We have kept this old habit inherited from our ancestors, who cleaned from top to bottom at the end of winter to eliminate all dust and traces of soot.
Our radiators aren't as messy anymore, but we enjoy scrubbing them thoroughly when the good weather arrives.
Want a neat apartment for the arrival of spring?
Editorial tips for a successful spring cleaning.
Spring cleaning: don't be afraid to throw away
This is the basis, before starting the big cleaning, it is imperative to declutter.
We meticulously empty all cupboards, drawers, bookcases and containers to sort.
And that is often the hardest part.
Many of us cultivate a pathological attachment to objects.
Separating from the useless is the ba-ba of the household.
The most refractory can call on storage coaches who help you keep only the essentials.
"The books that we started but never finished, we have to tell ourselves that we won't find them more exciting in two years, so we give them away" recommends Cyrille Fremont, Home organizer.
"Same for those we have already read, we rarely read the same book twice, so there is no need to keep them. As for travel guides,
you can make yourself a nice library if you live in 400 m2, but that's rarely the case.
And the day you return to this country, the addresses will be obsolete, so we throw it away!" Age 25. "If you've lost weight, you'll have to give yourself a small reward and buy new jeans," pleads this specialist.
Read alsoDeco: how to arrange the living space so that it is healthy and serene
Profit for a successful spring cleaning
Impossible to pestle objects dear to our hearts or branded pieces?
We make money by reselling them on e-bay or Le Bon Coin.
If giving them away one by one seems tedious to you, put them in a sales consignment, or sign up for a flea market, it's the start of the season, or organize a vacuum-dressing at home with a few friends.
With the money obtained, we pay for a small manicure or a massage at the spa.
Also think about bartering between girlfriends and specialized sites for clothes (www.pretachanger.fr or www.trocvestiaire.com).
Rehabilitate grandmothers' recipes
The household shelves are filled with products of all kinds.
However, it is useless to multiply the bottles.
We are content with a dishwashing liquid, a household cleaner that allows you to do the floors, the bathroom, the kitchen and the toilets at the same time.
Better still, we use the products of yesteryear: baking soda, white vinegar and Marseille soap or black soap will be your best allies.
The first absorbs odours, cleans sticky pans, unclogs toilets, shines silverware.
White vinegar, it degreases and descales among other virtues.
As for soaps, they wash whiter than white.
These natural products also allow you to avoid polluting your interior with products full of additives.
Economical and ecological, what more could you ask for!
In video, the Bisou method: this trick that helps us clean our closets
Clean from top to bottom
How many times do we just circle around the sofa to vacuum?
For a household worthy of the name, we move the furniture, all of it, even the fridge.
We dust off the interiors of the cupboards (hence the usefulness of emptying them), we pass a rag over the moldings, above the shelves and the light fixtures.
For effective cleaning, you should not wait for the famous spring cleaning but do things regularly.
We get into the habit of doing the windows once a month, and we take the opportunity each time to put the curtains in the machine at the same time.
Clean the inside of the fridge also monthly.
Learn to tidy up
To be more efficient in your household throughout the year, things must be well organized.
In the kitchen, we favor pots and stackable dishes, we also rely on retractable products and we avoid multiplying household utensils.
A good multifunction food processor is better than a grinder, a blender and a grater… And if you never cook, well, you do without it altogether!
As far as papers are concerned, "some are totally allergic to it, and let the mail accumulate without ever opening it. They can opt for electronic invoices when this option is offered, for example" suggests Cyrille Frémont.
Finally, for the clothes we adopt the method of Marie Kondo.
This Japanese
(First Editions) favors drawers with a vertical folding method, so that one can have an immediate overview of the contents, a technique tested and approved in the shops as well.
And if you still keep a wardrobe, you put everything on identical hangers... and the right size.