Eco-Friendly Spring Cleaning in London: A Room-by-Room, Low-Waste Plan

An eco-friendly spring clean means cleaning every room once, properly, with a small reusable kit: washable cloths, one concentrated cleaner, bicarbonate of soda, a mild acid for limescale and soda crystals for grease. Declutter first, work from top to bottom, and allow two weekends, or a week of evenings, for a typical London flat.

This is the full version. Only have half an hour here and there? Try our 20 quick spring refresh wins.

What do you need for a low-waste spring clean?

Less than most cupboards hold. Nearly every job needs only a cloth, warm water and a little detergent.

• Microfibre cloths in two colours. Six to eight is enough. Keep one colour for the kitchen and living areas and the other for the bathroom and toilet, so a toilet cloth never ends up on a worktop.
• Rags from old cotton T-shirts or towels for greasy jobs where you would otherwise use kitchen roll.
• One refillable trigger spray. A few drops of washing-up liquid or castile soap in warm water cleans most wipeable surfaces.
• Bicarbonate of soda for gentle scrubbing and smells, citric acid or white vinegar for limescale, and soda crystals for heavy grease. Each one can damage certain surfaces, so read our guide to natural cleaning ingredients before you start.
• Tools that last: a squeegee, an old toothbrush, a bucket, a plastic scraper and a vacuum with a crevice tool.

Buy concentrates and large refill packs rather than ready-to-use sprays: you carry less water home and throw away fewer bottles. Measure each dose, too. Using more than the label suggests leaves a sticky film that needs extra rinsing.

Wash cloths often and dry them before reuse; the Food Standards Agency notes that dirty, damp cloths encourage bacteria to grow (Food Standards Agency). Skip fabric conditioner for microfibre, as it clogs the fibres.

In what order should you spring clean?

Declutter first, then clean each room from top to bottom and from the far wall towards the door. Dust falls as you work, so light fittings and shelves come before surfaces, and floors come last.

1. Clear out before you clean. Cleaning around clutter takes far longer. Our guide to decluttering a smaller flat covers what to keep and where London households can donate or recycle the rest.
2. Open the windows. Fresh air helps surfaces dry and clears the smell of vinegar.
3. Work dry, then wet. Dust and vacuum, then wipe, then mop. A wet cloth on a dusty surface just makes paste.
4. Do the kitchen and bathroom first, while you still have energy, and finish each room before starting the next.

For a one or two bedroom flat, a realistic plan is the kitchen and bathroom on the first weekend, then the bedrooms, living room, windows and hallway on the second. If weekends are busy, give each room one evening across a week.

How do you spring clean the kitchen with less waste?

The low-waste approach swaps single-use wipes and harsh sprays for simple ingredients and a little more waiting time.

• Oven without a caustic cleaner. With the oven cold and switched off, spread a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water over the inside, keeping it off the heating elements and the fan, and leave it overnight. Next day, lift it off with a plastic scraper and damp rags, then rinse until no white streaks remain. If your oven has self-cleaning liners, check the manual first.
• Fridge interior. After washing the shelves, wipe the inside with a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda dissolved in a litre of warm water. It cleans without leaving a scent on your food.
• Tiles and the tops of wall cupboards. A warm solution of soda crystals shifts the sticky layer of grease and dust on glazed tiles. Use plain washing-up liquid on painted or lacquered doors instead: Dri-Pak, which makes soda crystals, warns that loose lacquer or varnish may come off, and says not to use them on aluminium (Dri-Pak). Many extractor hood filters are aluminium, so check before you soak one.
• Cupboards. Check dates as you go; unopened, in-date food you will not use can go to a food bank that accepts donations.

For the order of work, timings and the hob, follow our step-by-step kitchen deep clean guide.

How do you deal with limescale and mould in the bathroom?

Limescale is the main bathroom job in most London homes. Thames Water notes that most of the water in the South East of England is hard, and hard water leaves the chalky residue we call limescale (Thames Water).

• Glass, glazed tiles and the bath. A mild acid dissolves light scale. Wipe on citric acid dissolved in warm water, or diluted white vinegar, leave it for a few minutes, then rinse and dry. Keep acids off marble, limestone and travertine, and check your tap maker's care advice before using vinegar on fittings.
• Toilet. Clean under the rim, around the base and behind the pan, then the seat hinges and the flush button. If you use a bleach-based toilet cleaner, flush it away fully before anything acidic goes into the bowl. The Health and Safety Executive warns that bleach products mixed with acidic toilet cleaners or ammonia give off harmful gases (HSE).
• Grout. Scrub with a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water on the toothbrush, then rinse.
• Mould on silicone, walls and ceilings. Government guidance says mould can be removed from hard surfaces with a suitable cleaning product and then left to dry completely, and that whoever removes it should wear a mask, gloves and goggles (GOV.UK). The same guidance recommends extractor fans and opening windows regularly. Mould that keeps coming back usually points to damp; if you rent, report it to your landlord.

Thick, crusted scale on screens, taps and shower heads needs more patience; our limescale removal guide covers each surface.

What should a spring clean cover in the bedrooms?

• Mattress. Strip the bed, vacuum the mattress with the upholstery tool, and leave it uncovered with the window open for a few hours. Turn or rotate it if the maker recommends it.
• Duvet. Follow the care label. A king-size duvet can be a tight squeeze in a small flat's washing machine, so a launderette's larger machines are often the better choice.
• Wardrobes and drawers. Swap winter clothes for summer ones. Anything you did not wear last year goes in the donate bag. Wipe the shelves and vacuum the wardrobe floor.
• Under the bed. Pull everything out, vacuum, and put back only what you use.

How do you refresh the living room and hallway?

• Curtains and blinds. Check the label: some curtains can go in the machine, others only need vacuuming with the brush head. Wipe slatted blinds one slat at a time with a barely damp cloth.
• Sofa and armchairs. Lift the seat cushions, then vacuum the crevices, the frame and underneath.
• Skirting boards, door frames, handles and light switches. Work round the room with one damp cloth and one dry one.
• Shelves and books. Take the books off, dust the shelf and the tops of the books, then put them back.
• Carpets and rugs. Vacuum slowly in two directions, moving the furniture you usually go around.
• Hallway. Put winter coats, boots and umbrellas away, wipe the inside of the front door, and clear anything stored on the floor.
• Balcony or patio. Sweep, then scrub with a stiff brush and warm soapy water. Use as little water as you can on a balcony, so dirty water does not drip onto the one below.

How do you clean windows without streaks?

Clean glass when it is out of direct sun, which dries the solution before you can wipe it off.

1. Vacuum the sills and the bottom of the frames.
2. Wash the glass with warm water and a few drops of washing-up liquid.
3. Draw a squeegee down from top to bottom, wiping the blade after each stroke.
4. Dry the edges with a clean microfibre cloth, then wipe the frames and sills.

Only clean outside panes you can reach safely from the ground, from a balcony, or on windows designed to tilt or turn inwards. Never lean out of an upper-floor window.

When is it worth booking a deep clean instead?

If the plan above looks like more than two weekends, or the oven and bathroom are past what a cloth and bicarbonate of soda can fix, a professional deep clean takes the heaviest rooms off your hands. At SW Clean London, deep cleaning is charged at £23 per cleaner per hour with products and equipment included, and you can ask for eco-friendly products when you book. Our deep cleaning cost guide shows typical hours for each size of home.

Want the heavy rooms done for you? See what our deep cleaning service covers, or book a deep clean online and get the price confirmed before the day.