Now I am not one for entering into the whole spring cleaning phenomenon.

But I seem to make that much more of an effort when winter dips its head for another year and the days are brighter and longer. I think this week is the one of the first of 2009 where my curtains have been open (it’s been dark when I left for work and dark when I got home) all day long; it’s as if I am inviting the world to take a peak into the window and see my sparkling home.

These last few days there has been a flurry of cleaning occurring. No room has been left untouched (well, I only have five). Polished, vacuumed, all bedding changed from the dark winter to white and where needed, I have given the place a lick of paint (eco of course).

Here are my tips for getting your home ready for sunshiny days

Open the windows; now this seems quite easy but easy to forget. Before any cleaning begins, open the windows as wide as possible and let some air circulate. Just to stop the doors banging I have some very lovely door stoppers. My house has been so stuffy because, without the heating on it gets really cold, even with under floor insulation.

Dust it down: It’s amazing how much and how quickly dust builds up in the home and that dust is filled with all manner of stuff. Dead skin, dead animals, dust mites all of which can be hazardous to your health. You can dust down without any product. More and more natural dusters are out there including the Vileda naturals range we introduced you to in December 2008.

Paint your house green: A fresh lick of paint is always good to freshen up a home but there are many paints out there filled with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Recently some fabulous ’eco’ paints have entered the market. The lovely Oliver Heath has a range named Earthborn. Others available are ecolibrium, Auro and Nutshell natural paints.

Pack up the winter wardrobe; an old saying in the UK is ‘Ne’er cast a clout till May be out’. Keeping a couple of your warmer garments to one side is one thing but your wardrobe should be cleaned and emptied and any loved items placed in some vacuum bags keeping your favourite garments in tip top condition ready to bring out in the autumn.

Source eco cleaning products; Cleaning products have concerned me for several years now. The amount of nasties we put down the drain as a nation is unprecedented. So when I buy I think about all those aquatic life forms. I am trying to stick to phosphate-free brands whose ingredients are designed to have the minimum impact on the environment. There are some great products out there including Ecover, Bio D, Bentley Organic and Method. See our goodies page to get your hands on a Method detox kit.

If you have time though you could explore your kitchen cupboards and make your own cleaning products. Over the next few weeks delve into Daisy Makes and you will find recipes for making your own concoctions, often at a fraction of the price.

Win your own Method cleaning kit