1. Remove all personal items, declutter to clear surfaces and leave minimal items on shelving

  • Remove yourself from the interior

  • Declutter to clear surfaces means that nothing remains on any surface unless its fixed down including shelving – no knickknacks, minimal books (max of 3 on a shelf) no boats in bottles or jars of shells. Be very discerning if you do leave something. Stow everything away neatly, better still take it off the boat if your selling.

    (TIP: get a few big baskets or boxes: Stow, throw, take home.)

2. Dust removal

  • Remove soft items like cushions, covers, throws, pillows and duvets and give them a good whack outside before dusting. If you have thin mattresses take them outside into the sun to kill bugs.

  • Use a brush nozzle on the vacuum and go over everything – ceilings, windows, walls, and floors get into all the crannies’ like vents, artwork frames, door jams etc.

    (TIP: wrap masking-tape a few times around any hard edges on the vacuum spout to prevent scratching).

  • Get a damp cloth (even better a synthetic chamois) wring out excess water water and wipe over all surfaces. Then buff with a lint free cloth. (Tip: for woodwork wipe in the direction of the grain for a better finish). Do floors this way too.

  • Products for in the water – Vinegar or a wood soap for veneer or a mix of beeswax lemon oil and lavender oil is a great timber cleaner.

    Note for French polished wood: be sure to buff it dry – water leaves white marks. (refer to stain removal tips)

3. Professional carpet and soft furnishing clean

  • Get carpets professionally cleaned, they can also do curtains, the fabric ceiling and wall panels and all chairs and sofas. (If you have a good steam cleaner with a vacuum function you can do this yourself).

4. Cleaning chromes and metals

Use a mixture of bicarb and vinegar – 2 sponge technique. First sponge the bicarb and then spray over with white vinegar to let it fizz. Let it work its magic, scrub where needed then rinse with fresh water. Use lemon and salt for brass and harder cleaning. 

(TIP: If you use a metal polish buff off the residue and then clean as below with vinegar solution. Pantyhose are non scratch scourers.)

  • Use pantyhose to clean around taps, wrapping it around and pulling back and forwards

  • Use toothbrush to access harder areas like edge of drains, hinges, shower fixtures.

  • Dry off with a lint free cloth

5. Cleaning stone surfaces

Know your materials onboard. Natural stone is porous and acids like vinegar and lemon may stain. If you have stains you will need to get them polished out. It is important to seal natural stone at least every 6 months. Best cleaning product is a mild detergent, window cleaner, a water and cream cleanser mix or use weak ammonia and water mix. DO NOT mix ammonia with bleach (lethal combination as it produces bad bad gases).

6. Cleaning toilets or The Head

  • Wet the inside of the bowl and then sprinkle bicarb

  • Then wipe bicarb over every surface – seats, lid and the outside of the bowl.

  • Spray vinegar into the bowl and scrub with a brush or get the gloves on and a scouring pad! You can add cream cleaner for stubborn stains. Let the product work in for a while.

  • Use a sponge soaked in vinegar to wipe over all the surfaces covered in bicarb then rinse everything off with a fresh cloth.

  • If you have really stubborn stains then place a dishwasher tablet in the water and leave it while you clean the rest of the bathroom. Scrub and you’ll be amazed.

    (TIP: Lemon juice mixed in water takes away the smell of pee – bleach makes it worse. If you put a few drops of lavender oil into the loo after cleaning it prevents stains)

The power of STEAM cleaners

These are the ultimate cleaning tool! Check out my Steam Cleaning Guide. You’ll be converted if you want an amazingly detailed result and fast. It’s not lie that steam beats grime fast.

Happy Cleaning,