Am I the only one who never spring cleans?

CLEANING is something I neither enjoy nor am I good at, so in a bizarre kind of way I was quite pleased to see a survey commissioned by Rentokil, which revealed that almost one quarter of the UK population spring cleans less than once a year.

I honestly can say that I have never spring cleaned!  I do realise this makes me sound awful. But my my house is clean -- honest! Any type of pests freak me out, especially mice and rats, so I certainly will do whatever I can to keep them out.

Running a business, Musical Minis, as well as being a mum meant I quickly realised that I couldn't do everything at both work and home. Cleaning was a duty I was really happy to delegate, so I've always taken on the services of a cleaner. My house does get cleaned regularly - weekly by the cleaner and inbetween by me, Rob and the kids. Periodically, but not as often as we should, we do clean out cupboards, light fittings etc. although it's not a spring clean.

Rentokil, pest control experts, issued advice to householders around the need for thorough spring cleaning to prevent infestation from household pests such as mice, rats, cockroaches and flies.

Twenty-three of people surveyed said that they complete a spring clean every other year or less, while 17% of people said they never carry out a spring clean. The survey reveals that 14% of people complete a yearly spring clean, while 63% are cleaning more regularly – from once a week to every six months.

The sofa gets the most attention with 94% of people cleaning not just around it but inside it. 67% of people clean around the brackets of wall mounted TVs, an area where pests such as carpet beetles and moths like due to a buildup of debris in the warm area behind the TV. Awkward to reach spaces behind radiators receive a lot less attention with just 58% of people including this area in their spring cleaning. 86% of people clean under the bed but just 64% vacuum the mattress.

Home cleaning guru Aggie MacKenzie said: “At this time of year when pests become more active, it’s essential to go through your home room by room to detect signs of infestation and take preventative action.”

Aggie’s top five spring cleaning tips are:

•As part of your spring clean, throw out any expired food and items that you bought and never used as these can be perfect feeding sources for moths, rodents and insects.
•Call in a professional to clean if your carpets and rugs are heavily soiled as even the smallest crumbs can act as sustenance for pests.
•Rodents will often make their nests behind refrigerators so don't forget to vacuum the refrigerator coils and sweep and mop underneath (when the appliance is unplugged).
•Sort through junk in the loft – pests are happiest in undisturbed areas.
•Ensure any clothes you’re not planning to wear for a while are perfectly clean before storing in sealed plastic bags or suitcases to prevent moths from nesting in them.

Spring cleaning involves moving furniture and appliances to get in behind them to clean. The survey shows that we do this with 76% of people cleaning on top of and under cabinets and wardrobes. In the kitchen, 69% of people clean behind and under their kitchen appliances.

I'm really not sure where I fit in on this survey. Am I part of the 63% who clean regularly? Or am I part of the 17% who never Spring clean? I'm sure there are parts of my house where a thorough clean is needed but I'm not looking to find them! I must be doing something right as we have never had pests in the house. If we had mice or rats I'd have to move house! The only real time I remember cleaning thoroughly was before my 3 children were born - the nesting instinct! I have no intention of becoming pregnant again so I can clean!

Where do you think you fit in on the survey? How embarrassing if I'm the only one who doesn't spring clean!

Comments

[Linda]

My house is a disgrace sometimes. Who am I kidding? Most of the time.

[Crystal Jigsaw]

I don't spring clean. I just clean when it's needed or when I realise mice have been at the food I dropped three weeks ago. I used to have a cleaner but she wasn't doing a good enough job so I decided to do it myself. Part of me wishes I'd kept her on!!

CJ xx

[Gail Connick]

I guess regular cleaning would suffice. You've mentioned that you dislike pests so you do some preventive measures to keep them away from your house. Just keep that up! Be proud that your house is pest free despite the fact that you don't spring clean! Anyway, those are great spring cleaning tips you have there.

[Annabelle Vandorn]

Call professional help? That's a great idea if you really want to get the job done quickly. It's okay if you don't do Spring cleaning as long as you clean your house regularly, and make sure that everything's always clean.