Diwali House Cleaning Tips: Get your home ready for the festivities

Coloured and lit up streets, binge eating on snacks and sweets, exchanging gifts with friends and family ⁠—Diwali is a festival of happiness, lights and colours. India’s most awaited festival is a time to celebrate, feast, visit friends and family and embrace the love and togetherness we share with our beloved ones. It is also a time when people pray to Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha to bring happiness, good luck and prosperity into their lives. But, going by traditions, only homes that are clean, lit and decorated are said to receive the blessings.

One fool-proof cleaning tip to follow is one room at a time. This will help you stay organised and seeing a room sparkly clean will motive you to clean the entire house — start with moving out the furniture and clean the room thoroughly, wash all the textiles, get rid of stuff you no longer use, declutter and organise everything. If you are thinking of giving your walls a fresh coat of paint, opt for Berger Express Painting to ensure a timely and seamless job just in time for the festivities. It features professional home painting services, waterproofing and wood coating solutions executed by a team of experts for an unparalleled painting experience.

Here are our tips for hassle-free Diwali cleaning for a sparkling clean home:

Bedroom

Start by moving out the furniture and dusting the roof and walls. Wash all the fabrics including curtains, pillow and cushion covers, duvets, bedspread, rugs etc. Clean every possible surface using a disinfectant. Clean all glass surfaces using a soft cloth or old newspaper. Don’t forget to clean windowpanes and doors. Take out your mattress and pillow and cushion fillers and leave it in the sun for an entire day, this will help remove any dust mites, if any.

While clearing out your wardrobe, empty out all contents of the closet and wipe off the dust. Make three piles— wear, repair and donate. Once you are done organising through the piles, put back the wear category of clothing back and try to organise it colour and occasion-wise. Donate clothes you no longer wear or don’t see fit in your wardrobe. Use naphthalene or camphor balls in the wardrobe after you are done cleaning to help keep mites away.

Bathroom

Take out everything removable— scrubs, shampoos, body washes, soap, buckets etc. and start by scrubbing the shelves with a liquid cleaner. Use toilet cleaner on the insides of the WC and let it sit. Clean the mirrors, faucets, shower head and taps. And lastly, scrub the floor using a disinfectant and use a floor bleaching powder, if needed.

Kitchen

You will be hosting a lot of friends and family and cooking yummy Diwali delicacies and your kitchen will need a thorough cleanse. Start by getting rid of old and expired ingredients and equipment you no longer use. Clean the shelves using warm water mixed with a disinfectant and a clean cloth. Once cleaned, use a dry cloth for a final cleanse. Label items to organise your items that will make them easier to find and look for. Store items you seldom use at the back or on the top of the shelves. Use hooks, organisers and racks to store mugs, cups and knick-knacks. To clean your fridge, take everything out and scrub it using vinegar and clean cloth.

Wall cleaning

Cleaning your walls can be a daunting task, especially if you do not have easy-to-clean paint. And all walls tend to get grubby, more so if you have kids or pets living in the house. Wipe the walls with a lightly dampened sponge dipped in a solution of washing liquid. Don’t rub or scrub too hard. And if you are repainting, go for easy to maintain paints. Berger Paints Easy Clean Fresh comes with a pleasant, refreshing smell that will keep your rooms fragrant and aromatic. It features a formula that helps dust, dirt and grime (even fingermarks!) to be removed easily from the walls.

Living room

As one of the most-used room in the house, the living room tends to get cluttered and dirty easily. Start by getting rid of everything you no longer use. Gather anything that is out of place, like toys, books, video games, papers etc. and put back everything where it belongs. Take down and wash draperies, curtains and blinds. Wash the insides and outsides of the windows. Use a slightly damp cloth to clean main surfaces like coffee table, TV, shelves etc. Dust and clean the ceiling fan, there is nothing more embarrassing than switching on the fan and having a dust ball fall on your guests. Clean lampshades, lamps, frame and decorative items using a vacuum attachment or duster.

Don’t forget the house exteriors!

The house interiors can be spick and span but if the exteriors look ugly and shoddy, the first impression for your guests is already made. If your exterior walls need repairing and waterproofing, don’t ignore this. And if you are thinking of painting your house exterior, Berger Paints Anti Dustt is a good choice. It doesn’t allow environmental and construction dust to settle on your exterior walls and gives it a rich soft sheen to enhance the beauty of your house.

And have some fun!

Put on some music, audiobook or podcast. This will help you pass time a lot faster and keep you entertained whilst cleaning. Ask a friend or family member to help you clean. After you are done cleaning your house, offer them help to clean theirs. If you have a knick-knacks and items to give away, host a get together and put up items on auction.

The final touch

Once you are done giving your house a thorough cleanse, bring out your Diwali decorations. The belief behind decorating the house for Diwali is that bright lights will help remove darkness from your house, giving you happiness and prosperity. Hang lights and lanterns on the doors and windows and spruce up the corners of the house using candles. Create low centerpieces using brass utensils and place flowers and floating candles alternatively for a colourful and bright arrangement. For a positive vibe in the house, buy fresh flowers. Place it in a vase or create a flower rangoli for an elegant décor idea. Decorating the house should not be limited to visual elements, but also stimulate our sense of smell in a pleasant way. Make the house smell good with aromatherapy candles, incense, room spray and diffusers.

Diwali cleaning can be a stressful chore. Use these tips to give your house a thorough cleanse and get in the festive spirit!