The ultimate deep cleaning guide for a fresh home this autumn

The kitchen sees a lot of traffic throughout the year, so it’s important to ensure it’s getting a solid deep clean now and again.

Sinks, disposals and splashbacks

Ideally, sinks and disposals should be thoroughly cleaned weekly, but we all know it’s easy to fall behind when life gets in the way. Get your sink and drainboard sparkling clean again:

• Remove any food particles
• Give the sink a good scrub with dish detergent and an old dish sponge
• Apply a cream cleaner or other cleaner suitable for the material of your sink
• Wipe thoroughly with a re-usable microfibre cloth
• Rinse well
• Don’t forget to clean taps and sink strainers, too

If your sink has a garbage disposal, clean it by following these steps:

• Ensure the power to the disposal is off
• Add a handful of ice cubes, a squirt of dish soap and some citrus peels if you have them on hand and run the disposal
• Once the grinding sound stops, flush thoroughly with water from the tap

Lastly, give your splashback a good scrub with a microfibre cloth and dish soap.

Pantry

While the pantry likely gets used daily, it’s also typically home to long-forgotten condiments or an expired bag of fancy rice.

Follow these steps to get your pantry in tip-top shape for storing all those delicious cold-weather snacks. Hot chocolate, anyone?

• Remove all food from the pantry
• Toss any food that’s expired
• Check foods like rice and flour for moths and weevils and toss if affected
• Wipe pantry shelves with soapy water and a microfibre cloth and dry completely before putting food back
• Wipe down the outside of the pantry and cupboard doors

If moths are a concern, consider moving food into airtight containers or storing items like flour in the fridge. Bay leaves are said to deter moths as well, so add a few to bags of rice or flour and scatter some over your pantry shelves.

Stove and exhaust fan

This area tends to need some elbow grease, so put on a pumping cleaning playlist and get cracking:

• Remove filters from your exhaust fan and replace or clean
• Scrub away accumulated grease from the exhaust using dish soap as it’s designed to cut through grease
• For gas stoves, remove the stands and wipe around burners. Stove stands can soak in a kitchen sink full of hot water with a dishwasher tab to remove grease and stains
• For electric and induction stoves, wipe the surface thoroughly with an appropriate cleaner, like a glass cleaner or cream cleaner for stainless steel surfaces

Oven

If you’ve got a pyrolytic oven, you’re in luck. Follow the instruction manual carefully.

Otherwise, use these steps to get your oven up to scratch for future roasts:

• Remove oven racks and put them in a sink full of soapy water to soak
• Remove the oven door and take it apart—it likely has two panes of glass you can clean individually
• For a natural clean, try making a paste of baking soda and a little water and spreading it around the oven, avoiding the heating elements
• Leave for several hours or overnight, then spray with vinegar and wipe with a damp microfibre cloth

Show your living and dining room some love and prepare for cosy nights on the sofa.

• Start with a thorough dusting. Don’t forget the tops of picture frames, inside bookshelves, around baseboards, and on top of ceiling fan blades
• Wash your walls with a microfibre cloth and soapy water
• Vacuum around window sills and dust venetian blinds or plantation shutters, if you have them
• Clean windows using soapy water on a well-wrung-out microfibre cloth
• Vacuum upholstery like your sofa, armchairs and ottomans
• Vacuum and mop floors, or invest in a professional steam clean for carpets and upholstery—this is a good opportunity to move furniture around and get underneath sofas and rugs, and behind shelves
• Wash blankets and pillowcases and hang to dry

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The bathroom tends to be a clutter magnet, so start by removing the contents of your cupboards, vanities, and under the sink. Toss out expired make-up, skincare products, and broken bath toys, and set aside expired medications. Most chemists will take them back and dispose of them responsibly.

Now, move on to cleaning:

• Remove bath mats, towels, and flannels and throw them in the laundry
• Take down the shower curtain and wash according to instructions
• Vacuum the floor and any ceiling vents—if the vents aren’t running as they should, it’s time to hire a licensed electrician to take a look
• Pour toilet cleaner into the toilet and let it sit
• Spray grout cleaner onto discoloured shower grout and let it sit
• Wipe down walls with soapy water on a microfibre cloth
• Scrub down the bath with a microfibre cloth and a cream cleaner or bathroom cleaner and rinse well
• Scrub the shower using a narrow, heavy-duty scrubbing brush to clean between tiles
•  Remove soap scum and water spots with a natural option like use white vinegar. Or turn to a regular bathroom spray for this job instead. You may need to wash the shower door several times to get it sparkling
• Scrub the toilet with a toilet brush and use disinfectant wipes to wipe down the seat, lid and outside of the bowl
• Clean mirrors using a glass cleaner

While in the bathroom, check for any areas that might be growing mould. If you find any, nip it in the bud by removing the mould and re-sealing the area.

Start the bedroom with a good tidy and you’ll find the job’s half done. Then:

• Dust thoroughly, including the blades of any ceiling fans
• Remove bedsheets and wash
• Vacuum your mattress, sprinkle with baking soda and let sit for a few hours
• Vacuum floors and rugs
• Mop floors or steam clean carpets
• Vacuum baking soda from your mattress and flip it, if possible

Now is also a great time to unpack your woollens and check for small holes that need mending or items that need washing before they enter your regular wardrobe rotation.

If you’re deep cleaning a kids’ bedroom, take the opportunity to declutter broken or unloved toys and either toss or donate them. Check clothes and put aside pieces that no longer fit to donate. Clothes and textiles that are no longer wearable can be recycled; check if your local council offers this service.

Last on our list is the laundry, which thankfully doesn’t tend towards too much clutter or dirt.

• Dust thoroughly
• Vacuum and mop floors and ceiling vents
• Wipe down walls with soapy water on a microfibre cloth
• Empty the lint trap on your dryer and vacuum areas you can reach to remove dust and lint
• Wipe the inside of your dryer with a damp cloth
• Run your washing machine on a clean cycle, then wipe out the inside with a damp microfibre cloth and some soapy water