamps and pillows: your room will automatically look completely pulled together and feel more relaxing.
Tip 5: Furniture that doubles up as storage space
BOSNÄS Footstool with Storage. Picture: IKEA
No matter how much you clean on a regular basis, you’re bound to keep creating clutter – it’s a simple fact of life. So if you have a head start and can set aside some time to spruce up the house, that’s great. But if your relatives decide to drop by unexpectedly, there’s going to be a problem.
Save yourself the trouble (and the mini heart palpitations) by purchasing furniture that can niftily double up as storage space. In the event of guests arriving unannounced, you can easily sweep all your junk into your footstool (temporarily, of course!) and present a neat and clutter-free home to said guests.
Related: 10 random household items that can help you clean
Tip 6: Clean with orange-infused vinegar
Half the win of a clean house is that clean house smell… and we’re not talking Clorox or Pine Sol. It only takes minutes to make your own orange-infused vinegar which is great for wiping down kitchens and kids’ rooms (where it’s especially beneficial to go the non-toxic route).
Tip 7: Just add plants
Improve your sleep by filling your bedroom with greenery. Picture: Adairs
Plants not only look great and make your space feel more welcoming, they help purify your air and remove toxins from your environment. And fear not if you’re the kind of person who remembers to water their plants only when you’re looking at their dead, lifeless remains: Succulents are so low maintenance they practically take care of themselves.
Related: NASA says this indoor plant can prevent snoring
Tip 8: Enlist the help of specialists
If you’ve had a really busy week or month leading up to Chinese New Year, and simply can’t squeeze out the time to do it on your own, then it’s time to get some expert help.
Chinese New Year might be slightly stressful if you need to host many families and friends in your home, but it’s also the reunion with our loved ones that makes it such a special and meaningful event.
Start spring cleaning and prepping your place in advance, and you’ll be sure to have a spick and span home by the time your relatives visit!
