It’s that time again – the sun’s out and showing up all the corners that we’ve averted our gazes from over the last few months and it’s time for a spring (or summer) clean.

But instead of what thinking about what we should do, what shouldn’t we do when it comes to cleaning the house?

Firstly, don’t start without a plan. You know best in your own home what you consider to be essential. By making a list you won’t miss anything you consider to be vital, and you can put them in descending order from the most important, difficult and time-consuming, to less important, easier and quicker.

After creating your plan, make sure that you’ve got everything you need in good working order to fulfil it. Vacuuming isn’t as effective if the filter is blocked!

Don’t take a scatter gun approach to the tasks. Divide it into rooms and work through them methodically, side to side and top to bottom to cover all areas. Tidy up and declutter before you dust and vacuum so that you don’t lose momentum or miss bits.

An easy mistake to make is to sort out the things you can see and omit those you can’t, so look up and look behind. Lights, fans, door frames and picture rails are often forgotten and yet they are as much a part of the room as anything else. And do it first so that you don’t re-dirty what you’ve already cleaned.

Remember to open your windows – much easier now that the weather has improved – this will freshen your home up no end and improve the air quality.

Finally, try not to launch into your mammoth clean if you’re not feeling at least relatively upbeat about doing it. Try to be positive – yes, it’s a chore but it’s got to be done – so perhaps you could put some music on to help you round. Just think how pleased you’ll be when you’ve done it, your home is clean and tidy, and you’ve done all that stretching and walking as well.

Of course, if you have more than one person in your household, perhaps you can divvy up the tasks. You might even get the children to sort out their rooms…