How clean is your bedroom? Follow our guide to a deep down clean

Wellbeing

We recently revealed how our modern lifestyles and double-glazed, centrally-heated homes may be a breeding ground for infestations and ill-health. Now, learn how to beat both with a traditional deep down clean.

Hannah Jackson-Matombe discovered the secrets of the deep down clean from her professional housekeeper nan – also known as Granny Beeton. And was so amazed at the results that she gave up her career as a barrister to set up the UK’s first organic cleaning company, Spotless Organic.

Now she reveals the secrets of a deep down bedroom clean with her step-by-step guide – so you can ensure your bedrooms are clean and healthy.

What you need for a deep down clean

To deep clean your bedroom you will need:

  • Three people.
  • A magnifying glass.
  • A large broom.
  • A bin bag full of lint-free cloth.
  • A bowl or bucket of hot water.
  • Gloves and aprons.
  • At least one stepladder (ideally two).
  • A disposable paper mop and bucket for wooden or tiled floors.
  • A rented carpet shampoo machine if you have carpets that need shampooing.
  • LDC super degreaser (used to clean oil from 25,000 penguins in South Africa) or another mild soap.
  • Dry cloth.
  • Glass cleaner.
  • A creamy non toxic polish for wood.
  • At least two lambswool sticks for cleaning high and low and behind furniture.
  • Two vacuum cleaners with hepa filters.
  • A range of Lavender or cedarwood sachets.
  • Scented drawer liners.
  • Clean bedding.
  • Big plastic bags to take unwanted such as clothes, bags, shoes, bedding, books and magazine items to charity.
  • One bag for each drawer and one per wardrobe.

Preparing for a bedroom deep down clean

Before beginning your clean, you need to prepare the room:

  • Open windows to let in some fresh air and sunlight.
  • Remove existing bedding, curtains and nets if you want them laundering.
  • Open the drawers one by one and remove any worn, small or no longer required items to a recycle bag.
  • Open the wardrobes and remove any item not worn for more than a year (dust hazard, moth and beetle home).
  • Any items you want put in a bag to return after the clean – one bag for each drawer or wardrobe.
  • Roll up any rugs and take outside if you have outside space. If not put to one side till later.
  • Move the mattress. You will need two people take it off the bed and out, or if not outside, prop it up in the middle of the bed or on a wall near an open window for at least one hour.
  • Move the bed if it is against a wall.
  • Carry out bed bug inspections to assess if you have any long-standing issues. These tiny critters are difficult to find, so it may be best to contact a bed bug removal service to make a thorough examination.     
  • Any infested items will need to be put in the freezer and/or washed in hot or very cold temperatures, or dry cleaned.
  • Mattresses require regular turning and careful vacuuming using a vacuum cleaner good for hair to maintain comfortable use.

How to deep down clean your bedroom

Once you’re ready, you can begin your deep clean:

  • Two people vacuum all edges of the room and then inside every empty drawer and wardrobe.
  • Each person will then clean from the highest point and down cleaning insides as they go.
  • Only use a damp cloth for inside wardrobes and drawers leave open to dry.
  • One person will clean the light fitting and then the smaller walls and everything on them and inside such as drawers and shelves.
  • One person will tackle the largest wall in the room and all the things on it.
  • One person will clean the wardrobe from the top and if possible pull out and clean behind.
  • The third person will tackle the other largest wall and this will usually include cleaning first of all the paintwork with a damp cloth and light soapy water and then the windows and then the glass with a clean dry cloth and glass cleaner.
  • Don’t forget light switches, especially round the switch and the sockets, but handle with care – no damp cloth, only light sprays or dry cleaning.
  • The bed frame must be damp cleaned in detail including the legs the base and head boards.
  • Once all of the paintwork, windows and furniture have been wet cleaned, vacuum around the whole edge of the room before the centre.
  • If you do not want to clean curtains, vacuum down the sides, the tops of the hems insides and front and backs.
  • Do not shampoo until the end of the cleaning.
  • Mirrors and picture frames must be held in place for careful cleaning, gently clean backs and sides with the lambswool stick.
  • Only use a completely clean dry cloth when polishing glass.
  • Frequently replace your dirty cloths and put used cloth into a cloth bag please never shake your cloth!
  • Rugs ideally can be beaten over a line in the garden and left to rest.
  • Books must be knocked clean to do this hold the spine open to the centre and bang down near an open window.
  • Polish or shampoo the floors depending on the surface type.
  • Do not clean under beds with less than three inches as will result in mould problem.
  • Always clean around the edges of furniture so that you do not get any marks.
  • If you wish to move all or some items, ensure the carpet is fully dry before returning.
  • Polish wooden floors by hand using a circular motion or if you have a floor polish machine use this.
  • If you have only one set of nets and/or curtains, plan to drop and pick up from a dry cleaner in one day.

When everything is back in place and the bed made up, place scented drawer liners and lavender or cedar wood sachets in drawers, scented hangers in wardrobes, and return clothes into drawers and wardrobes after a gentle shake at an open window to ensure pest free.

Try it yourself – or get professional help

If you feel exhausted or disheartened just reading this, and don’t have the time (or inclination) to tackle a deep down clean yourself, you can always instruct a cleaner to carry it out for you (with this list of instructions) or hire Hannah’s team to take care of it for you.

Spotless Organic offers old-fashioned, total clean techniques using products which disintegrate safely after use. Hannah trains her staff to find dirt you didn’t know was there, and to deal with stressful situations including moth infestations. To discuss either a total clean or for help and advice contact her at hannah@spotlessorganic.com  or on 07944 815 973.