Cheap DIY Spring Cleaning Hacks You Need to Try

Written By:Isabelle Grimshaw08.3.19

Spring is finally on its way. The evenings are getting longer, daffodils are blooming and the sun is starting to shine. It’s the perfect time to give your home a breath of life with a much-needed spring clean. But no one wants to spend a fortune on chemical-packed cleaning products or spend a whole weekend tidying, so we’ve put together a few of our favourite cheap DIY spring cleaning hacks. Not only are they more environmentally friendly, but they’ll also save you buckets of time and money.  

Plus, for a chance to win a £30 Amazon voucher, let us know one of your favourite DIY cleaning hacks in the comments below! Competition ends Wednesday 13th March at 12:00, so enter now to avoid missing out.

White vinegar cleans pretty much everything

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White vinegar is a well-known cleaning hack which is super easy to use and incredibly versatile. Essentially an all-purpose cleaner, it makes everything from your microwave to your bathroom sparkle. It leaves no residue on surfaces, the smell disappears once it dries and it can be bought for less than £1 at any supermarket compared to big brand names. Here are just a few of the great ways to use white vinegar:

• Use as a multi-purpose cleaner for countertops, windows, mirrors and the bathroom: Mix with equal parts water, spray or rub onto the surface, leave for a few minutes then wipe away for sparkling clean results.
• Say goodbye to carpet stains: Mix two tablespoons of white vinegar with a quarter cup of baking soda to help remove carpet stains.
• Remove clothes stains: Rub the stain with vinegar then put in the washing machine as you usually would.
• Freshen up the dishwasher: Run through the dishwater on an empty cycle to give it a quick and easy clean.
• Clean the microwave fast: Freshen up your microwave and get rid of any old food smells by pouring white vinegar into a glass bowl and heating it in the microwave.
• Remove coffee and tea stains from mugs: Mix white vinegar with salt and use to wash your mugs to have them looking good as new.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy

Another absolute essential for any DIY spring clean is lemon juice. Like white vinegar, lemon juice can be used on a fantastic range of home surfaces and stains as a simple disinfectant with a lovely fresh smell.

Their natural citric acid helps to shift limescale, dirt, scum and even rust to leave your surfaces sparkling. Buy it on a budget ready squeezed for just £0.55 from your local supermarket, or buy a lemon for £0.30 Here are a few ways lemons can be used around the house:

• Remove soap scum: Use undiluted lemon juice or mix with equal parts water to dissolve scum in your bath and sink.
• Clean your oven and hob: Mix a cup of lemon oil, a cup of water and a cup of vinegar to create a fast and cheap cleaning mixture for removing grease. Spray onto your hob and into your oven. Leave for a few minutes then wipe clean in a flash.
• Say goodbye to rust: Whether it’s affected your tools, bike, pipes or otherwise, help remove rust by sprinkling the affected area with salt and then adding lemon juice. Leave for a few minutes and it will help dissolve the rust, but don’t leave on for too long or it could damage the metal. Then just wipe away and rinse. Mix with a dab of white vinegar to remove extra tough rust.
• Steam clean the microwave: Get a microwave-safe bowl and fill it with slices of lemon and some water. Heat in the microwave for three to five minutes to help shift grease and food which you can then easily wipe away.
• Disinfect sponges: Get rid of germs and reuse your sponges rather than buying more. Sprinkle some lemon juice onto your sponges and put them in the microwave for a couple of minutes. This will get rid of any lingering germs and leave your sponges smelling fresh and clean.

Use walnuts to remove scratches

Most of us have some classic wooden furniture around the house. One of the great benefits of wooden furniture is that it lasts for a long time, but it can also take on a fair bit of wear and tear over the years.

Scratches on the surfaces of your wooden table are all too easy to make and can leave it looking shabby. Thankfully, there’s a cheap and easy solution to remove these scratches, and it may surprise you – walnuts.

Crack a walnut and rub on the scratch in a circular motion, getting at it from all angles. Let the walnut oil sink in and then wipe with a cloth to remove any excess dust or oil. You’ll immediately see a dramatic improvement.

This works best on small areas, but it can be incredibly effective, sometimes even more so than the kits you can buy. Plus they’re delicious and can be bought from most high-street supermarkets for less than £2!

Baking soda is a must-have cleaning essential

No cupboard is complete without a little baking soda. Like white vinegar and lemon juice, it can be used on stains and scuffs all around the house. Find it anywhere for less than £1 and use it for everything from polishing silver to baking a cake.

• Revitalise pots and pans: Leave your pots and pans to soak in hot water with some baking soda and dish soap for about 10 to 15 minutes and rinse to help your pots last for longer. For extra tough, burnt on stains, add some white vinegar to the mix and watch the stains wash away.
• Make your silver sparkle: From jewellery to your best cutlery, try using a mix of baking soda, boiling water and aluminium foil to make silver shine its brightest. Line a container with aluminium foil shiny side up. Fill the container with boiling water and add two tablespoons of baking soda for every litre of boiling water. Place your silver into the container and wait a few minutes – don’t worry if you see some fizzing or bubbling, that means it’s working! Take out the silver and gently wipe down with a cloth to see the stunning results. Careful though, this works best on tarnished silver but may be too harsh for antique silver.
• Remove crayon from walls: Has a little artist in the house decorated your freshly painted wall with a crayon masterpiece? As much as you love their art, you might not want to keep it on the wall. Luckily, to remove crayon all you have to do is dip a damp cloth into some baking soda and gently wipe away the marks.
• Use on floors, baths, tiles and more: Add two tablespoons of baking soda to warm water for an all-purpose cleaner. Use to polish your floors, remove scuff marks and get rid of scum in your bathroom. Easy.

Only keep what you wear

Time to clear out the wardrobe? Sometimes it can be hard to be tough and get rid of what we don’t need. It’s all too easy to think “I’ll keep it just in case.”

A simple way to figure out what clothes you should actually keep is to place all your clothes in the closet with the hangers facing the wrong way. Then, when you wear an item of clothing, put it back with the hanger facing the right way.

At the end of the year, you’ll be able to see what you’ve worn and what you’ve left unworn through the seasons. Chances are, if you haven’t worn it in a year or can’t remember the last time you put it on, you probably don’t need it.

Donate your unwanted clothes to someone who needs them, recycle them for money rewards with programmes like Genie Recycling or even sell them on handy apps like eBay to make some money from your clear out.

Pet hair begone

We love our pets, but it can’t be denied that their hair gets everywhere. Thankfully, we have a simple solution for this. Rather than investing in an expensive pet hair vacuum, try donning some slightly damp rubber gloves.

That’s right, some basic cheap rubber gloves can be just as effective as a pricey vacuum. Just run your hand over the upholstery or fabric and it will attract the hair. Rinse the hair off and repeat.

Or if you’ve got pet hair embedded in the carpet, try sprinkling the carpet with a little baking soda, leave for a couple of minutes and vacuum as usual. This not only gets rid of the pet hair but also deodourises the room in a jiffy.

So there you have it – cheap and easy DIY cleaning solutions which will have your home looking spick and span in no time, and all on a budget. Find more great ways to get your home ready for the new season for less with Savoo’s great home and garden vouchers.

Do you have any DIY cleaning hacks we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments for your chance to win a fantastic £30 Amazon Gift Card to celebrate Spring. Competition ends Wednesday 13th March at 12:00, so get your tips in now!